Indian players have high motivation levels - Gordon

Most of the Indian cricketers have a high level of motivation and mental strength, but the inability of the set-up to allow players to make mistakes and learn from them is the biggest roadblock to their progress - these were some of the revelations of a report by Sandy Gordon, a sports psychologist at the University of Western Australia.

Gordon spoke to The Times of India about the findings of a study he conducted with current and former Indian cricketers over an 18-month period from July 2003. "Every player that I interviewed has a very high level of motivation and commitment which goes a long way in being mentally tough. Though they are different individuals, there were more similarities than dissimilarities that came up during my discussions." The report mentioned the names of 14 players who Gordon spoke to, including Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, and former players like Bishan Bedi, Ravi Shastri and Dilip Vengsarkar.

Talking about the biggest flaw in the Indian cricketing system, Gordon said: "Indians are far too intolerant of mistakes. Players should be allowed to make mistakes. They need to try and fail and then try again. This gives them motivation and resilience. Right now, if a player performs poorly - doesn't take too many wickets or scores a couple of ducks - the Indian selectors are most likely to drop him. The player knows this too. That shouldn't be the case. If India want mentally tough players, they need to learn to be patient and give the players a chance."

Gordon also talked about the Australian system to highlight his point: "There are plenty of examples in Australian cricket where players made mistakes but bounced back because the selectors stuck with them."

In his interviews with the Indian players, Gordon asked them their views on how mental resilience could be developed. "Most players thought that mental toughness cannot be taught. You can't teach it in a classroom, and neither are you born with it. It's something that you develop, and we have to develop that environment for them to become resilient."

Gordon was involved with the Indian players during the 2003 World Cup and on their tour to Australia in 2003-04, and was instrumental in introducing the celebratory huddle in the field every time the Indians took a wicket. Many players admitted that Gordon's technique of having the cricketers stay positive had a huge role to play in India's journey to the finals of the World Cup. With a view to having the upcoming players pick up these techniques at an early age, the board also had Gordon work out a specific programme for the National Cricket Academy, highlighting the ways in which the players training there can work on the mental aspect of their games.

Gordon also revealed that he was doing a similar study for the Australian board as well. "The Aussies don't lack in mental toughness. Cricket Australia's reason for doing this study is to see how the bar can be raised. I've already interviewed four of the 21 players - Steve Waugh, Trevor Hohns, David Boon and Greg Chappell - and I must say the results are very interesting."