Boria Majumdar
Sports is as much about awareness as anything else. You always need to have a Plan B, for things generally don’t ever go to plan on the big stage. There will be some issue that you haven’t really anticipated, and it can’t come as a surprise. When it comes to shooting, for example, there could be a bad shot, which creates self-doubt. People can scream just when you are taking the shot, and you might lose focus as a result. With the sport being made more viewer-friendly, such things are now par for the course. There could be an equipment malfunction in an extreme scenario. What the fans will look out for is the medal, and no one will care about what happened to the athlete. That’s what makes the process challenging and what the athlete has to brace for.
Esha Singh and Ronak Pandit are doing exactly that. They are preparing for every situation and trying to anticipate everything that can go wrong. That’s what makes Esha a very strong medal contender and one of India’s best shooters at the moment.
“You have to do it,” said Ronak. “You can’t assume that because you are very well prepared, everything will go to plan in Nagoya. It won’t. Something or the other always happens. For example, we have even discussed where she is to look in between shots so that she doesn’t get distracted. Should she look at the gun or in front? You don’t always want her to look back at her coach.”
Esha, who has always shot well in finals, knows what it takes to stay in control despite things not always going to plan. “We train for every situation,” she said. “And now that I have been playing for a long time, I know what all can happen. Also, I have played at an Asian Games in the past and have done well. That makes things a teeny bit easier as well. But the idea always is to prepare for everything that can go wrong so you are not left with any surprises on the day that matters.”
Esha is competing in two events in Nagoya and, if you add the team medals, she could win as many as four medals for India. In the form that she is in, it is a very real possibility, and she knows it well.
“Medals are the end product,” said Ronak. “You don’t go in thinking about medals. Suppose the shooter next to you is shooting brilliantly, you can’t get impacted by that. In fact, it is not your concern. All you need to do is focus on your process, your shooting and your methods. Are you doing what has been discussed and what you have prepared for? Are you following the routine? That’s what you need to do and not focus on others.”
Having followed the duo very closely in the last few months, I have every reason to believe that Esha will be one of the success stories for India at the Asian Games. And yes, we will then celebrate together with some excellent Japanese food!
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