I will be writing the full article in English and avoid Hindi as a lot of members
are not acquainted with Hindi..
Lessons each player of Team India teaches
We have already seen wonderful write-ups by Pulkit and Amit relating Cricket to
Facts of Life
So this serves as an extension to those write-ups
We always appreciate the players representing the nation...We try to imitate their
playing techniques and also their on-field antics( Sachins Famous Adjustment while
batting is what I mean)
So Ive decided to go a little deeper into these players and tried to extract more
from what we see on field or know about them through various media
Virender Sehwag
The Nawab of Najafgarh has been Indias star opener for quite some years now.
Hes feared by bowlers all around the world and theres only one reason to it...His
audacity to play strokes...His freestyle stroke-making surely makes him one of the
most lethal players...But his statement before the WC of his wish of play 50 overs
shocked one and all but he proved it with a wonderful 175 in the very first match...
So what do we learn from him on a personal level?
Face all challenges bravely and be fearless
Be it Akhtar,Lee or Johnson...be it Murali,Warne or Swann...He smashes em all and
the way he does it leaves us all in awe...
Realise your faults
Like Sehwag realised that he must change his game we also must realise the faults
and try to work on them..then any improvement that so happens would be as good as
or even better than Sehwags 175
Sachin Tendulkar
1989-Till date..The time frame says it all and leaves nothing for me to mention..Every
cricketer dreams of a career like him..every Indian wants him to play till his last
breath...nobody has ever imagined who will be Indias next no.10...He is the Neil
Amstrong of Cricket...or Id rather say Neil Amstrong is the Sachin of Space....The
world salutes him...but is it just his playing ability...theres a lot more to it
friends!!!
Humility
The uttermost things out of all qualities that one must possess..No matter how quickly
u go up in a plane or no matter how daring u are to jump of that plane too(Freefalling
I mean)...u still need to open the parachute for a safe landing...The Little Master
has been humble all throughout his career...I can say this on a personal front after
meeting him...:)
Love what you do
Hes done enough for his nation in the field...hes been down with injuries...long
innings cramp him all over his body but he still continues...and is getting better
at it all this while...when critics said he must retire he continued to learn and
improve...We must do the same..however tough the struggle be we must continue building
our path to our destination and not get bogged down...most importantly not do it
as forcefully but do it with complete dedication
Gautam Gambhir
Gauti as we call him affectionately has improved terrifically over the past
8 years to cement his place him in the team even after being discarded in 2007...from
scores of 30s and 40s to an average of over 90 in 2008-09 hes evolved as a complete
player...So what does he teach us?
Adaptability
Opens in tests..plays 1-down in ODIs..captains the side when asked too...fields
at various positions...he adapts to the game situation and does what hes asked
to do quite efficiently...same goes with us...we must efficiently juggle articleships,
classes and college exams to our best and not complain of anything as you are doing
it for your own future...
Virat Kohli
The dashing delhi-ite has become the new blue-eyed boy of the team. Hes been
looked upon as Indias Future Captain(atleast by me..)..his game is pretty sorted
out. He starts off slowly and sets himself up and then plays the big shots...has
improved his temperament a lot and surely is here to stay...what he teaches us?
Control your temper
Virat was criticised for being too hyper on the field as well while batting he used
to waste starts by losing his control over himself...so dont get carried away by
success and stay grounded
Pounce on opportunities
Kohli made full use of the chances he got and performed everytime he was called
on as a replacement for a batsman...2010s best Indian batsman and 2nd most runs
overall
Suresh Raina
The only Indian to have century in all forms of cricket...he is a bag of talent
but currently out of the side due to a little slump in his form...but he still teaches
us something...
Know your weaknesses
SR realised that he struggles against the short ball...so off late he faces more
short balls at the training nets...so we must learn our weaknesses and try to improve
on it
Dont succumb to competition
Raina faced tough competition from young Virat and comeback kid Yuvi and he succumbed
to the pressure of holding his spot
Yuvraj Singh
The Punjab da Puttar Yuvi started off his career in one of the most impressive
ways and showed immense potential immediately....but injuries put him down and err...a
other few distractions too *blush*....but now he is back trying to regain lost reputation...so
lets see what hes taught us in his career
Avoid Distractions
Yuvi lost his focus completely mid-way through his career and also his fitness has
been under scrutiny...he still has the passion to play but too many distractions
spoil your career just as too many cooks spoil the broth...so we must stay focused
on our path to success
Mahendra Singh Dhoni
MSD doesnt need an introduction...he has the midas touch and whatever he touches
turns to gold....A power-hitter at the start of his career and now a struggling-trying-to-be-technical
player...and what do we learn from him...
Stay Calm
MSDs claim to fame has been his cool attitude even in crunch situations and he has
shown the team how to hold their nerves...we also must during exams hold our nerves
and not get carried away by one good/bad question in the paper that may affect the
end result
When you cant...dont change
Dhonis attempt to become a technical player has miserably failed but he persists
to continue which many times affects the teams performance..so just because you
have been burdened with responsibilities you dont have to turn into a serious person..you
can still stay your bubbly self and handle all your responsibilities..
Yusuf Pathan
The elder Pathans big hitting has earned him the title of the game-turner...he
can brutalise any attack on his day and wrap a game very quickly...What he teaches
us...
Hold your emotions
How emotional must it have been for him to see his brother struggle and get discarded....any
other person couldve lost his cool and which wouldve resulted into a performance
slump..likewise we too must control our emotions and keep personal feelings and
differences out of our way to success
Dont forget your family
On his way to success he saw his brothers decline...but he hasnt let success get
to his head and both brothers still stay amicably and never miss out on a chance
to thank their parents for their hard work to raise them
Harbhajan Singh
The Turbanator has spun his way into our hearts with his unmatchable spirit, on-field
and off-field antics and tremendous bowling...so what does this offie teach us?
Chase your dreams
There was no doubt that Bhajji could bat...his batting has been instrumental for
the team in many situations but he always dreamt of that test century that had evaded
him all his career...last year he fulfilled his dream and how...two back-to-back
centuries...he did and so should we..never let go off your dreams...chase them till
the very end and never quit on it...
Give others a reality check
Who doesnt remember the Bhajji-Sree fiasco..an irritating Sree was getting to Bhajjis
nerves...*slap*....but hey we need not slap any such person..rather just make him
realise that hes not doing the right thing and tell that to the person straight
away without any time wastage...
Piyush Chawla
Who wouldve thought that Chawla will be turning the ball along with Bhajji
at the WC...this young lad had played his last ODI 18 months back and still managed
to sneak into the squad..lesson??
You do your best...God will do the rest
He kept bowling well in the domestic seasons and improved on his batting...so you
too dont think about the result...just keep working hard as chances never cease
to exist...theres one always at your doorstep
Ravichandran Ashwin
The sly bowler who broke into the international circuit with brilliant IPL and CLT20
performances...and now is the 3rd choice spinner in the WC...but does he teach us
anything?
Consistency
Ashwin was consistently performing at the domestic seasons and always kept himself
in the reckoning..we also must not let our performances drop be it anything we do....
Variation
Ash always keeps varying his deliveries and pace and it gets him wickets....but
that doesnt mean we keep varying ourselves and bowl everybody over...what we can
do is to avoid monotony in doing a task we must find out different and interesting
ways of doing it....
Zaheer Khan
Zak, The Indian Spearhead...hes been one of the most instrumental bowlers for
many years now...Hes a part of the Indian Think Tank and had it not been for his
injuries would surely have led the side...so how will Zak enlighten us?
Lead from the front
Zak has been leading Indias bowling attack from quite some years now and has been
doing extremely well...we must also always take initiative and lead upfront in whatever
task we undertake...
Guide Others
How often has it happened that Zak advises a bowler and he gets a wicket in that
very over...its only about guidance at times...if you are doing well it is crucial
that you help others out too...
Shanthakumaran Sreesanth, Munaf Patel and Ashish Nehra
Umm...never mind them...ok I wont be rude and add something for them too...
Sree teaches us how to be overtly aggressive without any reason
Munaf helps us learn how to be uninterested in anything you do
Nehra shows us how to look clumsy while doing your work
I hope you enjoyed reading this article....if not thanks for bearing me till the
very end and if you skipped directly to the conclusion....very smart huh ;)....
CAclubindia
