da pinnacle： In the week that Glenn McGrath accused Monty Panesar of being “soft” for seeking help from a psychologist, Greg Chappell, India’s coach, has singled out the role of Rudi Webster, the noted sports psychologist, in giving the national side a better perspect
Jamie Alter in Mumbai06-Oct-2006
Greg Chappell: a fan of sports psychology © AFP
In the week that Glenn McGrath accused Monty Panesar of being “soft” for seeking help from a psychologist, Greg Chappell, India’s coach, has singled out the role of Rudi Webster, the noted sports psychologist, in giving the national side a better perspective from which to achieve their goals.”Rudi’s had a lot of experience with many top-level athletes, not justcricketers but around the world, particularly in tennis and golf,” Chappell told reporters. “We sort of dragged him back into cricket a few months ago when we were in the West Indies.” He was speaking at the Indian launch of his newbook, , at the Cricket Club of Indiain Mumbai.”In my experience, I’ve seen quiet a few people involved in sports psychology, and Rudi is one the best two,” Chappell added. “I think his involvementwith the team in the West Indies was important in the short time that hewas there. He built a quick rapport with the players, and we’re hoping to use him in a few short stints over the coming months and that he’ll be able to build on his good work.””Even I benefited from him when I was playing, and I believe that he’s a very user-friendly sports psychologist because of his hands-on experience with leading athletes. Because of the importance of mental skills, we felt that it was a good time to involve him leading into the World Cup. What he does with each individual will depend upon where each individual is at in his development as a cricketer, person, and where he’s at with his mental skills.”Chappell also acknowledged Webster’s role in India’s about-turn in theTests against West Indies after a 4-1 loss in the one-dayers. “Absolutely, he certainly played a key role in that, but at the end of the day it’s up to the playersto be able to take on board the information they get.”Virender Sehwag hasgone on record to say that Rudi had a big impact on him in the WestIndies. Rahul [Dravid] and some of the senior players responded very welland were quite impressed with what Rudi did there, and that’s the reasonhe’s coming back. If he can continue to do that, then it can only benefitthe individuals in the team plus the group as a whole.”Chappell did not take a stand on whether Webster, or any other sportspsychologist, should be implemented for India’s junior cricketers. It was amatter, he felt, that was best left to the administration.When asked about what sets top athletes apart, Chappell said that, apart fromthe mental skills, it was “the love of the contest that separateschampions from the rest.”Speaking exclusively to Cricinfo at the end of the evening, Chappellreflected on his book and the development in the man who wrote the book afew years ago and the man coaching India. “I just hope I’m able to buildon what I’ve learnt,” he said. “It’s been a fantastic experience, andjourney. Very instructional, inspirational, and I’m still learning. I’molder and hopefully wiser for it.”