RIP Phillip Hughes

The world just lost a great lad, a lovable bloke whose biggest joy was in representing his country at the biggest stage. As shared by the Australian skipper Clarke and all his team-mates, present or past, Phil’s love for life & cricket drew everybody towards him. As I read the tributes pouring in from around the world, it makes me realize the importance of being true to oneself. It’s the simplicity at heart, love for life and doing one’s designated duty in the best possible way is what is important.

Phil was a tremendous talent, being the youngest person to score centuries in consecutive innings, but more than that he was a fantastic person. To me, Phil’s memory goes back to the last time Australia toured India for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Phil, being rated very highly by the Australians, came with great aspirations. But, he was unable to find his feet in the spin friendly dust bowls of Indian pitches. He didn't score many in the first three tests as many other Australian batsmen, but then went on to play a small, but superb innings in the 4^th test. That showed how much willing he was to put in all the hard work to excel in one thing that he loved doing day in and day out.

The Cricketing world will surely mourn the loss of a talent, but it is the world which has become a poorer place Cricket needed personalities like Hughes to show to everyone that at the end of day, it should just be a fierce contest between bat and ball, played with utmost sincerity & honesty. That representing the country for a cricket game should be the biggest motivation and no amount of money should lure someone into doing something that brings bad name to this much loved sport.

Before the last seven days, nobody thought of a death resulting from an injury on a cricket field. The last week have made us realize that the unthinkable can happen. Now, when sometimes I look back, I can realize that the ball whizzing past my head could have resulted in something else. These events make me feel the uncertainty of life and thus, doing the best I can every day.

May be, we can take a leaf or two out of Phillip’s book and apply it in our lives. That can be a way of our respect to Hughes. Firstly, it’s the gratitude he felt in representing Australia at the biggest level, and he was willing to put everything he had in him, without any complains. It’s the same about our life, maybe it’s time we feel thankful to whatever we have in our lives and continue to work for the better in whatever we do, in the most sincere and honest way.  As told by Michael Clarke, there were times in which Phil was dropped or wasn't scoring as many runs as he would have liked, but he took it all in a sporting way without complaining anything. Well, now it gives me a reason of not being bogged down by circumstances and being determined in doing the duties at hand.

Seeing that everybody is complaining about something or other, it makes me feel that even God wanted somebody like Phil to help him cheer up, in order to reinstate within the love for life and doing His duty. Knowing whatever little I have come to know through the inputs of his team-mates, I don't think Phil would have been overly concerned about this either. He went doing the thing which he truly loved, that’s the best he would have wanted, but maybe not so soon. Our prayers will always be with Phil & his family. They deserve all the support & tributes that are flowing in from around the world. 

While we have talked about Phillip, it’s time we share the same concern for the young Sean Abbott. He is much younger and needs to be believed that it was not his fault. If Phil would have been here, the next thing after coming to field, he might have said,” Common Sean, bowl me another one”. Now that Phil is not here, somebody should be up there on the other side of pitch reminding Sean to have a go again.

Well, it’s easier said than done, but I am sure Clarke & Cricket Australia will do all that is needed to reignite the love for the game, because they know that it will be a perfect tribute to Phillip, as Phillip would have been shattered, if he would have come in between somebody’s love for the game and be in any way responsible in making someone go away from the sport.