Mohinder Amarnath advises Unmukt Chand on his game

Former India U-19 captain, Unmukt Chand sought the advice of Mohinder Amarnath when the two recently met at the inaugural DDCA Conclave at the Feroze Shah Kotla Stadium, on Wednesday. According to Chand, this was an opportunity that he’d been waiting for since a long time. Amarnath was present at Wednesday’s event as a stand at the famous Delhi Stadium was named after him.

24-year old Unmukt Chand had captained the India U-19 side to victory in the 2012 World Cup and had been touted as the next big thing for the country’s Cricket. However, he seems to have lost his way and hasn’t been able to find a permanent spot in the Delhi side owing to inconsistency of form. Amarnath, whose contribution to Indian Cricket is infinite, advised the youngster on issues such as temperament and shot selection.

Unmukt Chand finally gets to speak to his idol

Speaking to Sportstar, Chand said, “I had tried to meet him in Goa (during a tournament) but Mohinder Sir was away. I somehow failed to meet him. I grabbed the chance today to learn from him the way to deal with my current situation. His wealth of experience and his ability to stage so many comebacks to the Indian team is an inspiring story. “Unmukt’s, who is just 60 First-Class matches old, choice of guru is more than justified as Amarnath, in his days, has been part of 249 first-class matches, including 69 Tests.

Amarnath welcomed Chand’s quest for advice to better his game and said, “I welcome anyone who seeks guidance. As a senior you must help out young players.”

Unmukt reportedly asked him to share his opinion on how to cope with mounting pressure when he was going through a dry patch in scoring runs. “He told me to concentrate on my strong points. He insisted that cricket is a simple game and I must keep things simple. You invite pressure when you over-analyse or overthink. He told me how he would be ready for the pressure by preparing for it. It always helps if you prepare well. I wanted to know how he coped with the phases when runs deserted him. He explained it was all in the mind. Of course, there can be times when one may have to make some technical changes but the main thing is always in the mind. You have to be mentally strong,” said Chand.

The 67-year old veteran also went on to advise Chand on shot selection and said, “There will be pitches where you would have to curb your shots. You have to avoid shots like hook when playing on pitches in the sub-continent. The pull shot would be a better choice. You have to get accustomed to the situation before you decide on the shots to play.”