These words keep echoing in my ear, long after I heard them. And no, it wasn’t a Roger Federer or a Rafael Nadal who shared this motivational manta. Nor, for that matter, was it a Lionel Messi or a Cristiano Ronaldo This simple, but effective, mental strength lesson came from India’s own Jwala Gutta.

Jwala Gutta

It is not often that I have got to speak with such an articulate, if opinionated, Indian sportsperson.  Come to think of it, it is nice to know an Indian sports person who is not satisfied with being World No. 25 or 26 but wants to be the best. “I want to keep working on my game and keep improving as much as I can,” she says, having grown up aware that she needs to give off her best rather than chase success.

“I have been brought up that way, with my father telling me that it is more important to give off one’s best than anything else,” Jwala says, indicating that she would expect everyone around her to become such a combination of mental and physical skills gained from hours of practicing the right way. After all, it’s tough to think like a winner unless you have the capability to be a winner.

It would be a travesty if I heard “Jwala, who?” in response. For, the 27-year-old Hyderabadi is one of India’s best bets in badminton, especially when she teams up with V Diju in a mixed doubles event. And in the past year and a half or so, Jwala and Diju have troubled, if not beaten, many of the world’s top pairs.

Jwala and Diju upset Indonesia’s World No. 1 pair of Lilyana Natsir and Nova Widianto, went within striking distance of beating Olympic champions Lee Yong Dae and Lee Hyo Jung, beat Indonesia’s World No. 6 Vita Marissa and Hendra Gunawan. Thailand’s World No. 8 Songphon Anugritayawon and Kulchala Voravichitchaikul as well as Poland’s World No. 9 Nadiezda Kostiuczyk and Robert Mateusiak.They featured in the title clash of the BWF Super Series Masters Finals in Kuala Lumpur and rose to be ranked seventh in the world.

The left-handed star, who has not hesitated to clash with authority because of her staunch beliefs, insists she  is confident Diju and she have the chance of winning bigger laurels for India. “Yes, even the Olympic Games,” she says. Such confidence is rare and usually dismissed in India as bravado but Jwala and Diju have strung together a series of wonderful efforts to back up her dream of wearing the Indian colours at the Olympic Games. “It was a pity I didn’t play in Beijing but I am sure I will play in London 2012 and will do well there.”

She gave up a singles career because her coach SM Arif wanted her to focus on forging a strong doubles pair with Shruti Kurien. “I would do anything that my coach asked me because my father had made it clear early on in life that I would have to do the bidding of Arif Sir. My parents were not pushy and left my development to my coach.” And when Arif told Jwala she had to work on teaming up with Shruti because India did not have strong doubles pair, she launched herself into the joys of doubles badminton.

The strapping Jwala decided to part ways with Shruti after years of playing together because she realised that the pair had hit a plateau and wasn’t ready to challenge the best in the world. She then asked Ashwini Ponnappa if she would be her new partner in women’s doubles while pairing up with Diju in mixed doubles.

She has always asked herself the question if she is doing the very best she possibly can and if she is doing every single day. She has been able to answer these questions in the affirmative and that is the reason why she exudes such confidence and has been able to extend her career when not a few may have suggested that she should make way for younger players.

Now you know why the words ‘You must practice being confident’ ring so much in my ears.

Indian ace Deepak Thakur believes the team is mentally strong to take on Pakistan in the opening game of the FIH World Cup

Live everyone else, I am excited by the approaching India-Pakistan contest in the Hero Honda FIH World Cup 2010 at the Maj. Dhyan Chand National Stadium in Delhi. It has been a little over six years since I sat in the packed stands and cheered a 3-1 India victory in the Afro-Asian Games final in my home town, Hyderabad. The goalless draw that I saw the teams play out at the Morris Brown College ground in Atlanta at the 1996 Olympic Games has faded into the recesses.

For someone who has found the sporting rivalry between the two neighbours endearing, I cannot help think of how India will have to be mentally strong to face the twin pressures that bear down on the team in the World Cup competition. It is known to be among the slow starters in the big competitions and, to make it doubly challenging, the opening game is with Pakistan.

May be it is just a myth that India starts slowly but let us look at the last two major events for the Indian team. India got off to a 2-2 draw with New Zealand in the Champions Challenge in Argentina in December. Earlier, in the Asia Cup in May 2009, despite goals from Prabhjot Singh and Rajpal Singh, the team lost 2-3 to – hold your breath – Pakistan.

It does look like the home team has approached its two warm up games against Argentina and the Netherlands as part of a big tournament rather than as practice matches. I was happy with the intensity that we saw in the squad when it took on and beat the Dutch 2-1 in a practice game a couple of evenings earlier.

I have always believed that it is mental strength that makes the difference between champions and also-rans and it was but natural that when I got to talk one of the Indian team’s stars, Deepak Thakur, our conversation focused mainly on the team’s mental preparations for the big game that lies ahead.

Apparently, the team has kept things simple. It has had some sessions with a psychologist. But more importantly the events away from the hockey pitch have brought the players together like little else could have. “Above all, we have a solid coach (Jose Brasa) who is very good at keeping us motivated,” Deepak Thakur said.

“We have put behind us the defeats by Pakistan in the Asia Cup in Malaysia and the Champions Challenge in Argentina,” he said. “We realise that there is no point in letting thoughts of such reverses linger in our minds. We know our strengths and are focussed on bringing them to the fore when we get on the pitch for the opening game.”

Indeed, as far as the opening game is concerned, mind games have already begun. There has been of talk about how drag-flickers Sohail Abbas and Sandeep Singh will be key performers. And how Indian goalkeeper Adrian d’Souza exudes confidence that he can measure up to the challenge posed by the world’s most prolific goal scorer Sohail Abbas’ exceptional skills.

Typical of players of an era gone by, the greybeards talk of how the intensity in contemporary India-Pakistan matches is less than in the past. It is an unfair comment given that millions of people watch the game on television and sit in judgment now more than ever. I believe that any India-Pakistan sporting contest brings along immense stress.

And yes, even if I am not looking beyond India’s inaugural match with Pakistan, I am excited at being able to watch my first World Cup hockey competition.

This article was written for www.stick2hockey.com and appeared on that wonderful website.