Pressure is a privilege, says Sania Mirza, RCB Women cricket team's new mentor

For the better part of six years, Sania Mirza was ranked in the top-100. (Illustration by Suneesh K.)

With six grand slam titles, a Padma Shri and a Padma Bhushan award to her name, Sania Mirza now wears the cap of the mentor of the Royal Challengers Bangalore women’s cricket team.  In an interview with Royal Challengers Bangalore, she spoke about the hardships of her career and how she aims to mentor the new team.

Being a professional athlete for 20 long years, she was surprised yet excited to receive the mentorship invitation. “My next job, after retirement is to help young girls believe that sport can be one of the first career choices. The things I went through thirty years ago when I first picked up a tennis racket at a time when playing tennis was unheard of, I want to help the girls believe in themselves and help achieve their goal despite the number of odds against them,” she said.

Despite being a tennis player about to mentor a cricket team, there are a few commonalities between the two sports when looked at from a mentor’s perspective. Sania Mirza stated that every athlete thinks the same way and mostly goes through similar pressure. So, handling and embracing such situations is very important. “Being under pressure is a privilege because the best of the champions are those who play best under pressure,” she said. She emphasized that this is the aspect she looks forward to working with while mentoring the team. She aims to work on the mental preparedness and confidence required to help sports become a natural career choice.

As individual cricket players come together to perform as a team, Mirza noted a few key points for a smooth and successful performance. She said that team bonding and team building is a critical part of the process to get to know your teammates. “You’re not naturally best friends with the person you’re playing with,” she says. “But you do need to have the same goal on the field and have the same mental preparedness,” she adds.

Speaking of different kinds of pressures that players deal with on the field and outside, Mirza believes in knowing how to compartmentalize. As someone who has gone through pressures of every kind, she found her calling on the tennis court. “If you’re the happiest during the work you do, you can be the best version of yourself,” she concluded.

Also read: Women’s Premier League auction: All the big buys and the marquee players at the bidding