An innings to remember

India has just levelled the cricket series in England and ended a gruelling tour with a 2-2 draw. Mohammed Siraj bowled Gus Atkinson with a sublime yorker on the 5th day of the 5th Test match, on a drying, brownish pitch that had looked greenish on day one.

A cricket pitch is fertile ground for rich narratives - stories that speak of grit and bravery, of last- minute dashes to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. New heroes emerge in every game - players who refuse to accept defeat. They turn crises into opportunities and deliver sterling performances. These narratives linger long after the match is over. Swami Parthasarathy of the Vedanta Academy, Pune, says three things are of primary importance if you wish to attain success in the game of cricket or in life: concentration, consistency and cooperation. You can concentrate only when the mind is with the action. It shouldn't be in the past or the future.

The most intriguing aspect of cricket is that there are dry spells a player must factor into their career. A player may excel at batting or bowling, but there may come a time when they go out of form, and past glories are forgotten. Like Sachin Tendulkar, you may have hit 100 tons, but still, when you come out to bat, every game is a new game.


Eventually, senior players must hang up their boots and make way for younger players. Everything about the game, therefore, is transient; nothing lasts forever, neither fame nor records. Life, too, is ever evolving, always on the cusp of change, and everything is ephemeral. Ultimately, all that remains with us is what we have learnt and how we have used it.