“I couldn’t have said I am not feeling great and I need to get away from the game”. You never know how that is taken. These things should be of great importance. If you think a player is important enough for Indian cricket, he should be looked after. At the international stage, every player needs that communication and the ability to speak up”- Virat Kohli
This recent statement from Kohli has got mental health in Cricket into the limelight. So as it is said Billions of people and only 11 get selected to represent the country.
It feels like a lot of pressure already. There is tremendous competition in all sports but cricket gets the most because of the passion and the reach of the game in India.
A lot of players approach a sport psychologist to get mentally tougher because even sometimes the smallest things puts a lot of pressure and anxiety in them. Leave performance pressure, the pressure of being selected is the most common stimulus that generates anxiety. That in turn generates performance pressure. It’s not easy to make it large. Not primarily due to “politics” but other demands. As a young cricketer, there a some common demands which can make a player quit the game:
1. Fear of failure due to expectations from the significant people in the young cricketer’s life. Viz., parents, coaches, peers, Significant others.
2. Failure to achieve a certain level at a certain age. “If he/she can do it at my age, why can’t i?”
3. “Need of Achievement” which leads to comparison between academics and cricket, some choose the former due to society pressure or ‘helplessness to deal with the existing pressures in cricket that prevents players from achieving a good level of performance.
4. Striving to stay injury free. One huge injury leads to a poor season and then overlooked by the selectors.
What can the player do?
1. Seek help of the coaches or trusted people in their lives
2. If need be, seek the help of a sport psychologist. They will help you compartmentalise your life and probably guide your through the tougher times
3. Even if you are burned out and want to take a break, do it professionally. Take the help of a psychologist to take the break and also make a comeback with their guidance.
4. Build a circle of trusted people and only believe in their advice/ suggestions. Don’t let others bog you down.
5. Maintain a diary to write your daily experience. Spend at least 10mins at the end of the day to jot down your feelings and thoughts.
Written by Varadyani Gore
Royal Falcons opting to bat first at Vengsarkar Academy, Mahul could not post a imposing total this time scoring 132/7 in 20 overs. Only two batters from Royal Falcons could score in double digits and one of them was their opener Chintan Seth top scoring with 81 runs off 69 balls (9 fours, 2 sixes). From the bowlers, Dhananjay Purohit with 3/26 in 4 overs was the pick of the lot.
Avengers in reply chased down the score in just 15.3 overs winning the match by 7 wkts. After a solid opening start by Manan (42) and Rohit (23), it was Swastik Keni at no.4 playing the finishers role with a gritty knock of 42* in 31 balls laced with 6 fours and 1 six.
Result- Avengers XI won by 7 wkts, Swastik Keni declared “man of the match”
Scorecard Link
https://www.crichq.com/matches/820397/2nd_innings
DSP XI opting to bat first at Vengsarkar Academy, Mahul could have been bundled out for 60-70 odd runs had it not been their in-form Hitesh Gujar who is at present in a form of his life. DSP getting all out for 123 runs and opener Hitesh Gujar scoring 80 of those in mere 58 balls speaks a lot about his current state he is in and how important he is to the DSP team. From the bowlers it was the experienced Mahesh Hirpara who did the job for Edifice. Mahesh who is a seasoned played came up with envious bowling figures of 5/19 in 3.1 overs as he not only plucked the wickets of both the openers but also some important wickets at the middle order.
Chasing 124, Edifice openers gave a decent start with both the openers Viren and Sumeet chipping in with 20’s while it was again the star of the day Mahesh Hirpara finishing off things in style smashing 34* in mere 12 balls which had 3 fours and 3 sixes to his name.
Result- Edifice Consultants won by 7 wkts, Mahesh Hirpara declared “Man of the Match”
The tournament is at present halfway through the Super 8 Stage and Edifice Team is at the 2nd position sitting below Arch Mavericks.
Scorecard link-
https://www.crichq.com/matches/820822/2nd_innings
Shivaji Park Gymkhana after being put to bat first posted a good total of 293/10 in 63.3 overs, opener Gandhar Bhatawadekar scored a polished knock of 79 runs in 119 balls while he also stitched a 167 run stand with Kunal Chalke who scored a brilliant hundred. Coming at n.3 Kunal went on to score 108 off 114 balls laced with 13 fours and 2 sixes which ensured their team reached a decent total. However, after Ninad Kadam’s 46 at no.4, the wickets kept on tumbling or else even a total of 350 looked possible at one stage of the game. From the bowlers, Akshay Jambhekar with 4/91 in 18.3 overs was the pick of the lot.
It wasn’t the best of the starts for New Hind with scoreboard reading 3/51 chasing a big total of 294. However, left handed Sachin Yadav who came at no.6 changed the course of the game batting for 150 deliveries as he scored a match saving 119* with 14 boundaries. Sachin also received excellent support from New Hind’s crisis man at the middle order- Siddhant Adhatrao who scored a yet another understated yet important knock of 55 (87 balls) as both of them stitched 108 runs together for the 4th wicket.
With scoreboard reading 6/189, the journey was far from over and Sachin on the other hand kept on surviving without throwing away his wicket. Yadav again received lifeline in the form of Akshay Jambhekar as he went on to score 61* off 86 balls alongwith a match winning 104* run stand for the 7th wicket with Sachin as New Hind crossed the victory line with 4 wkts in hand qualifying for the semi finals of the tournament.
9TH FEBRUARY, 2020 IN MUMBAI – JOLLY FRIENDS SPORTS SOLO 2 PREMIER LEAGUE 2019-20 : The match between ICICI Prudentials (ICICIPRU) and Avengers was played at Fatima school cricket ground on 9th February 2020. ICICIPRU won the toss and elected to BAT first.
After being 47-3, Sadashiv Gawade and Akshay Kotharkar took charge of the innings and garnered a flourishing partnership of 89 runs. Akshay got out scoring a superb innings of 42 off 21. Sadhashiv had a good partnership with Shahnawaz Shaikh who also scored a 16 ball 27. Sadashiv remained not out in the inning and he scored a wonderful innings of 104 runs off 53 balls. His innings was an epitome of self-belief as in the initial phases he batted very carefully and took his time, later when upped the ante in the later overs. He brought up his century in the very last over where scored 26 runs with 3 sixes and 2 fours. Eventually they reached a score of 234 runs in 20 overs losing 5 wickets.
Avenger’s opener Rohit Iyer scored a vital 52 runs off 40 balls. In the lower middle order, Ram Mane (27 off 14) and Harshad Patkar (30 off 15) also contributed to the chase. Unfortunately, the efforts of the batsmen weren’t enough to fetch the big score. Pacer Deep shah of ICICI PRUDENTIAL bowled an impressive figure of 2-16 in 4 overs. the bowlers bowled to their potential and plan in the death overs, hitting block holes and wide yorkers, thereby restricting big nits as well as tempting the batters.
RESULT- ICICI PRUDENTIAL WON THE MATCH BY 40 RUNS.
MAN OF THE MATCH- SADASHIV GAWADE FROM ICICI PRUDENTIAL TEAM.
Click here for ICICI Prudential VS Avengers Match full scorecard …..
With Mumbai Team opting to bat first, there were high chances of them getting bundled out for 150 or 200 runs had it not been their crisis man Awais Khan doing the job. Mumbai in the 1st innings were all out for 340/10 in 111 overs and more than 50% of the runs were crafted by Awais as he remained unbeaten batting till the very end. Awais scored 172* while got some helping hand from Ayush Mhatre (48*) and Aryan Shejule (32) as Mumbai were able to cross the 300 run mark. Awais now has 400+ runs in the West Zone averaging an healthy 82.20 just stamping his presence as a reliable top order batsman.
Maharashtra team in reply were cleaned up for 126 runs in their 1st innings with Sudarshan Kumbhar scoring 71 runs of those total. Aryan Shejule brought the momentum in Mumbai’s favor in no time as he returned with bowling figures of 5/65 taking important wickets at right junctures.
Receiving a follow on, Maharashtra were again all out under the trail total this time for 184 runs. This time it was their all rounder Rudra Tank (3/10) and left arm spinner Nishit Balla (3/40) doing the job for Mumbai.
Result-Mumbai won by an innings & 30 runs
Club Cricket is the lifeline for any aspiring cricketer to excel in the field of cricket. It’s only through hard work at club level cricket does a player progresses to Domestic and International level. However, International & Domestic Cricketers in India fairly receive their set of accolades, attention & coverage in India but it’s the untapped club cricket community especially in Mumbai which is also considered to be one of the biggest talent houses for cricketers in India which is relatively untapped. Most of the performances go unnoticed and maximum of players at Club level require the right amount of support in terms of strength, stamina, nutrition to excel in the game. In a first of its kind initiative in India by exerFIT-Cricketgraph, the hard working population of club cricketers who equally toil hard and put promising performances will now be rewarded in IPL Style with Yellow, Purple and Orange Caps.
exerfitwellness has come onboard to tie up with Cricketgraph to felicitate Club Level Cricketers in Mumbai every month with IPL Style Orange, Yellow and Purple Caps. The winners will recieve Whey Protein, BCAA, Glutamine from the house of exerfitwellness which will surely be quite helpful in improving the strength and stamina of our hard working Club Level Cricketers in Mumbai.
Here are the winners of @exerfitwellness Monthly Cricket Cap Winners in Club Cricket for the month of December 2019.
ExerFIT Orange Cap Winner in Club Cricket for the month of January’ 20- Hashir Dafedar
It has been a season of comeback for the stylish Hashir Dafedar who plays for Islam Gymkhana in various MCA Tournaments. He ended up becoming the highest run scorer in the Purshottam Shield Tournament smashing some brilliant tons. Hashir’s 139 vs the powerful CCI team and his graceful 104 vs Bhatnagar Sports made him the perfect contender to win the exerFIT Orange Cap for the month of January’20
ExerFIT Purple Cap Winner in Club Cricket for the month of January’20-Akshay Darekar
For the uninitiated, Akshay Darekar is also an accomplished first class cricketer who has represented Maharashtra Team across 91 matches in various formats with just 1 wkt shy of 200 first class wickets. The experienced campaigner has been consistent this season in Mumbai’s Club Cricket where he is representing Bhatnagar Sports and Cultural Foundation team. Darekar’s spells of 4/75 vs Regal CC & 5/73 vs Islam Gymkhana made him the top contender for the coveted Purple Cap as he was rightly declared the exerFIT Purple Cap Winner for the month of January’20
ExerFIT Yellow Cap Winner in Club Cricket for the month of January’20-Swapnil Salvi
MPL Player Swapnil Salvi who has been playing Mumbai Club Cricket since over a decade definitely enjoys quite a popularity in the cricketing circles. Known for his aggressive style of batting, Swapnil Salvi has played some spectacular knocks for MIG in various MCA Tournaments. Just recently took, Swapnil had scored a quickfire 124 vs Karnatak Sporting Association in the Purshottam Shield Tournament.
Swapnil won the most exerFIT Most Popular Player in Club Cricketer (Yellow Cap) for the month of January as he garnered 166 votes to grab the coveted exerFIT coveted cap. The icing on the cake was Pardeep Sahu (IPL Player and Team Australia Spin Bowling Consultant) handing over the award to Swapnil!
exerFIT® is an aspirational nutrition and nutraceuticals brand for people who desire to lead an active and healthy lifestyle. exerFIT® and its product range for people who like to experience the best of both worlds – who choose not to compromise on fitness and who take that extra step to ensure living a healthy life, regardless of their daily obligations.
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SKP Athletics skipper Kunal Bhavsar after putting Poisar Brothers to bat first at Azad Maidan certainly made the right decision as Poisar Brothers were cleaned up for just 70 runs in 29 overs. Experienced left arm spinner Mihir Shah who has been amongst the wickets this season too continues to inflict damage as he came up with excellent bowling figures of 5/10 in 8 overs coupled with 4 maidens. These are the kind of spells Mihir has time and again come up with, a spell where Mihir was literally bang on to restrict the opposition to a two digit total.
SKP Athletics in reply chased down the total in 14.2 overs winning the match by 7 wkts. Opener Kasif Pariyani scored 25 while skipper Kunal Bhavsar (11*) did the finishing work at no.4 hitting the winning runs with a six!
Aiming Master Cricket Club batting first at Azad Maidan posted an average total of 186/8 in 45 overs. 13yr old opener Harsh Gharsun impressed one and all batting till the very end despite his team losing wickets from the other end. Facing 133 deliveries, Harsh scored 65* smashing 3 fours while toiling hard between the wickets to keep the scoreboard ticking. Another commendable feat which Harsh achieved was the rest 10 players faced a collective of 137 deliveries while he single handedly dodged 133 balls showing good amount of composure at the crease.
Young Friends Union CC in reply were all out for 103 runs thanks to some tight bowling by Aiming Master bowlers. Umesh Navale (3/20) and Dharmendra Mourya (3/14) bagged 3 wkts apiece as Aiming Master CC won the match by 83 runs.
1ST FEBRUARY, 2020 IN MUMBAI – JOLLY FRIENDS SPORTS MATUNGA 2 PREMIER LEAGUE 2019-20 : Hindustan Unilever (HULL) Ltd VS JP Corporation (JPC), the match was held at Dadar Union cricket ground on 1st February 2020. HUL won the toss and they elected to BAT first.
HUL Opener Sandeep Borkar scored 76 runs off 50 balls and no.3 Sujay Lotankar also scored a decent innings of 38 off 34 balls. Both of them laid a strong base for a big score. Prasad Shetty also nailed some solid shots at the end as he scored 38 runs off 17 balls. They scored a total of 190 runs in 20 overs. They lost 4 wickets in the process.
After a loose start, No.3 Prathamesh Patil tried to take the control in his hands and was able to get the scoreboard ticking comprehensively with the aegis of the middle order batsmen. They were 77/4 in 11 overs when Pratik Jadhav walked in. he dominated the bowlers and took them to cleaners. They took to the score to 146 runs in the 16th overs. In the 16th over, JPC suffered 2 blows in the form of Pratik and Vishnu that made the job tougher. In the final over, JPC needed 19 runs to win. Despite Prathamesh hitting a six and a four in the over, they fell short by 2 runs. In the last ball, Prathamesh was at strike and needed 3 runs but he was only able take a single. For HULPatil’s heroics in vain as Sandeep Borkar’s 76 steers HUL to a win in the Jolly Friends Matunga 2 Premier League’20, Mario Fernandes, Prasad Shetty and Sanjay mane picked up 2 wickets each. It was an exhibition of valiant efforts and determination and at the end it’s the game that was the true winner.
Result- Hindustan Unilever won the match by 1 runs.
Click here for JP Corporation VS Hindustan Unilever Match full scorecard ….