The IPL Conundrum

Hearing and observing the conundrum of professional cricketers surrounding the IPL (Indian Premier League) makes me draw some parallel examples regarding my choices in life. Some Cricket experts blame it as the reason for India’s abysmal performances overseas in Test Cricket, argued by many as the pinnacle of the game. It may be referred as the devil that entertains. On the other side, many credit it with changing the face of the game and ushering it into a new era with a wind range of unconventional and mind-boggling strokes. There are examples to support booth in that 300 has become the new 250 and it has become fairly common to see sides wrap up test matches within 4 days. The grind and patience, the virtues of test game are becoming a diminishing art.

The wide array of opposing arguments must be distracting for players who might want to hone their skills in a particular format of game. Observing from my position, I find it a case of identifying my core competencies, setting my goals and then make choices to achieve that goal. Thus, watching Cheteshwar Pujara struggling for runs in the previous edition and watching him play those ugly slogs was a sorry sight. People associate Pujara with elegant cover drives, flicks and superb defence and he struggling in T20 was like a hare being asked to compete with tortoise in a swimming race.

Hence, I found it greatly inspiring when Pujara decided to give IPL a miss (in the process letting go of a fortune) and headed to county cricket to hone his skills in a format where his strengths lies. Similarly, it is equally inspiring to see some uncapped players suiting their games according to the needs of the IPL game in a manner that may render them unsuitable for test cricket.

Observing these examples helps me draw some parallels in my life. There are glamorous options that would require a tweak and major adjustment in my style and choices. Then there are other options, albeit less glamorous in the short run, where I truly want to excel but which will require true commitment for a prolonged period of time. But which I believe will suit my competencies.

Presently, the glamorous option is swaying the mind. Hopefully, I can do a Pujara in terms of the choices in my life :)