Tennis legend Sania Mirza doesn't know much about cricket but as an elite athlete for the last two decades, she feels she can help Royal Challengers Bangalore women cricketers to deal with the mental aspect of things in the inaugural Women's Premier League. (More Cricket News)
San🌸ia has been roped in as t𝓀he mentor by RCB for the WPL starting in Mumbai on Saturday with the opener between Gujarat Giants and Mumbai Indians.
RCB, led by India op👍ener Smriti Mandhana, will open their campaign against Delhi Capitals on Sunday.
"I know nothing about cricket. I thouꦿght (when I was made mentor) what I am going to do, what am I going to talk to the girls. I am recently retired, last week actually. So I was thinking what's my next step in life. So my next step was try and help women ath🅠letes around and in India," Sania was seen speaking to RCB contingent, video of which has been posted on franchise's official twitter handle.
"In any sport, to help with the mental aspect of things which I have been through for the last 20 years," Sani🌳a said.
Asked by a player how hard it was for her was to retire, Sania said: "I was actually ready. I have a son who is 4 and hon💟estly the last one year has been a struggle. I had three surgeries. I just though it was good to go out on top. I just wanted to stop."
🃏Sania said as mentor her role will be to help the RCB in their 🍌journey towards maiden WPL title.
"I was in individual sport, so photo shoot, media attention everything ไI handled on my own, so I thought ok I can actually give something to the gi♓rls," she said.
"It's normal to feel the pressure, but you just have to know how to deal with it, bloc♚k the noise a little bit and Indian media 𓆉is tough."
Stating that struggle is part and parcel of every sportsperson's life, Sania reminded the RCB players their goals behind taking up the sport of c🐠ricket.
"There is struggle in everything. We didn't used to get courts, we used to cow🌼 dung based courts. We didn't have coaches. The coaches who were there were not experts. Then there is normal struggle of girls," she said.
Champions ꦆ🦄are the ones who win even when situations are adverse.
"Our job as an athlete is to inspire the next generation. You are only as good as how you perform on that🤪 day. The champions are one who are not winning all the time, the champions are one who are wi♓nning when they are not playing well.
"You h🍸ave to remember why you started playing cricket, because you love the game,"♍ Sania concluded on her first day with the side.
