Watching your world collapse
by
Vishaal Loganathan • Last updated on Monday, 04 April, 2016, 04:30 AM
It takes something prodigious for you to get to a phase during which you are one of the select few who get to represent the country. But then, you've to get the timing right. You could end up never playing in a world event despite being one of the best your country has ever produced. Just ask VVS Laxman.
You need to be in the select fifteen from amongst millions, sometimes billions, to get the chance. And you need most things to work in your favour.
Form? Decent to good.
Physical fitness? Top notch.
Adaptability? Check.
Morale? High.
Match-winning ability? At its peak.
Problems with the board? Not that I know of.
Media handling? Meh, that's okay. We'll work on that later.
You're finally there. At your zenith and ready to conquer the world. You're pulling on the dream jersey, and playing like a dream, too. Then, there's the stage where the stakes could not probably go higher. This is my moment. Like the final over of a ICC World T20, for example, and you're given your chance to defend 19. One ball can make or break the game, the tournament, the season, perhaps careers, even.
You've done this before, albeit not on such a big stage, not in front of 66000 people, and not on a pitch like this. I got this, you tell yourself. You're bowling to a relative newbie, and he's perhaps wilting more under pressure.
You square up, wipe your sweat, run in and let it rip... Ouch!
Four balls later, you find yourself squatting mid-pitch in disbelief; struggling to keep the tears in as your teammates console you. It's okay, they say. Happens to the best. You want to believe it, but your mind keeps taking you back to those four balls.
If only I had pitched it higher up; if only it was much straighter; if only...
You've just crashed into your big sports lesson. Things won't always go your way. And when they don't, no matter how much you will it to, there's no going back. There are only learnings.
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Ben Stokes, like Hardik Pandya found out a few days ago, would have realised how lonely sport can be. Needing to concede anything lesser than 18 to give his side their second ICC World T20 title, the medium-pacer ended up being thrashed for four consecutive sixes by Carlos Brathwaite to concede the game and the World T20 title to West Indies.
As the third six was crossing the ropes over long off, Stokes had his head in his hands. He knew it was over. West Indies weren't going to botch up their chase from here. Next ball, Brathwaite sent the ball into the crowd for the fourth consecutive time and his side and their supporters into raptures. Stokes sunk down at the point where his follow through had ended, and wept. It took all of four deliveries for everything to come crashing down.
Sport is all fun till you start crying. Last year, Andrea Pirlo and AB de Villiers broke down, and smashed a billion other hearts world over. It shows sincerity and the sides of the players not often seen, but the helplessness as you watch is near unbearable.
"You can say what you like to him at the moment, but he's probably not hearing it. I have literally reiterated the exact same words," England captain, Eoin Morgan had said about Ben Stokes during the post-game press conference.
"He is going to be devastated, and it'll take its toll over the next couple of days, but we share everything that we do. We stick together as a side, we share the pain, we share the success. Certainly tonight, we share the pain"
It is heartwarming to hear that the captain of your side has got your back, and more importantly wants the rest of the team to share the sorrow, too. Morgan's words maybe empty to Stokes now, what with him having to go through a barrage of commiserations from near and far. But if the captain can prove that his words are more than just hollow promises said in front of a packed media house, Stokes can shake off the shock of the loss sooner than expected.
© Getty
Still 24, the allrounder features as one of England's most important players as they try to put themselves at the top of the heap. He is already a key figure for the English in all three formats, and it's imperative for the team to protect their valuable asset.
The mind, once mentally scarred, can take a long time to heal. But vital to the healing process would be for it to understand that there are people to support its owner. To stand by him and fight with him, and if needed, for him.
Sport maybe viewed as entertainment by the fans, who can shrug off losses with a few foul-mouthed rants on social media or by throwing garbage onto the grounds, but to the players, it is a way of life. And losses and poor performances can certainly have their impact.
Hence, the ability to deal with losses and setbacks becomes paramount. It goes without saying that some setbacks find their spots deep within and hurt more than the others, especially when your performance, or the lack of it, directly influenced the defeat. But it needs to be directed such that it makes you stronger and gets you to prepare better.
Stokes will be surrounded by wretchedness, no doubt, but he must see it as an opportunity to make himself a better player, both mentally and physically. And Eoin Morgan and Trevor Bayliss, as captain and coach of the England cricket team, have to ensure they get him and their team to think that way.
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You won't be made to forget this in a hurry. The media will want to know what you went through and how you overcame it. Later on, some will, perhaps, write about how this was the turning point in your career. Replays of the epic finish will play over and over in your head, and if not, then on the telly every time you think you've put it behind you. 'Champion' will be stuck in your head forever.
But you would've learnt from it. Next time, you will know what not to do, even if you don't know what exactly needs to be done. You may even be sharing the advice with a younger member of your team. You'll learn to laugh at it soon enough. And you would have come out a better cricketer, as a result.
You'll never look back.
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