Laxman: ‘Pandya, Rahul will learn from their mistakes’

Former India cricketer V.V.S. Laxman says Hardik Pandya and K.L Rahul have been ‘rightfully punished’ for their loose talk on the TV show Koffee With Karan.

V.V.S. Laxman also discussed chapters from his book ‘281 and Beyond’ at the Hindu Lit for Life in Chennai on Monday.

Three days after the Board of Control for Cricket in India suspended Hardik Pandya and K.L. Rahul, pending an enquiry, for comments made on the TV show ‘Koffee with Karan’, former India batsman V. V. S. Laxman has empathised with the duo while stating that grooming young cricketers in the country is the need of the hour.

''With each experience, you have to learn. Being a cricketer in India is tough. How many of us are recognised at the tender age of 18?

"Not only are they given a demi-god status, they have everything at their disposal," Laxman said in a panel discussion titled 'The Sublime Cricketer' with N. Ram, Chairman, The Hindu Group Publishing at the Hindu Lit for Life 2019 here on Monday.

V.V.S. Laxman with N. Ram, Chairman, The Hindu Group Publishing, at the Hindu Lit for Life in Chennai on Monday.

 

While Laxman acknowledges that, “Rahul and Pandya have made a mistake and I'm sure they are regretting it,” he reckons the lessons learnt from the whole incident will have a larger bearing on the game.

“What can we and the board learn from this is the question. It's also about giving them the right guidance.

READ| Pandya, K.L. Rahul tender unconditional apology

“It's important to teach them how to conduct themselves. The responsibility lies with the BCCI and the management firms.

“Players should realise that people are watching you and learning from you. You need to conduct yourself,” Laxman pointed out.

Asked how he handled the stardom that accompanied his ascent to the top of international cricket, Laxman explained, “I learnt from the first four years of my career. Especially the background I came from, in the first year.

The 'Very Very Special' @VVSLaxman281 in conversation with @nramind at the #lfl2019. https://t.co/ceoDIMYPGC

— Sportstar (@sportstarweb) January 14, 2019

 

“There is a lot of challenge for any cricketer. It's easy to handle failures, tough to handle success. The role of a psychologist is very important. In India it (concept of a psychologist) is still young, abroad they are doing this already."

Laxman also spoke about the impact of the Indian Premier League and its role in springboarding teenage talents into the limelight.

"You look at talents like Prithvi Shaw and Shubman Gill... They are sought after cricketers today, thanks partly to IPL. They are given stardom at the age of 19, 20,” Laxman said.

"What they (Rahul and Pandya) did is wrong but they will learn from it. They have been rightfully punished. We should show some empathy to them. They are young, it's a challenge for such young minds to be mature.”