R ARIVANANTHAM
SALEM, JUNE 28
Tamil Nadu star cricket players Vijay Shankar, Shahrukh Khan, Sai Sudharsan and Sai Kishore in their pep talk to aspiring cricketers said, ”there is no substitute for hard work, dedication and honesty.” The quartet was interacting with students at the Super Kings Academy in Salem on Monday (June 26). The star players are in the city to participate in the Tamil Nadu Premier League.
Excerpts from the interaction:
Vijay Shankar said, “We were also sitting in the same way you are sitting, and grew up listening to people talk just like you. There is no substitute for hard work, dedication and honesty. If you are honest, you can create a difference. Keep believing in that. Also, don’t think too much that in one year I should play this, play that…you keep putting in your effort day in and day out.”
“Now, you have a dream that you want to play for India. In your age I also started playing cricket to represent India. But, I represented India only when I was 27. Till then it was a journey to reach there. From a young age, all that you have to learn is a journey, enjoy that. Every day whether you play a districts match or a practice match, enjoy all that, you will keep getting better. Cricket will teach you how to lead your life. If you play with honesty, you will lead your life well,” Shankar said.
Keep the love for the game intact, and play with passion: Sai Kishore
Another star cricketer Sai Kishore said, ”You guys are basically coming here because you like cricket. So, keep the love for the game intact and do what you like, because when you do what you like, you will not know how much time has passed. You will want to come and play again. When you do that, other things will also start going your way. Your aim might be to play for Salem, for Tamil Nadu, the IPL or India, it will all come together. Keep the love for the game intact, and play with passion.”
The more the effort you put, the more output you will get: Sai Sudharsan
“According to me, consistency is the key. I can only tell you what I am doing. So, consistently start practicing, your willingness to sacrifice, all that is important. If you practice for two or three days, and you want to score a hundred, it does not work that way. The more the effort you put, the more output you will get. You should put in the effort and sleep on time. Then only the next morning you can come for practice. Only if you sacrifice, you can reach a certain level,” Sai Sudharsan said.
Get the basics right, only then you can get success in life, says Shahrukh Khan
According to Shahrukh Khan, ”Looking at modern day cricket – T20Is, ODIs etc you might get inspired. But if you see the players who are playing now, whether David Warner, Jos Buttler or even MS Dhoni, they gave importance to Test cricket – red ball cricket. Chris Gayle is a legend in T20 cricket, but he has a triple hundred in Tests. He has scored almost 8,000 runs in Tests. So, TNPL, IPL, The Big Bash all that is there. At present what is important for you is how you play cricket in a normal way. So, a batter starts playing the off drive. Only after practicing the off drive, you can play the scoop shot. Only if you master the off drive, you can play the scoop shot later. So get the basics right, only then you can get success in life.”
