Cricket and its life-lessons

Consistency - It can be Glenn McGrath’s second name. He could even give complex to a bowling machine by consistently bowling in the same zone for days .His consistent mid 130 kmph deliveries were deadlier than a rookie bowling at 150 kmph. What can be learnt from him is the fact that you don’t have to be extra-talented; being focused can do magic for you, as well.

Creativity - Mr 360 degree, Ab de Villiers is an epitome of creativity and awesomeness. He can not only play copy book cricket perfectly but also be equally good at innovating himself by pulling a rabbit out of magician’s hat every now and then. At times, when you are left awestruck, you’ll have to pinch yourself to check the reality quotient.

Leadership - Ricky Ponting and Mahendra Singh Dhoni are the finest leaders that I’ve seen in my era. I would definitely like to adapt their ways of working when it comes to managing people. Ponting’s mantra of success – “If you set a goal to win, you have to win it no matter what it takes” – fetched him 2 world cup titles, while Dhoni’s funda of taking a little less of his share of credit and a little more of his share of blame also has done wonders for him .

Dedication - It would be unfair if anyone writing about this subject in cricket doesn’t mention their names. Graeme Smith and Anil Kumble are the epitome of commitment and dedication. Go back a little to Antigua in the year 2002. Kumble came back on field to bowl with a broken jaw for his team and got the prized wicket of Brian Lara. Graeme’s incident in particular is very special. It was battle against his body and heart. There was no way a batsman would have returned on field back to face the might Aussie pace attack with a broken hand and a fractured elbow. For a brief nanosecond, just put yourself in the then South African captain’s shoes and imagine you are standing on those 22 yards with one hand tied and someone is bowling to you at a mighty 150 kmph and the ball just kisses your faces and leaves. It is scary, and you need a hell lot of courage to do that. That is exactly what Smith did to save the crumbling tail. He couldn’t win it for the team, but he won a million hearts and, most importantly, respect from everyone.

Self belief - MSD is a divine force in itself. He is a bold character who always goes with his gut. He may not have the best of technique or the elegance of copybook style of playing, but the amount of self-belief that he has shown and the wonders it has done for his team is remarkable. Tune your mind a little back to the final of India-West Indies-Sri Lanka triangular series in West Indies, 2013. Shielding the tail throughout and dragging it to the wire with 15 required to win off the last 6 balls, Dhoni pulled off a thriller with 3 balls to spare. He is unbelievable in so many ways. Panic is not even a word in the skipper’s dictionary. It takes a hell lot of temperament to finish games like these, and Dhoni has done it over and over again.

And the greatest virtue is to inspire someone. If you can be someone’s inspiration to success in life, then it’s your biggest victory. That is exactly what this little man from Mumbai has done. Tendulkar has turned every stone thrown at him by life into a milestone. He has carried the burden of billions hopes and expectations without complaining for over 25 graceful years. From a middle class ball boy at Wankhede to the God of cricket, his simple mantra of never finding short cuts and chasing his dreams has worked out exceptionally well for him. Every mother wants his son to be like Tendulkar. This is the kind of stature this man has earned for himself and sets an example for others to excel in their respective fields.

On a modest note, if I can extract even one percent of the traits these gentlemen possessed, then I can be the next Batman.

Personally, also, this friend of mine has gone an extra mile to simplify things for me, resulting into more sorted relationships especially with my dad. I think my dad and I have shared the heartiest and special moments only while watching India-Pakistan games. Cricket takes out the strict Dean Daddy part out of the equation totally and turns us into school kids applauding, shouting, abusing and even crying on certain moments. That’s the beauty of the game. For me happiness is this.

If I am happy, I watch cricket; If I’m sad I watch cricket, as well, and be awesome again. It pretty much makes it an integral part of my life. Well, this has side effects, too. I have been blocked by my very good friends on Facebook for bugging and spamming their feeds with cricket updates on a regular basis. It has become my pseudo girlfriend. If I start giving this much time and value to the girls I like, at least, I’ll be having one for real.

Coming back from my utopia as I keep the photograph back in the closet and rush towards reality, I look forward to play the test of my life. I know the road ahead is bumpy, but the only way to get out is by facing it with a smile and moving on for the next smoother patch.

Work.. eat... play... love... pray!

Note: This article was first published here.