The American boxer’s quotes figure in a 125-page document handed out to India’s World Cup team in their journey to regain world cricket’s greatest prize. The manual, entitled ‘Let’s Make Our Dream Come True’ is put together by chief coach Gary Kirsten, mental conditioning coach Paddy Upton and explorer/adventure traveller, Mike Horn. Ali’s quotes appear in a section called, Heroes who can motivate:

>> Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your whole life as a champion.

>> Champions are not made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them – a desire, a dream, a vision.

>> Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee. Nobody can beat you.

Sachin Tendulkar, who is playing his sixth World Cup, is featured in the manual as an inspiration: “Desire backed up with tremendous talent makes Sachin Tendulkar a noted strength.”

Legendary cyclist Lance Armstrong is cited as an example of excellence. Here’s what appears under ‘Lessons from Lance Armstrong’:

A. Clearly define your goal

B. Don’t start without strategy

C. Pick a great set of coaches and then listen to them

D. Pick the right team and trust them

E. Pick the right equipment

F. Use state-of-the-art techniques

The down side is not ignored in the manual. Under the sub head, ‘Threats’ appears the injury factor: “Injuries before the WC to quite a few players do give a scare and if they (players) carry the injury to the tournament, then it will surely affect the team’s balance.

http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/team-india-has-muhammad-ali-for-inspiration-87257?cp