‘Ability to deal with failures key’
WELLINGTON: Negative experiences can shape a person’s character making him more resilient, says New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor ahead of his record-breaking 100th Test.
Taylor will become the first cricketer to play 100 games in each of the three formats. Taylor, who is less than three weeks away from his 36th birthday, has already played 231 ODIs and 100 T20 Internationals.
On the eve of his milestone, does Taylor look back at those early days? “Yeah, I think so. That shapes you as a person and as a player,” the former New Zealand skipper agrees.
“Sometimes it’s not necessarily the runs you get and the good times. It’s how you deal with failures along the way that shape you as a person, as the way you go about your training, as a teammate. Sometimes it’s the negative things that make you harder and stronger and more resilient, and that’s what you need to be a Test player,” said Taylor.
PUSHED BACK
Had the Christchurch Test against Bangladesh not been cancelled due to terror attack at the mosque in March last year, the Sydney Test in the previous series would have been his 100th Test. However, he can’t be happier to play the big game in front of family and friends.
“David White (NZC CEO) comes in and gives us a talk about what games are coming up and you start doing the math and he actually says ‘Ross, it’s going to be your 100th Test in Sydney’. But obviously what happened in Christchurch last year with the shootings at the mosque had moved things back a game.
“But then, things happen for a reason, I believe, and it’s nice for it to happen back home. I don’t know how many people would have travelled to Sydney for it. So it’s nice for it to be here.”
He got messages from former teammates Daniel Vettori and Brendon McCullum. “I just got a call from Brendon before we got here saying all the best. He said ‘do better than what I did’. I don’t know what he got in his 100th game. I asked if there was any tip on how to deal with tickets and things like that,” he laughed. “I got a message from Vettori last night. It’s a special club to join and nice to hear from players who have been there and done that.”