7:10 a.m., 27th April 1996 (Ferozeshah Kotla ground, New Delhi) – I was warming up for our match with the visiting England Under-19 cricket team. I saw my coach and captain go into the players’ room to decide the playing eleven. This was my 5th match for the Under-19 team and I was all excited about the big match as a couple of selectors for the Ranji team were expected to come and see the match.
While taking my final lap, I saw a Maruti Van stop close to gate # 3 and eight people come out from the van with big smiles on their face. I was wondering who these people were, who had come so early on a Saturday morning to watch a friendly match between two Under-19 teams!!
Then I spotted Gaurav (a friend of my brother) who was right at the centre of that group, beaming with joy. He came to me and greeted me immediately. He then introduced me to his parents, brother, sisters and aunts. They were very excited that he has been selected for the Under-19 team and that he will be playing against the England team (it really did not matter to them that it was just a friendly cricket match and not a war for independence).
The coach and captain came out soon and called me to inform that I was in the playing eleven; by then I was confident of being in the eleven for almost all the upcoming matches as I had done well in my first four matches with them. I just casually asked who is the 12th man and they promptly replied that Gaurav will be the 12th man. I really don’t know what role a 12th man has today in an Under-19 team but in those days, a 12th man was a nice name for the water boy. I was not sure if I should tell my coach and captain that Gaurav’s entire family had come to see him play in his first match and before I could make up my mind, they had gone to announce the playing eleven to the rest of the team.
I knew I had less than a minute to do something about it. My inner voice wanted me to do something but I just didn’t know what to do. Then as if the message came from God, I ran towards my coach and managed to stop him just a few yards from where the team was assembled. In a very low tone and with some pain in my voice, I told him that I was not feeling too well and I may be suffering from an upset stomach. I told him that I would not be able to give my 100% on the field.
He was visibly upset at this last minute news and told me that it was critical for me to play as the England team had some really good batsmen. He also explained that their batsmen would be vulnerable to spin (a bowling form) and apart from me, they had no one else in the spin department. I immediately responded and suggested that they should let Gaurav play as he too is a good spinner. He turned around looking for Gaurav and saw him standing with a group of people. The coach asked me, “Who are these people next to Gaurav?” Casually I answered, “Oh they... they are just some of his family members”. My coach stared at the group for a few seconds and then looked at me with his eyes wide open. I thought my career was going to be over that instant but that was not what happened.
He smiled and said, “You know this match is important for you. The selectors will be there; why do you want to do this?” I was completely exposed but since my heart had overtaken by mind, my reply to him was prompt and crisp; I just said, “I know but this is more important.” He just smiled again, put his hands on my head and walked towards the team.
Yes, Gaurav did play the match in place of me and to be fair, he did well. We lost the match but there were still 3 people from our team who were smiling at the end of the match – Coach, Gaurav and me.
Any other day, I would have been very upset to be part of a losing team but not that day. Winning is important and you should give everything you have to win but sometimes life is not about winning alone. Although I withdrew from the sport a couple of years later, Gaurav still plays for the Delhi team and hopefully will play for India someday.
4 comments:
Agree with you on this Suhel.
MBA’s seem to be gaining the same popularity in the corporate world as cricket in the sporting world. But somewhere I feel it’s the corporate world/recruiters who promote this. Its almost like having an MBA would give you a ticket to the Tinsel Town of a Company’s Board Room. So surprised that many of my friends who are either designers, CA’s, PHD’s, Lawyers are all going in for the o-so-hyped MBA. Guess it’s a vicious circle – the corporate world demands it and the potential candidates supply it. The economics of demand and supply has been adequately met.
Hopefully this trend would change and the same importance (read: salary) is given to candidates from the other fields as well.
I wonder if you'd have felt the same way had Gaurav been selected based on his performance that day and you'd have gone on to play the sport watching your friend move ahead of you owing to a decision you made in an emotion-veiled ignorant moment...3 Idiots was a funny movie but a line storms back to me 'Dost fail ho jaye to dukh hota hai…lekin Dost first aa jaye to zyaada dukh hota hai...'
If you would have felt the same, you are a better person than most, but if you wouldn’t have, it raises a simple question - what is it that actually gives us the happiness for giving ourselves up for someone else? Is it the fact that we have made someone happy or is it the pat on the shoulder and that appreciative smile your coach gave you which makes you feel you did a 'good deed'?
Please don't get me wrong, I’m not questioning your act but the general motive behind any individual doing a ‘good deed’ for others by compromising themselves or something that is close to them. I believe charity comes with either subconsciously-assessed stipulations and/or unrealized ignorance...
@Ankit - I understand the point that you are trying to make and agree to that. My question is to the corporate world itself as I have started believing that having an MBA is no more the most important thing and we will probably be witnessing a reversal in this trend over the next couple of decades.
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