K L Rahul celebrates after completing his century against England at Lord's.
Credit: Reuters Photo
Sports is generally viewed as a physical contest between two opponents. Yes, it’s very true. But at the very elite, it’s an intense battle of the mind too. The stronger one is up there in the head, better equipped are they to make those split-second decisions in crunch moments that separate a champion from a runner-up. And athletes have gone to various lengths to become stronger in the mind.
The Indian cricket team, led by M S Dhoni and coached by Gary Kirsten, worked with world-renowned explorer and adventurer Mike Horn, who helped them win the coveted 2011 World Cup. Horn, a much-sought-after name in the world of sports, was also hired by Kolkata Knight Riders, the German national football team as well as the Indian hockey team, and all three entities attained glory which they attributed in part to their stint with Horn. KKR won the seventh edition of IPL in 2014, the Germans lifted a fourth FIFA World Cup a few months later, and the Indian hockey team won a second successive Olympic bronze medal at the Paris Games last year — all thanks to Horn’s adventures in the wild that pushed the limits of human endurance, both physical and mental.
Superstar athletes like Novak Djokovic, Serena Williams, LeBron James and Cristiano Ronaldo have embraced yoga too, which has helped them stay calm and think better in the heat of the moment. Some even consult sports psychologists on a regular basis, which they believe helps them stay strong, rubbishing the notion that only the weak seek such therapies.
Indian cricketer K L Rahul, who has been having a fabulous run in England this Test series so far with two centuries in three games, including a second ton at Lord’s that put him in an elite category, too, has gone down the lane of working with mind coaches in a bid to become more consistent. Despite spending a decade at the international level, the 33-year-old Rahul had managed just 3257 runs at a very modest average of 33.57 prior to the start of the ongoing Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. It was a statistic that hurt the technically sound batter who is blessed with a game for all conditions.
Coming to England as the senior-most specialist batter in a young transitional Indian team, he knew he had to correct that anomaly. And he’s done so brilliantly, scoring 42, 137, 2, 55, and 100, barely losing his concentration which was his undoing in the past. There have been umpteen instances when a poor decision after being well set had cost him his wicket.
Rahul, speaking to the media following Saturday’s play, revealed that work with the Formula One team Red Bull helped him gain that extra edge. “In the last couple of years, I have worked on a few mental drills. I have spent time with an expert who can help me with improving my reaction time and some mental drills and games that you can play that help you get better with your reaction time and stuff like that. I think a lot of other sports use it. I have seen this in Formula One and yeah, I picked this up from one of the guys that I have worked with in Salzburg.
"I am closely associated with Red Bull so I had the opportunity to go there and work with some of the coaches that work with the elite Formula One guys and other adventure sports people who require a lot of this mental side of the game. So I have worked on that and I guess that is the only thing that has been different in the last year or so. I have always enjoyed fighting long periods of time even as a kid playing junior cricket and it has helped me,” added Rahul.
Job is just half done and Rahul will be hoping the newfound boost from the energy drink company helps him sign off on a high.