The timing of this article may be questionable, and my deductions a bit presumptuous, but that's not going to stop me from making my observations of what I have seen till now in the third edition of ongoing IPL. Ask the players, and they would be faster than light to admit that it has been generous. For me, its generosity has been extended to let me view the happening of IPL in a different light - little to do with sports and everything to do with day-to-day life. Of what I have managed to extract in my limited capacity, following are worth mentioning.
If you believe in something, back it to the hilt
At the risk of sounding a supporter of Modi (as the majority doesn't approve of his methods), I would quote his example to drive home my point. India had long abstained from playing T20 matches and the general public had not got the taste of its excitement. Modi had long rallied for a private league, which in his opinion could bring in the families and not just the cricket lovers for niche viewer ship, but couldn't bring this idea to be acknowledged by those who mattered in the echelons. To his advantage, Subhash Chandra came up with the idea of ICL, which saw a significant erosion of local talent, players who were coaxed into joining this league as they had lost all hopes of getting selected for their country. BCCI took cognizance of this alarming trend, and with certain fillers from Modi to strike the rod when it was red hot, Modi was given the go ahead signal to formulate the advent of a league from India. Modi was equally up to the task and showcased before the world a professional league which sold like hot cakes. There was a frenzy about the whole thing and rest, as they say, is history.
While it is to be noted that such a talk would seem reasonable only if the league was successful, but it nevertheless, goes a long way in demonstrating the power of belief. There are rich dividends to be had, if you believe in your plans, and as the IPL showcases, we must back them strongly.
Trust those who haven't been tested yet
We chase success stories or get bedazzled by it. I being no exception, would opportunistically cite the example of a resurgent Mumbai Indians in this regard. Leadership defines the kind of examples that would be quoted as the "best-of-them-all" in future. Sachin is as able as it can get, both as a player and a leader, and is being magnanimous in letting us learn from his leadership. Saurabh Tiwary and Ambati Rayudu are the likes who could have very well warmed benches in other teams, but not so under the aegis of Sachin. They are talents of fine degree, and have been given an opportunity upfront to express themselves. Results are there for everyone to see, with each reciprocating with fine consistent performances. This sort of confidence is hard to come by, and hence worth mentioning here.
Believe in the power of one
Sticking with team MI, I wouldn't be required to try too hard to drive my point here. Their success story, however short-lived, would give us ample opportunities to learn and examples to quote. They are doing well as a team, with good performances coming in from all quarters. And that has been possible because of its management and its ability to let them believe that united they progress and divided they perish. They perform as one team, with each member complimenting the other, to bring out the maximum as a team.
Relish your unique role in the scheme of things
An effective team will always have effective team players. You have to let go of your ego to be that effective. You may have thought a thousand good things which you always wanted to do, but in reality you may never get to perform that role. But the management still believes in you, precisely for your overall ability, the various other ways you can contribute to team's success. Those who honor this respect are worthy of being talked about and one such player form this edition is Satish(MI). He bats lower down the order and may not be called to bowl at all. But his role has been that of a finisher and he has readily accepted this role with elan. He enjoys his specific role in the team and that's the reason behind his success so far.
Keep it simple
T20 is supposed to be a game where you go hammer and tongs from ball 1, or at least that's the perception players seem to be giving when they go out to bat. The sense of urgency is hard to ignore. But here again, it takes a Master to show how others have grossly misconstrued the way this game should be played. Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar has been all class, playing his usual self, finding the gaps at will and more importantly with proper cricketing shots. 7 games into the IPL, he has already bagged the orange cap once and has the maximum boundaries to his name(47) and only 1 six! Message is loud and clear from the Master - Keep it simple.
Diversify the produce, if possible
In the race to be the most valuable player, you have to be a multi utility player to reap rich dividends. The aggregate of all the scores has a participation from various components from the game viz. bowling, fielding and batting. If you could contribute in all these fields, you would do yourself a favor to win others' confidence. The idea is to be able to contribute in all the ways possible, if you fail while batting, compensate it with good fielding or bowling. Fill the void with a sterling performance somewhere else and be useful to the team in the truest sense of the word. Classics from this edition being Harbhajan, Kallis and Raina.
I'm sure there will be few more of these to be taken care of as we enter into the second leg of the tournament. Let's wish we keep on getting inspired from all things around us, draw an analogy to how those could be replicated in our lives, and then use them to achieve better results for ourselves.
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