‘Life Lessons’ From Virat Kohli Set To Drive Canadian Cricket Forward

The Canada cricket team have been immensely benefited by the Indian players who took out time to speak with 23rd ranked side after their T20 World Cup 2024 group stage match got washed out.

New Delhi: Having nearly gotten better of Pakistan in the T20 World Cup last month, debutants were certainly going for an upset against eventual champions India. But persistent rains in Lauderhill, Florida robbed the Canadians of rubbing shoulders against the likes of Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Jasprit Bumrah and more. The 23rd-ranked team didn’t regret though as they got a few ‘life lessons’ from the best in the world.

Associate teams like Canada often don’t get chances to play against the bigger teams. It is actually during the ICC tournaments, they are able to exchange ideas and views with the best in business. The washout that day (June 15) ended Canada’s run in the T20 World Cup but they took a lot back home. For pacer Jeremy Gordon, “It was a surreal experience.”

“I definitely got to meet Virat Kohli and Jasprit Bumrah and shared my admiration. They are extremely humble,” Gordon said in an exclusive interaction with India.com. Not only Gordon, but the Canadian team as a whole took a piece of betterment from the Indian camp that day. The words from the likes of Kohli, Dravid and Bumrah not only boosted their confidence but also gave the Canada players an extra push to move forward.

“Some of the other guys did actually have a conversation about batting, mindset, fitness as just how they approach the game,” Gordon continued. Coach Rahul Dravid came to our dressing room and had an extensive chat with all of us in terms of how proud he is and how far we have gotten, knowing that we are an associate nation.

India head coach Rahul Dravid was gifted a Canadian jersey as a token of appreciation.

“He understands the struggles we have faced, whether it’s financial or the facilities and just different things. The fact that we were able to get there as an associate nation and to compete at that level, he thinks that was admirable and that gives us a boost of confidence moving forward.”

As players from Associate Nations, individuals like Gordon do sometimes lack game awareness and get ahead of themselves, thinking too much about the future. The message from Kohli was simple and clear and something that Canada players can take for life.

“He was like keeping it simple and staying in the moment. What tends to happen for some of us who play associate cricket is that we get ahead of ourselves. We try to think too much into the future and the game goes away from us. For instance the USA match, had we may be slowed the game down, the result could have been different, which happened in the final (between India and South Africa).

“That’s something we can probably take for life,” added the Guyanese-born Gordon, who also works in a private bank in his adopted country.

Gordon’s Bumrah Moment

Being a pacer himself, Gordon was more interested in taking brains of Bumrah – world’s no.1 fast bowler.  “I was curious to know about how Jasprit Bumrah practices about his yorkers. He told me that would he keep a shoe in front of the stumps to mark his spot and the learnings he got from Lasith Malinga. He also told out keeping things simple, always bowl your best ball first and try not to make things complicated,” he said with a sense of calmness on his face.

Impact of GT20 On Canada Cricket

Gordon also spoke highly about the impact of Global T20 Canada that benefited the cricket in the country. The franchise-based league, which started in 2019, is into its fourth season this year and brought awareness about the spot in Canada.

“It actually paved the way for us. It actually brought awareness to Canadian cricket. It helps to showcase our talent and then obviously us rubbing shoulders with some of the best in the world, picking their brains about how they react to pressure situations and lot more.

“That alone gave us a breath of confidence and the belief that we can actually do better at that level. It has played a pivotal role in the rise of Canadian cricket,” he added. Canada’s participation in T20 World Cup 2024 were their fourth appearance in any cricket World Cups and we can only hope the sport reaches new heights in years to come.