NEWS
OTHER SPORTS
DIARY
PEOPLE
MATCH REPORTS
SLIDE SHOW
ARCHIVES

'It's all about mental toughness'

India were able to win the under-19 World Cup only because of teamwork and mental toughness, according to Reetinder Singh Sodhi, one of the mainstays of the team during its triumphant campaign in Sri Lanka.

Sodhi, who led India when it won the under-15 World Cup in England in 1996, was of the opinion that the Indian boys were mentally tougher than the rest in pressure situations.

Speaking about the triumph just before he left for Mohali to play in the Ranji Trophy Super League on Wednesday, Sodhi said: "I've been in pressure situations before and that helped me a lot."

He was obviously referring to the 1996 final against Pakistan at Lord's, which India went on to win and claim the title.

"The crowd factor was really motivating. It's all about mental toughness. We were tougher than the rest and displayed admirable courage and team spirit," said the big-made lad from Patiala, adding that this was despite the fact that the final 14 -- from a pool of 25 players at a camp in Madras -- were picked only two days before the team left for the Emerald Isle.

Sodhi believes coach Roger Binny was the key motivating factor throughout the tournament. "Even during team meetings he spoke very little, but whatever he said was invaluable and motivating."

"I injured my thumb during the game against Nepal. It wasn't fractured, just conjured. Binny Sir saw to it that I went to the hospital every day to get treated. He would send the manager along with me. Despite my reluctance to visit the doctor daily, I went and that helped me recover in time for the big games," said Sodhi, who was man of the match in the final against Sri Lanka.

And what about the brilliant performance in the field that had the Indians diving on the rough, hard grounds, never fearing injury?

"We were a focussed bunch, hungry for success," he said. "And when you want something badly, nothing matters.

"There was not a day we rested. We would just kept practising and that helped us immensely."

The toughest game of the tourney? He picks out the one against Sri Lanka in the Super League. "We had to win that one, otherwise we would have had to play Pakistan in the semi-finals. Not that we were scared of playing them, but we wanted to play them in the final. Also the fact that the Australian team was pretty weak and we knew we could thrash them," he quipped.

Sodhi was all praise for the leadership qualities of skipper Mohammad Kaif and the maturity of young batsman Ravneet Ricky.

"Kaif led us really well... always cool. Ricky was another great contributor to the side's cause. He was not a part of the original squad, but he performed well in the inter-zonal tournament in Madras and found himself on board with the team to Sri Lanka. He is a very gutsy and attacking batsman."

On the senior team's performance Down Under, Sodhi was more forgiving than the average Indian fan, saying that when the chips are down, nothing falls in place and one bad thing follows another.
"The team morale was low and that must have really affected the performance. I'm sure they will lift their performances very soon," he said.

Indeed, against all odds, the juniors went to Sri Lanka, lived there on a daily allowance of $20 on non-match days and $10 on match days, and returned with the title. And now that they have won, surely there will be some monetary benefits from the BCCI coming their way, considering that a senior team member gets close to a hundred thousand rupees for every one-day international?

"No idea," said Sodhi. "We have been promised some extra amounts by the BCCI, though I am unaware of the details."