Sushant Singh Rajput's death: Life's tough, just like cricket!

In cricket any sport for that matter and even in the game of life there are bound to be pressure moments Losing a few early wickets while defending a low total in a tight game the team that handles pressure best mostly wins ditto individualsWhen wickets are falling opponents smell victory the batsman gets surrounded by closein fielders who exert pressure Even though the batsman is growing in confidence defending well and punishing the odd bad ball on a turning pitch for the scoreboard to roll the opponents know that it takes one good ball for a wicket Hope floats amidst those tactical movesPressure factorWhile a good partnership relaxes the batting side in the dressing room the reserves of the fielding team are hoping for a breakthrough As the new over starts the batsman may make an effort to break the shackles by playing an attacking stroke but is unable to pierce the field for pressurereleasing boundaries The overall failure to get on top of the bowling adds to the pressure Lets paint a scenario A leftarm orthodox spinner gets set to deliver and in a rush of blood the batsman steps out too early The bowler cleverly changes his line and length to beat the batsman in the air In the course of executing his predetermined stroke the ball is beyond reach The heave only results in a stumping Absolute suicide the commentators exclaim in their box before going on to describe the stroke The supporters in the stands are crestfallen and heads fall in one dressing room while the other is jubilantThe spectators utter to themselves Why did he play such a shot It was a stupid stroke he should have stayed on He could have got his team out of trouble but he lost his cool He has now put his team deeper in the woods Keeping this scenario in mind lets look at Sushant Singh Rajputs case Everything seemed to be going right in his career and his fanfollowing was not exactly waning He was emerging as an inspirational icon for many coming from small towns He gave them confidence to work hard hone their craft and most importantly to dream bigOne bad decision at the spur of the moment a wicket is lost and so is a life No batsman loves to throw his wicket away and no human being wants to end his life but it still happens Sometimes that rocky aspect is visible to those around but they do not envisage such an act In cricket the nonstriker can see his partner feeling itchy behaving differently changing his body languagemdashall is noticed by him but he decides not to calm his partner own He waits for the over to end but as it often turns out its too lateNonstrikers roleIn the dressing room the coach teammates notice the anxiety growing in the middle they helplessly wait for the over to end so that a message can be sent out The only person close to him is his partner Had he spoken at the first instance when the change in behaviour was seen a wicket could have been saved the game won and no regrets The opposing captain wicketkeeper closein fielders and bowlers are hawklike in their observation of the batsmans change in body language For them his fall is their victory They get encouraged to get under his skin fuel his anxiety and then celebrate his failureIn this cutthroat competitive environment one should be prepared for such tactics from opponents Paying attention to their utterances will further encourage themStrategy for successThe best strategy is to ignore it and stay away from the negative elements Its important to have a coping mechanism for such distractions Staying focussed on the goal believing in ones ability keep following the process that leads to success is of utmost importance than paying attention to those who want to celebrate a downfallIn cricket or in life one person who can save you is the one closest to you at that moment Trust confide listen to him and execute his suggestions The other guy is yourself If you are able to read and realise the symptoms react calmly or speak to your partner to take more of the strike you can ward off the spurofthemoment decisionsmdashjatakamdash when you want to hit and get out of trouble Its futile to regret after playing that stupid shotUnlike Test cricket life is a singleinnings game a precious one Those critical five to 10 minutes spent away from the strike to relax at the nonstrikers end are most important Once you allow those moments to pass its time to reap againSushant you played a stroke As a batsman will tell you it happens You are sadly gone but may you be an example for others We know you loved your cricket Rest in peaceThe author was a member of Indias 1983 World Cupwinning teamCatch up on all the latest sports news and updates hereAlso download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news