“You should never be afraid to make mistakes because one learns from mistakes." This was one of the advices that cricketer
Ishant Sharma gave to the students of
Bennett University on his visit to the campus in
Greater Noida today. The fast
bowler, who will soon leave for India's tour of England, conducted a bowling workshop with the students of Bennett and other colleges to share his experiences about the sport.
Ishant, who reached the college early
on Tuesday, checked out the sprawling campus and also tried his hands at the various state-of-the-art sports and
fitness facilities there. “It is a great university. If given a chance, I would surely love to come again and spend a day talking to budding cricketers here,” he said.
Ishant gives bowling tips to a student
Ishant’s cricket paathshala at Bennett University
Though it was cloudy, Ishant and the young cricketers at the workshop managed to complete a bowling practice session before it started raining. The advice session then shifted indoors where Ishant answered all the questions of the young players. “If you make mistakes on the field, how do you cope with them?” asked one of the students. To which, Ishant told the youngster that one learns from mistakes and hence he should never be scared of making mistakes.
Ishant supervising students as they bowl in the nets at the Bennett University
NUGGETS OF WISDOM: The cricket paathshala continued indoors after the rain interrupted the practice session
When another student asked him to compare
Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Virat Kohli’s captaincy style, he laughed and replied, “Mahi calm hain aur Kohli aggressive hai, yehi difference hai.” Vishesh Raidu, a second-year student of Bennett, told us, “It was a great session for young players like us. I play cricket and his tips would help us a lot. He told us about the temperament that one needs to have while playing and that it is very important to have self-belief.”
Devansh Pushkarma, a third-year student of the university, added, “When I asked him about the atmosphere in the dressing room after winning and losing a match, he told us that winning and losing does not change the dressing room dynamics. They prefer to chill in their dressing room.”
Students wish Ishant and the Indian team the best for the England tour
This university is an ideal training ground for aspiring cricketers: Ishant Sharma
It was Ishant’s first visit to the university and Bennett definitely charmed the cricketer. “This is the first time that I have come to any university. It is a great university, quite big. I am talking from a cricketer’s point of view and universities like these are perfect training grounds for cricketers. I would love to come back here. Cricket has given me a lot and I want to share my experience with upcoming cricketers,” Ishant said.
Ishant was impressed with the fitness facilities at the Bennett University
Talking about the importance of fitness workshops at college and school levels, Ishant said, “It is very important for schools, colleges and universities to organise fitness workshops for students. When I was in school, no cricketer ever visited our institute. But it's important that aspiring cricketers get to interact with players they idolise. Cricket is a very popular game, but it can get stressful for aspiring players. Parents often put a lot of pressure on youngsters to pursue the game and excel in it and make it to at least the IPL, if not the national side. So from a young age, cricketers should learn to handle stress."
The Indian paceman also tried his hand at
badminton during his visit
Ishant said he would love to return to the university
