Lessons for life from the game of cricket

There are so many roles to play in cricket. One can play cricket as a batsman, bowler, wicket-keeper, fielder, umpire, commentator, captain, manager, coach,, and spectator. Similarly, we play different roles in life. 

Sometimes we are right at the crease facing the bowler. We have been allowed to perform a task and it is up to us to play safe or aggressively. To defend or play a four or a six. Every shot has a risk and a reward. Sometimes we are bowling with a batsman ready to hit the ball. We are trying our level best to get rid of the problems in life and fight against them. Not every time we can take the wicket or get rid of the problem. Sometimes we just end up throwing a wide ball, sometimes no ball, and sometimes we get a four or a six. However, sometimes, we are also able to take the wicket.

Sometimes, we are fielding and not sure when the ball will reach us and when will we be required to dive. We are waiting for an opportunity with keenness. Opportunity comes and sometimes, we do not gather the courage to dive. Sometimes we dive and yet miss the opportunity. Sometimes opportunity comes into our hands and we drop the catch. 

Sometimes we are playing as captains busy strategizing the game. Sometimes we win the toss and at times we lose it. At times our strategy works and at times it fails. Sometimes we get the role of an umpire. We are busy concentrating on the stumps. Sometimes, we miss the crucial moment and make a wrong decision. Sometimes we make the finest of judgments. 

I feel that there are broadly two types of motivation for the players of the game. Some play for themselves. They want to be the best player of the match and set records for themselves. There are some who want their team to win. The dividing line between self-interest and the interest of the team is quite thin. Generally, if a player performs well, the team too gets the benefit. However, the difference comes out clearly in the crucial moments. Those playing selfishly get frustrated when they do not get the opportunities of their self-interest even if that is in the interest of the team. 

Those playing for the interest of the team get frustrated with the selfish players. When they see the team losing due to selfish players, they get frustrated. They also get tensed with the lack of harmony and team spirit. Sometimes they get frustrated with bad umpiring or unfair pitch. 

I somehow feel that neither playing for selfish records nor for the winning of the team is the most efficient way out for a great cricketer. Rather the way out is to play the best of the game in any situation. As a batsman, at whatever number and in whichever situation one faces the bowler, one faces with the best of the concentration and plays the best shot. As a bowler, at whatever pitch, one is bowling, one bowls the best possible ball. Whenever we put ourselves or the team above the game, magic disappears. Whenever we play a game first, winnings and records are natural by-products.

The same rule applies in life. Whenever we live a life centered around desires, every time we foresee the possibility of desire remaining unfulfilled our attention is captivated by such speculation. Similarly, when we live a life centered around harmony, every time we foresee a possibility of disharmony, our attention is trapped in such a possibility. The moment attention moves away from the task at hand, we become inefficient. 

So the most efficient solution is to just concentrate on the task at hand ignoring the results. That is the preaching of Krishna in Geeta. It is not a utopia. It's a very practical solution for the most efficient life. The moment we set a target, whether in terms of self-interest or the interest of the organization, our attention is on the target. We miss attention on the task at hand. Soon we start getting all types of fears and frustrations of being made to play at the wrong place, the bowler bowling unethically, the umpire making wrong decisions, the pitch being badly laid, and so on. All such excuses become the focus of our life and the game suffers due to lack of attention.

On the other hand, when we focus on the game, we just focus on the game. All these problems disappear. The only thing we have in our mind is how best we can play the game. We focus on the solution. Problems appear to be challenges and each challenge excites us. The game becomes fun and performance naturally is at its best. Winnings and records are natural outcomes of playing well. 

I feel that there will be one crucial question here. How will life decisions be taken if we do not have desires, whether selfish or for the community? Probably the answer is also quite simple. The only decision one needs to make is to play well. Wherever one is placed, one will take it as a challenge and play to the best of his abilities. I agree that this is not easy to live this way because the whole of our lives we have been trained to live the other way round. However, it takes just a moment of firm decision to wake up, however long one has been sleeping for.