Does Team India need a psychologist?

MUMBAI: The Indian team's fortunes have waxed and waned dramatically in England over the last one month. From the highs of Lord's, MS Dhoni's men sunk to an appalling low on Day One of the fifth Test at The Oval on Friday.

And that was after a poor show in Southampton and Old Trafford. Experts have pointed fingers at faulty techniques, raised doubts over captain's MS Dhoni's tactical acumen and some have even questioned the star players' commitment to Test cricket.

An important aspect that has perhaps escaped attention is the mental strength or the lack of it displayed by the young batsmen. Clearly, the Virat Kohlis and Cheteshwar Pujaras have failed to grapple with their mental gremlins while dealing with the English attack.

The BCCI did its bit by sending a jumbo squad to England, including an 11-member backroom staff which has in its ranks a man just to help players with throw downs.

While it was very thoughtful on the Board's part, the Indian team could have done with a sports psychologist during a long and arduous five-Test series that has not only tested the players physically, but has drained them mentally too.

There have been instances earlier where the Indian players and teams have benefited immensely while using the services of psychologists. If it was Australia's Sandy Gordon that helped Sourav Ganguly & Co ahead of the 2003 World Cup in South Africa and the tour of Australia and Pakistan, the Grenada-based West Indian Rudi Webster worked well with Rahul Dravid's team in 2006.

Paddy Upton and Mike Horn interacted with the Men In Blue during the 2011 World Cup and there was a marked improvement in the performances of the players following their interactions with shrinks.

Even players like the great Viv Richards, Greg Chappell, Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar have availed the services of psychologists at some point of time in their careers.

"If there was a problem with our players' technique alone then we wouldn't have won the Lord's Test. This tour is a good example of why we need to avail the services of a sports psychologist," says Pravin Amre. The former India batsman, during his first stint as the coach of the Mumbai team, would make sure his players interacted with noted sports psychologist Dr BP Bam before every season.

"On a long tour like this it is not just one thing that leads you to success. It is a combination of many factors, like fitness, form, skills, team bonding and mental approach. When you talk to psychologists, they will tell you that thousands of thoughts can pass through a person's mind in one minute and 80 % of those could be negative ones. With such a mindset, it becomes very difficult to go out and perform. That is why it becomes all the more important to train your mind. That is where a psychologist can help," says Amre.

Mohammad Kaif, who was a member of India's 2003 World Cup squad, feels taking the help of a mental conditioning coach is a subjective issue.

"It didn't really work for me (interacting with Gordon), but it did help someone like Rahul Dravid. If the players feel the need to spruce up mentally, I think they should get someone on board who is aware of the Indian culture and the players' mindset. For me, Sachin Tendulkar is an ideal man as he knew exactly how to deal with pressure. He would never read newspapers and would only focus on his batting and we know what the results were," says Kaif.

India will be travelling to Australia for four Tests later this year. Hiring a mental conditioning coach can possibly be a viable solution to help the players tide over the scars suffered in England.