Assessing risk is a pretty tough task in sports, even in cricket, taking decision under a critical point in a match can completely change the outcome of the game. Every great name in the gentleman’s game have been famous for taking such risks in some point of their career, which has often rewarded them in the long run. Former Team India stalwart Rahul Dravid, who is revered for the calm and composed attitude he maintained on the 22 yards, spoke about one important decision back during his academic days that was very impactful for his career.
On Sunday, Dravid teamed up with retired Indian badminton icon and former world no. 1 Prakash Padukone and Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra for the talk show ‘Staying Ahead of the Curve – The Power of Trust’ organised by the Padukone – Dravid Centre For Sports Excellence located in Bengaluru.
Joined by the host Mr. Nandan Kamath, the three icons of the Indian sporting fraternity had discussion on various topics ranging from the current novel Coronavirus pandemic to how the lock down might affect the performance and fitness of sportspersons.
Speaking about the precautionary measures that are necessary during the ongoing virus crisis, the trio were asked about the importance of ‘risk assessment’ in sports. Dravid, who was famous for his defensive and sound approach towards cricket, spoke on how critical decisions impact on a player’s career.
“There are certain stages in your career when you need to be able to take certain risks, take certain decisions that probably go against the grain of conventional thinking, if you really want to be a successful sportsman,” Dravid said during the live session.
Recalling his academic years, there was a certain point of time when Dravid was up against a critical decision to make.
He continued, “I got out of 10th standard with an opportunity to get into any of the engineering colleges in Bangalore. They had good cricket teams at that time as well and quite keen to get me to join one of them.”
However, the young Dravid took the risk of opting for commerce instead of engineering, so he could invest more time in cricket.
“I kinda realised that I would not be able to pursue sports seriously or to the level that I wanted to if I picked up engineering, it would have been a lot more complicated for me at least personally. So, I went with commerce,” the 47 year old added.
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