"You can relate to that struggle" - RCB pacer opens up on his favourite cricket movie

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar opened up on his favourite cricket movie on a podcast on Ranveer Allahbadia's YouTube channel. RCB had acquired the Indian seamer for INR 10.75 crore at the mega auction last year.

When the two were discussing cricketers' struggles on and off the field, the RCB pacer was asked about his favourite cricket movie. Bhuvneshwar revealed that it was 'Iqbal' as he could relate to the struggle shown in the movie.

"Iqbal any day is my favorite cricket movie. The reason is that the cricket angle is not a lot but they have shown the struggle. You can relate to that struggle shown. You struggle everyday. You go to the ground and even if you do not think of it at the age, there is a pressure because you are not studying, that you have very less chance of a job as you do not have a degree," he said. (57:32)

The RCB quick also touched upon the importance of a good coach, which was highlighted in the movie.

"The struggle is there, getting a good coach is also important, which is shown. I was lucky that I had good coaches but everyone does not get them," he added.

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RCB pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar opens up on mental health in cricket

As the conversation took a turn towards more serious aspects of life, the veteran RCB pacer was asked about the mental health aspect in the game. To this, Bhuvneshwar Kumar said:

"An international cricketer or sportsperson relates mental health to performance. Because every series is different. If you do well you are in a good space. But the good thing is the coaching staff looks at you with the same point of view that he is a good bowler but he is not doing well that's okay. But your inner state makes you feel good or bad. If you did not do well or are going through a bad patch you start putting pressure on yourself. Everyone supports you but the inner state matters." (42:05)

The senior pacer also recalled how they would deal with pressure when the likes of himself, Ishant Sharma, Umesh Yadav, and Mohammed Shami used to play regularly together. He said they shared fun banter to lighten the mood if anyone had a bad day, pointing to the important role good teammates play in a cricketer's career.