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Cricket Players'If you have a coach who shouts, there's fear of failure': Upton on how Dravid’s calm influence helped Indian youngsters
The latest to join the bandwagon is paddy Upton, who feels Dravid has allowed the youngsters to thrive through his calmness.
Although Rahul Dravid had modestly refused to take credit for the success of India’s youngsters on the tour of Australia, there are sections that praise the former India batsman’s contribution in shaping these same youngsters. The latest to join the bandwagon is paddy Upton, who feels Dravid has allowed the youngsters to thrive through his calmness.
The likes of Shubman Gill, Hanuma Vihari, Mohammed Siraj have played a lot of cricket for India Under-19 or India A, both of which Dravid was the coach of, and the tremendous young bench strength that India had, wouldn’t have been possible without The Wall, Upton reckons.
"The culture around an athlete is the strongest influence on a player's mind. That system and environment are constantly influencing their behaviour and that is created as a result of how senior leaders manage and conduct themselves," PTI quoted Upton as saying.
"So if you have a coach and captain who shouts and screams and gets disappointed when someone makes a mistake, I will show you a team that is filled with fear of failure. Conversely, for example, the U-19 players that are coming through Rahul Dravid, and we are really seeing the benefits of it in the cricket world."
Upton had previously worked with Dravid at Indian Premier League franchise Rajasthan Royals, for which Dravid played before embarking on his role as a mentor of the side. Upton highlighted Dravid’s qualities, explaining how he created an aura and groomed youngsters by allowing them to make mistakes.
"For someone like (Dravid) who doesn't get upset about mistakes, he is allowing mistakes and really freeing the mind of the players to express and perform and if they make mistakes, have a good conversation, so there is an equanimity and calmness," Upton pointed out.
"And that is what then conditions those players' minds. We have seen in the last Test match (in Brisbane), these youngsters coming in a high-pressure situation, I think having come through Dravid is a significant part of their success."
