BCCI umpire K Srinath’s ‘Handbook of Cricket Psychology’ launched

‘Handbook of Cricket Psychology’, co-authored by K Srinath, former first-class cricketer and current BCCI umpire, M N Viswanath, sports mental conditioning coach, was launched in Bengaluru on Friday (March 14) in the presence of several former cricketers including ex-India players W V Raman, Dodda Ganesh, and Sreenath Aravind.

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Srinath, who played first-class cricket for Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, and took up umpiring after retirement, recalled his playing days and how he needed to be mentally tough to switch from playing for one state to another.

What Srinath and Raman said

“I had to be mentally strong to switch over. However, I can now say I spent a fabulous 19 years in the city of Chennai,” 55-year-old Srinath, who is also a certified Level B coach from the National Cricket Academy (NCA), said.

Raman spoke about the camaraderie among players during his playing days and said this book would be of a great help not only to cricketers but also to other sportspersons. He also spoke about the pressures young cricketers go through.

Foreword by Kumble

Former India captain Anil Kumble has written the foreword for the book, which has chapters from coaches, former cricketers, and journalists on the mental aspects of the game.

“Sport isn’t just about skills and abilities, even if these basic ingredients are the engine room of every sportsperson’s career. One of the less spoken about facets is the mind. They say, especially of cricket, that it is often played between the ears,” wrote Kumble, India’s highest Test wicket-taker.

“I am glad K Srinath (Kumbi) and M N Viswanath have come up this book that will go a long way towards helping aspiring cricketers realise the value and significance of mental wellness,” Kumble added.

34 chapters

Kumble recalled his playing days with Srinath, starting in Jayanagar, Bengaluru. “We played tennis ball and rubber ball cricket as young kids, gradually made our way to club cricket and eventually became state-mates with the Karnataka junior and senior sides. After some time, Kumbi jumped ship and played for Tamil Nadu, and one of my unforgettable memories is squaring up against him and Tamil Nadu in the Ranji Trophy final in Chennai in 1996.”

The book has 34 chapters divided into two sections. Some of the chapters include ‘The need for sports psychology for cricketers’, ‘Self-confidence and self-belief in cricketers’, ‘Motivation and goal setting’, ‘Concentration in cricket’, ‘Mental toughness in cricket’, and ‘Visualisation in cricket’.