Life is like a Test Match in Cricket play to Win

 I love the game of cricket. I was an avid cricket follower at least till the time Rahul Dravid retired. However, now with the India-Australia test series underway, it is going to be an exciting series testing the best of the best in the toughest conditions. The five-day test match is the true test of patience. Believe it or not, even after 5 days you can have a game with no result, which is perplexing to some.

To me, the 5 days that a cricketer goes through is the same all of us go through during our work. We all get usually five days in a week to perform at our best. The only difference is while cricketers may not play test matches throughout the year or even a life, we all will get easily 40 years of playing test matches week after week.

With the advent of Twenty-Twenty, the viewership for test matches is dwindling, but the drama of a test match is something that can never be replaced. Imran Khan once said, to succeed in 20-20 you need a lot of talent, a little technique, and not much temperament. However, for test matches, you need all the other T’s in abundance.

The epitome of a test match player for me is Rahul Dravid and, of course, Steve Smith. He had an abundance of patience, which is what all of us need as we navigate careers filled with uncertainty and change. It is like going into a swinging pitch and then playing your best game. Here are the ways we can play every one of our weeks and win test matches in our career.

Talent

I love this word because all of us have a lot of talent. Some of us are even gifted, but only if we do the work required to discover our talent. While I love the book “Talent is Overrated”, I still think talent is cool and is something that all of us can tap with some soul searching. Once we tap into our talent, we can find our true calling. Talent is something we are born with, but we can also develop it through deliberate practice. Everyone of us has talent that can be polished further to get to our absolute best.

Energy

If you must play test matches for the better part of your work life, you need tons of energy. You must keep your spirits up despite hostile pitches and tough conditions, and you will be rewarded for your high energy. Take care of your physical body by exercising, eating a good diet, and sleeping well. Take care of your mental side by reading, writing in a journal, and being around nice people. There is a lot in our control with respect to energy.

Success

If you are playing a game, you are playing it to win. So, you must decide exactly what success looks like to you for every week. If you follow through with your plan for that week, then you did succeed. It is that simple, but defining it is the key. As Earl Nightingale said "Success is the progressive realization of a worthy ideal."

Temperament

Rahul Dravid had a great temperament. He never lost his cool. It is a good template for all of us to follow. If we are going to have a long, satisfying career, we need to be cool, calm, and collected. Patience is the key. In a week, one or two days may not go as planned, but remember there are five days.

Mastery

Mastery is a process, and we never reach there. Pursuing your summits is the key. Work on something that you like. Hobbies like learning a language are also great. Connect with experts in your field, read their blogs, listen to their podcasts, read their books, document what you learn, and share what you learn.

Attitude

Our attitude toward the week will determine how much we enjoy it. If nothing is ever good enough, we will not be happy. Sometimes even greats like Sachin Tendulkar get out for a duck, but they come back to the next innings to make amends. They don’t allow temporary setbacks to deter them from their goals.

Technique

Whatever work we do, we need to develop expertise in that area. For example, Rahul Dravid had an initial weakness that he was always hitting straight to the fielders. He worked on this incessantly and eventually overcame that weakness. Technique is very important to a successful career.

Class

If we are going to have a career spanning decades, we need to be classy. Treat people well, be kind, say please and thank you. Relationships are the holy grail of corporate success. Being a class act is something we can all strive for.

Hours

There are 168 hours in a week, and everyone gets the same. Even if we work 50 hours, we still have quite a few hours left to pursue other activities. A full life is one where we enjoy every moment of it, and we can fill our hours with life. Doing work we enjoy and enjoying our time away from our work will ensure a life full of joy and happiness. Time is the one coin over which we have no control because time passes irrespective of any individual. The only thing we can do is manage ourselves with the time we do have.

Reflection and Learning

Another crucial aspect of a successful career is the ability to reflect on what has gone right or wrong. Test matches are won when players take a step back, assess the situation, and make calculated moves. Similarly, in our careers, taking the time to analyze our actions and learn from both wins and losses is invaluable. Reflection helps us grow and ensures we do not repeat the same mistakes.

Consistency

Great cricketers shine not because of one-off performances but due to their ability to deliver consistently over time. In our careers, consistency in effort and results is what sets us apart. It’s not just about doing great work occasionally but building a reputation of reliability and excellence day after day.

So, life is truly multiple test matches for each of us played out every week. We can go and do our best, knowing that there will always be another day, week, and game to play. I hope you enjoyed reading this article.

The views expressed in this article are my own and do not represent my organization. Thanks for reading this post.