New Delhi: It is a bit of surprise when you know that a cricketer of the 1980s and 1990s is not as superstitious as one of the 2000s and beyond. And that is the case if you look at Kapil Dev, arguably India’s greatest cricketer till date. Kapil talked about giving up superstitions during a recent interview. He added how being superstitious can distract you from performing on the cricket field. He also shared a beautiful anecdote.
Kapil was quoted to be saying by Indian Express in a web interview programme called What The Duck, “There is a lot of superstition. Even when you are watching a match at home and if India is playing well, they do not allow you to leave. I think everyone has their own beliefs. That is why this game is so popular. When I was a youngster, I too had my own set of beliefs.”
He also added, “I would always wear the left pad first and put the right foot first on the ground. These were little things, do the right things in life. I would wear a slim chain with a Lord Shiva pendant because a sportsman is always a little scared. You keep God close to your heart.
I played a shot and my chain touched the bat and it made a sound. The chain was quite long and it came out. There was an appeal. Luckily, the umpire gave not out. I was relaxed. But in the evening, I removed the chain and kada. And I thought about my life’s self-beliefs. My inner voice said that maybe these chains will not score runs for me.
If God is there, then he’s there. If you look at a top swimmer at Olympics level, they shave all their body hair so that they can swim even faster. And here, we wear so many things and make ourselves heavy. Today, when I observe a few players, adjusting their chains after every ball, I feel their mind, second thought is here. So, to avoid it, I got rid of my chain and the bracelet.”
He further said, “If I had the ability, then I will score runs. A chain or any other thing is not going to score runs for me. I wanted to know if I can make runs without them. Somehow, I freed myself from all these things. When I see some players today, I laugh. They still don’t have the self-belief in them. They don’t have self-realisation.”
