Zak Crawley taking inspiration from snooker legend Ronnie O’Sullivan’s ‘powerful mindset’ ahead of India tour

England are all set for their first Test assignment since they drew the Ashes 2-2 at home against arch-rivals Australia in July 2023. They will arrive in India to play a five-Test series, commencing in Hyderabad on Thursday, January 25.

England batters will be challenged by the conditions, which are expected to be heavily tilted towards the spin bowlers. The Indian contingent has some world-class tweakers who could wreak havoc on surfaces conducive to spin bowling. However, fear of failure is something that the England team has ditched under the coaching of Brendon McCullum and the leadership of Ben Stokes, and that might help them fight fire with fire.

England opener Zak Crawley will have to play an important role with the bat. He has the ability to play the long innings and counter-attack when necessary. The talented youngster is taking inspiration from English snooker giant Ronnie O’Sullivan ahead of Test matches. The 48-year-old O’Sullivan won the World Grand Prix last weekend, showing that age is just a number.

“I love the way Ronnie plays and talks about sport. To him, the way he plays is more important than the result. That’s such a powerful mindset. It’s a hard one to get into, but whenever you get into that mindset, you find yourself playing better,” Crawley was quoted as saying by Eurosport.

O’Sullivan, who is a seven-time world champion, has not always been satisfied with his performances. He mentioned the need to take breaks from the game and also prioritised playing well, even if it results in a loss, instead of playing badly and ending up with a win. This approach has struck a chord with Crawley.

“Baz [McCullum] is big on mindset. He talks about it all time, that the way we play is more important in the long run, and that will bring results. Baz always seems to find the right moment to speak. He certainly has an aura about him. He’s never negative. He’s an optimist. That’s what we need sometimes in English sport. As a nation we’re quite pessimistic at times,” the 25-year-old said.

Crawley has played 39 Tests so far and scored 2,204 runs at an average of 31.49 and a strike rate of 64.01. He has registered 10 fifties and also reached the three-figure mark on four occasions. He will be eager to do well in the upcoming series against a very experienced Indian bowling line-up.