Gujarat Titans who have impressed cricket fans with their skills bowled over MICAns on Wednesday as four cricketers from the team interacted with students of the institute. Gujarat Titans players Ishant Sharma, Sai Sudharsan, Shah Rukh Khan, and Anuj Rawat interacted with the students at MICA’s Mani Iyer Auditorium giving them insights into their career, training and experiences of professional cricket during a Q&A and Rapid Fire session on Wednesday.
First-year student Maheshwari Rawat called it a surreal experience. “They were all incredibly humble and down-to-earth.” He said during the interaction, Ishant Sharma shared, “There are no personal goals, only team goals because even if you perform your personal best if the team doesn’t win, you can’t sleep at night. The goal is only to win.” Rawat said the dedication and unity within the team was truly inspiring.
During the discussion, the players reflected on their early days in cricket, emphasising the impact of coaches and mentors on their development. The cricketers spoke about their training routines, the role of discipline and consistency in maintaining form, and the transition between different game formats.
From discussions on handling pressure and embracing failure to the impact of data analytics in modern cricket, the discussion provided a deep dive into the mindset of professional athletes. “It was a lifetime experience to watch these players candidly share stories about their life and learnings. Their take on the importance of failure and treating that as a learning experience really stuck with me,” Vishakha Kejriwal, second-year MICA Student, said.
Officials at MICA said another key theme discussed was team dynamics and adaptability. Players shared their experience of working with teammates from different backgrounds and adjusting to new environments.