Cricket and the concept of talent

Suresh Menon, in his article called The talent myth in Rahul Dravid’s biography Timeless Steel, suggests how the definition of talent as thought of these days is very restrictive. I couldn’t agree more. In fact, I think Dravid himself had raised a similar point once (I can’t find the article, he may have spoken about it in the commentary box).

Ian Bell makes batting look ‘effortless’

When people talk about some of the most talented cricketers on the international scene currently, the names that come up the most are Ian Bell, Umar Akmal and Rohit Sharma. All these players, when in form, make batting look elegant. In Rohit’s case, commentators talk about the amount of time he has to play the ball as a measure of his talent. In Umar Akmal’s case, much like Sachin Tendulkar’s, it is how he plays good bowlers that makes him seem talented. Bell’s strokes are often described as effortless.

But why are these the only characteristics of a batsman’s talent? Why isn’t hard work considered a talent? What about perseverance and patience? What about mental strength? Indian shooter Abhinav Bindra had once said – Practice is a talent. Perseverance is a talent. Hard work is a talent. Bindra is spot on and the concept of talent or being talented needs to take in many other factors.

Chief among these factors are hard work, perseverance and mental strength. No matter how naturally good a player is, success without hard work is impossible. Even more so in today’s world, where teams are keen to go through videos and highlights to do an analysis of a player’s weakness. Without continuously working on one’s weaknesses, no player can sustain in international cricket for a long time.

Perseverance is equally important. Often, due to one or more reasons, many players who have performed well in domestic cricket do not get into the national squad. Or sometimes, players in spite of doing the basics right just aren’t able to score runs or take wickets. Therefore, staying focused and being persistent is a very essential quality as well.

Another aspect is mental strength. Some players have previously spoken about how away tours take a heavier toll on the mind more than the body. Therefore, mental strength is probably the most important parameter which should be considered before calling someone talented. Can the player can play to best of his ability under pressure? Can he can remain focused in front of hostile opposition crowds? The answers to these questions distinguishes the good from the great.

Therefore, before bestowing someone as talented, one needs to look at many aspects, like the few I mentioned, than just ease of batting or elegance. Only then will we be able to gauge someone’s capability correctly.