Change of mindset key to success, says Jadeja KATHMANDU:Former India cricket skipper Ajay Jadeja believed the change in mindset was the key in getting success in the field of sports. Talking with reporters at an interaction programme organised by Zohra Sports Management on the sidelines of the Wai Wai Everest Premier League, Jadeja said: “The only change Nepali cricketers need is the mindset. You just need to change the thinking of qualifying to the world cup to winning it because unless you think it cannot happen.” Jadeja, who had a brief interaction with the cricketers last night, said he found the players positive. “In my brief conversation with the cricketers, who always excite me, I found Nepali players’ biggest concern is the exposure. We had a nice chat about their international participation and the qualifying into the world cup. They have started thinking themselves as a player who go out and compete in other tournaments in the world. They had great success in last four five years. Nepal as a team has grown a lot and they are getting the opportunity. The only thing they need is the exposure,” said Jadeja. “And Everest Premier League is the stepping stone in Nepali cricket’s path to glory. Players need platform to showcase their talent by playing somewhere at some level. This can open the doors for Indian Premier League or Australian Big Bash. People who run the show need to see these players perform. May be this generation might not benefit tomorrow, it might not happen overnight. But this is the path for the kids who love the sport to go around the world and compete,” said Jadeja, who played 15 Tests and 196 One Day Internationals for India between 1992-2000. “This tournament is as big as other events in the world and this is the path from which the future generation of Nepali cricketers can go to international stage,” said the former India skipper, who is here as a special guest of the EPL. “I am fortunate to be here for this event when no one has come. I am sure this event will grow and once it is popular everybody wants to be a part of it. Cricket is my interest and it is what I live for. The excitement of the event in huge,” said Jadeja, who has switched to commentary. “I think when people start talking about the event, they want to come and play here. The event becomes larger when more people get together.” Jadeja praised ZSM Managing Director Aamir Akhtar for creating the event. “We met a couple of years ago when he was organising an event. He always wanted to make it larger and being a cricketer he always emphasised on that. I also believe unless the players become the stars of the game, the event does not get larger. We remember the names of the English Premier League and NBA players, but we do not know the players who play in our area. Each player who performs in this event will be known at households and one it becomes an public event people will come to watch. People will judge themselves and results are in front of you,” Jadeja added. Regarding his acting in bollywood movies, Jadeja said: “We all have to do what we are allowed to do in life. I was allowed to play cricket while my friends were spending more time in school for good grades. It is because of cricket I got a chance in movie, otherwise nobody would have asked me for a movie. I was not playing at that time, and somebody thought of giving me a chance. I took that as an opportunity and it was an experience.” Asked about the difference between an actor and a player, Jadeja said: “A player has only one take. In a movie, you can say a line not right and change that and do it again. But in a match, whether it’s a first ball or last, once it’s bowled it’s bowled. You can only learn from it. I enjoyed it when I did it but it is not something that excites me.” Jadeja, who went to the TU Stadium yesterday, said he was amused with the ambience of the ground. “It was a bad day to go in terms of the game as it rained. But it looked like a Cape Town ground for me. It is a very picturesque ground.” The former Indian captain also played a round of golf at the Gokarna Forest Resort. “I played a round of golf. There is no word for beauty of Nepal, I experienced the nature today. The nature is just fabulous here. I happened to play just six holes because of time constraint but I loved the time I spent there. I will be certainly back with a few friends to play golf.” Jadeja said he was ready to help the cricketers for training in Delhi and also work out for having a team in the EPL. “We are ready to help the kids who want to come to India for training and if he (Aamir Akhtar) allows, we might have a team here from next year coming from India for the tournament. The Indian players will get the experience of playing here,” said Jadeja, who described his 25-ball 45 knock against Pakistan in the 1996 World Cup match in Bangalore as a dream. “I was dreaming that day. We expect to have a day like that everyday but you get lucky only sometimes. It just happened to be a bigger occasion and everybody remembers that. I was fortunate I had a good day.”Jadeja said life was the biggest innings and that ends on a day when the life ends. “I think I am still playing and it’s a part of the game that I am here. Sports teach you to believe that you can become the best in the world. That is what I have learnt from the sports and I am trying to share it to everybody.”