Skill Coaches Double Up as Mental Conditioning Coaches: Bangar

In the past a lot of players have raised their voices for the inclusion of a mental conditioning coach for Team India to cope with the pressures of international cricket.

Stalwarts of Indian cricket, MS Dhoni and Yuvraj Singh have also advocated for the same. It becomes all the more important as mental health is still a taboo in the country.

While talking at an event recently, Dhoni had said, “In India, I feel there is still a big issue of accepting that there is some weakness when it comes to the mental aspects, but we generally term it as mental illness,” Dhoni said.

“Nobody really says that, when I go to bat, the first 5 to 10 deliveries my heart rate is elevated, I feel the pressure, I feel a bit scared because that’s how everybody feels — how to cope with that?

“This is a small problem but a lot of times we hesitate to say it to a coach and that’s why the relationship between a player and coach is very important be it any sport.”

Former India batting coach Sanjay Bangar too talked about the importance of players talking to coaches about their insecurities, but believes that skill coaches double up as mental conditioning coaches too.

“Basically, the coaches tend to double up as mental conditioning coaches primarily for the reason that they spend a lot of time with the players and number two is the trust that a player enjoys with a particular coach,” Bangar said on Star Sports show Cricket Connected.

“So, it’s very important for a coach and player to form that sort of a relationship wherein the player can confide his insecurities with the coach and be rest assured that whatever has been conveyed to the coach or the inner most feelings of a player does not really go outside the two of them,” he explained.

The former coach also said that trust is an important factor in the relationship. “I think trust is a major factor, it could be a mental conditioning coach, or it could be skill coach, in today’s time the skill coaches tend to double up as the mental conditioning coaches,” he said.