Youngsters Harnoor Singh and Raj Angad Bawa, both of whom were part of the recent under-19 World Cup triumph, were keenly listening to the advice from India’s 1983 World Cup-winning captain, Kapil Dev, at a recent event.
The ceremony was held in Chandigarh by the Union Territory Cricket Association (UTCA) where both the young cricketers were felicitated for their achievements in the tournament.
Both Harnoor Singh and Raj Bawa played significant roles in India’s under-19 World Cup win in the West Indies, with Bawa bagging the Man of the Match award in the final against England, for his scintillating performance wherein he took a five-wicket haul with the ball and then scored 35 runs in a tight run-chase. Opener Harnoor scored 88 against Ireland early in the tournament and played a crucial hand of 21 in the final, after India had lost Angkrish Raghuvanshi for a duck.
Kapil Dev forwarded the youngsters some words of wisdom, suggesting them to only focus on their game, earn respect based on their performances, and the rewards will automatically follow them.
Kapil Dev said that the biggest thing for a cricketer is the motivation to perform bette
“Rewards come later for a cricketer. The biggest thing for a cricketer is the motivation to perform better and excel in the long run. One will get respect only till the performance keeps coming and that should be your goal,” Dev said at the event, as quoted by Sportskeeda.
Kapil Dev gave them the famous example of the contrasting careers of Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli – two childhood friends who were equally talented but while Tendulkar kept his focus intact and climbed the steps of success, Kambli went off the track and couldn’t have a long international career.
“I have seen the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli. Both matched each other in terms of talent but Kambli went astray. So your motivation should be to aim for perfection and keep working for that,” the former captain added.
At the mega-auction, Raj Bawa was bought by Punjab Kings for INR 2 crore while Harnoor Singh went unsold.
