This IPL Match Teaches Two Important Life Lessons

In a greatly satisfying IPL match on Sunday, Rajasthan Royals created a new record by chasing the highest score against Kings XI Punjab. Kings XI Punjab put a target of 223 runs in 20 overs and Rajasthan Royals scored 226 with 3 balls remaining. The match is nothing short of a miracle as too many great things took place on the field. Irrespective of victory or loss, there are two important life lessons that this particular game offers to every one of us. Some people may consider Cricket as a source of Entertainment but the sport also throws life lessons at us. From RR vs KXIP match, the following are two important lessons that we derived and feel that it is essential to share them with you.

— 1. Patience and Self-Belief is very important. Rahul Tewatia proved the same

Rahul Tewatia is a name that most of us are not familiar with. He is not a star cricket player and did not exhibit any great performance so far. But, after yesterday’s match, nothing is going to be the same. The cricket pundits, International cricket players, fans, and cricket lovers are going to talk about him for years to come. Rahul Tewatia came to the middle at a crucial juncture in the game. When Rajasthan Royals need to chase a big score, Sanju Samson was putting a solo fight. Rahul came to bat and extend his support to Samson in finishing the game. Much to everyone’s surprise, his performance in the middle is utterly disappointing. In no time, he was subjected to trolls. The commentators lost confidence in him. Even Sanju Samson refused to give him the strike at one point as he is not hitting the biggies but taking the time to settle down. Everyone was sure that Rajasthan Royals is going to lose the game and Rahul will be the reason. In almost ten to fifteen minutes, people lost hope and Rahul Tewatia became the villain. With that refusal from Sanju Samson, Rahul clearly understood that his team members are also losing hope in him.

But, Rahul did the right thing which most of us fail to do in a crisis. Rahul did not let the pressure take over him. Rahul did not let his failure in the middle bother him. Rahul did not feel disappointed when his partner refused to give him the strike. Rahul did not give in to the pressure which could have made him remain a failure in the history of cricket. Instead, he patiently waited for the right moment to silence all the haters and critics. Rahul believed in himself and refused to listen to every other negative voice that could bring him down. Self-belief was his mantra in the middle and it turned the game upside down. He hit 5 sixes in an over and in the span of five minutes, the game changed. Rahul Tewatia carried a huge responsibility on his shoulders to bring success to his team. He made all his critics praise him back in not less than five minutes. He created history. Had he not believed in himself, it would have been another routine story.

But, he proved everyone wrong and proved the importance of self-belief.

— 2. Not losing hope and having Perseverance can take us to great heights

In January 2015, the West Indies wicketkeeper-batsman Nicholas Pooran, who is currently playing for Kings XI Punjab in Dream11 Indian Premier League injured his left leg in a car accident in Trinidad. He was 19-years-old back then. In the accident, his left patellar tendon had ruptured and his right ankle was fractured. He couldn’t straighten his leg and it broke his heart. It took him more than 18 months to be normal and get back to playing Cricket. The following was his situation back then.

Cut to the present, in yesterday’s game, his fielding has become the talk of the world. Everyone is talking about one particular feat he exhibited on the ground in saving a six for his team. It was indeed crucial and he made no mistake in saving that maximum.

Had Nicholas Pooran gave up when he met with an accident, after learning that he broke his legs and that could be an end of his career. But he did not lose hope. He displayed perseverance all the way and this particular feat in the match is a sheer example for his determination. As commentators described, Pooran has just achieved an unbelievable feat on the ground. For someone who broke legs, and came back to the cricket, it is not easy to dive in the air and perform quick actions to save a boundary. But, Poorna did the impossible possible. If he can display hope and perseverance, why can’t we?