Chopra, Bindra and Olympic learnings in tackling pressure

So much of sport is about expectations - what others have of you and your own. As Rohit Sharma has said umpteen times the expectations...the pressure is something that the Indian team is used to.

- Ashish Magotra

But ahead of the World Cup final, most of them are entering uncharted territory. This is pressure like they have never felt before. They are trying to not make much of it, as they must, but it's real and it's there.

A ten-match winning streak is special 15 teams have achieved this mark in ODI cricket. Only seven have gone better. But India will not think about the ten gone by. Rather, their sole focus will be the one to come.

The roar of the crowd when they step onto the field, the stirring rendition of the national anthem, the incessant buzz, the groans of agony when a wicket falls and the silence when the home team is in trouble all either give you a lift or just add to the pressure.

Few in India have surmounted such pressure. But there are a few individuals who have made the most of the moment and covered themselves with glory. Two Olympians stand out Neeraj Chopra and Abhinav Bindra - gold medallists both.

In a recent chat with HT, Chopra spoke about how he handles pressure and everything that comes with it.

"When the competition is on, you don't think about anything else," he said. "But many times when I go back and watch the videos, I feel that when I have become a bit too tight or when I try too hard, it doesn't work out well. But when I am relaxed and don't just try to power through things, it works better.

It is about being mentally calm and then putting in the effort in the required direction. Slowly, it has become my method."