“I don’t know how to react. I’d like to dedicate this double-hundred to the people of India for standing behind me for the last 20 years, come what may” — Sachin Tendulkar, 24 February 2010, Roop Singh Stadium, Gwalior.
These are the words of a gentleman who has survived for more than 2 decades in a demanding game like cricket at the International level. His humility is revealed in these words.
At the moment all who love the game are in an elated mood at Sachin Tendulkar scoring the first double hundred in One Day Internationals. That too in splendid royal style. In terms of Second World War terminology, blitzkrieg style. His achievement yesterday at Gwalior can perhaps be compared to the breaking of the 4 minute barrier for the one mile race by Roger Bannister the first time in 1954.
Now coming back to cricket. Cricket is a beautiful game. Many secrets to success in life can be learned from it if you learn to play the game well. So let me try to highlight a few secrets of the genius of Sachin Tendulkar that can be emulated not only by budding cricketers but by aspiring speaker’s as well.
#1 Dedication and Commitment
His hard work at the nets is just an example of how dedicated Sachin Tendulkar is to the game of cricket. He has in the process not only mastered the techniques of shot making but also has invented shots which bear his signature. As aspiring speaker should also be dedicated to his art. He should spend long hours researching, preparing and rehearsing his speeches. He should become sound in his understanding of the art.
#2 Passion and Drive to Excel
If he fails at batting, you’ll see him make up for it in the field. Either he’ll get some crucial wickets or take brilliant catches or make extra effort in preventing runs from being scored. If nothing of this happens, he’ll be there with a right piece of strategy for the captain. The bottom line is simple: He has a great passion for the game. And he pushes himself to excel each time he goes out to play. An aspiring speaker should show great passion for public speaking. He should be driven by the quest for excellence and never settle for mediocrity.
#3 Enjoying the Game
As you watch Sachin Tendulkar play, you’ll never have a feel that he is at work. He is always at play, enjoying the game. That is perhaps the greatest secret of success. Enjoying what you do in life. Most speakers look at their given assignments with dread. This is a defeatist attitude. Instead, if the speaker can learn to enjoy his time on stage, he’ll come up with better performances. He’ll then engage the audience with some cherished moments of inspiring integration of words and action; thought and emotion, style and substance.
#4 The Audience Factor
Sachin Tendulkar will be remembered not just for the volume of runs or the number of centuries he made. Instead he’ll be remembered most for the way in which he played the game. How he entertained, how he mesmerized, how he took the battle to the opposition often single-handedly, how he wrote poetry with his foot movements, balance, poise and delicate touches with the bat. In short, he entertained. Aspiring speakers can learn something from him in this regard. It is not just delivering some words committed to memory that counts. But how you entertain the crowd. That is how lively and interesting your presentation was to the audience.
#5 Planning and Pacing the Innings
None of Sachin’s great innings happened by chance. Instead it was careful planning and precise execution of it that helped him achieve success. Life too is an innings that we play. We need to learn how to pace our innings. There are times to go slow; there are times to accelerate. There are moments to be still and there are times to cut loose. An aspiring speaker should note that great speeches have a cadence of their own. There is music and rhythm in it. There is occasional rise and fall. Sometimes the delivery of the speech sounds like a hurricane; and at other times it soothes like still soft music. Effective is the man who has learned to keep his performance within his allotted time.
#6 Raising the Level of the Game
Great champions need great opposition to bring out the best in them. Sachin Tendulkar is no exception. His ability to raise the level of his game during demanding situations has often been proved. When that happens there is a different quality to his game. There is something different, something that can’t be defined, something that seems out of the ordinary in his game. Great speakers too raise their level of performance when the mood, the occasion and the content of their speech demand it of them. Like how Tendulkar makes his batting look so much easy because he hides his art in it. So also a speaker should lay hold of his art in such a way so as to make it look so easy. It is at such moments great art is witnessed and heard by the audience.
#7 Consistency and Perseverance
Sachin Tendulkar has had his moments of failure. Those moments prove to us beyond doubt that he is an ordinary human being just like one of us. But what makes him different is his ability to be patient when his critics cry out for his blood. Instead of speaking he lets his bat do the talking. And his long and illustrious career has been one long string of achievements that has shut the mouths of his critics. His averages in both versions of the game is testimony to his consistency and perseverance. Speakers need to be consistent. They should earn a reputation by consistently delivering well. At the same time they should also learn to persevere when bad days come. The secret is to keep on doing what you’re good at and maintain the confident belief that if you had done well in the past you can do better in future.
Let me conclude: Yes, Sachin Tendulkar will be remembered for how he played the game. He’ll be remembered for how he cut a niche for himself in the hearts of millions of cricketing fans not only in India but across the globe. He’ll be remembered also for being a humble down-to-earth man.
“For when the One Great Scorer comes
To write against your name,
He marks-not that you won or lost-
But how you played the game.”
These are the words of a gentleman who has survived for more than 2 decades in a demanding game like cricket at the International level. His humility is revealed in these words.
At the moment all who love the game are in an elated mood at Sachin Tendulkar scoring the first double hundred in One Day Internationals. That too in splendid royal style. In terms of Second World War terminology, blitzkrieg style. His achievement yesterday at Gwalior can perhaps be compared to the breaking of the 4 minute barrier for the one mile race by Roger Bannister the first time in 1954.
Now coming back to cricket. Cricket is a beautiful game. Many secrets to success in life can be learned from it if you learn to play the game well. So let me try to highlight a few secrets of the genius of Sachin Tendulkar that can be emulated not only by budding cricketers but by aspiring speaker’s as well.
#1 Dedication and Commitment
His hard work at the nets is just an example of how dedicated Sachin Tendulkar is to the game of cricket. He has in the process not only mastered the techniques of shot making but also has invented shots which bear his signature. As aspiring speaker should also be dedicated to his art. He should spend long hours researching, preparing and rehearsing his speeches. He should become sound in his understanding of the art.
#2 Passion and Drive to Excel
If he fails at batting, you’ll see him make up for it in the field. Either he’ll get some crucial wickets or take brilliant catches or make extra effort in preventing runs from being scored. If nothing of this happens, he’ll be there with a right piece of strategy for the captain. The bottom line is simple: He has a great passion for the game. And he pushes himself to excel each time he goes out to play. An aspiring speaker should show great passion for public speaking. He should be driven by the quest for excellence and never settle for mediocrity.
#3 Enjoying the Game
As you watch Sachin Tendulkar play, you’ll never have a feel that he is at work. He is always at play, enjoying the game. That is perhaps the greatest secret of success. Enjoying what you do in life. Most speakers look at their given assignments with dread. This is a defeatist attitude. Instead, if the speaker can learn to enjoy his time on stage, he’ll come up with better performances. He’ll then engage the audience with some cherished moments of inspiring integration of words and action; thought and emotion, style and substance.
#4 The Audience Factor
Sachin Tendulkar will be remembered not just for the volume of runs or the number of centuries he made. Instead he’ll be remembered most for the way in which he played the game. How he entertained, how he mesmerized, how he took the battle to the opposition often single-handedly, how he wrote poetry with his foot movements, balance, poise and delicate touches with the bat. In short, he entertained. Aspiring speakers can learn something from him in this regard. It is not just delivering some words committed to memory that counts. But how you entertain the crowd. That is how lively and interesting your presentation was to the audience.
#5 Planning and Pacing the Innings
None of Sachin’s great innings happened by chance. Instead it was careful planning and precise execution of it that helped him achieve success. Life too is an innings that we play. We need to learn how to pace our innings. There are times to go slow; there are times to accelerate. There are moments to be still and there are times to cut loose. An aspiring speaker should note that great speeches have a cadence of their own. There is music and rhythm in it. There is occasional rise and fall. Sometimes the delivery of the speech sounds like a hurricane; and at other times it soothes like still soft music. Effective is the man who has learned to keep his performance within his allotted time.
#6 Raising the Level of the Game
Great champions need great opposition to bring out the best in them. Sachin Tendulkar is no exception. His ability to raise the level of his game during demanding situations has often been proved. When that happens there is a different quality to his game. There is something different, something that can’t be defined, something that seems out of the ordinary in his game. Great speakers too raise their level of performance when the mood, the occasion and the content of their speech demand it of them. Like how Tendulkar makes his batting look so much easy because he hides his art in it. So also a speaker should lay hold of his art in such a way so as to make it look so easy. It is at such moments great art is witnessed and heard by the audience.
#7 Consistency and Perseverance
Sachin Tendulkar has had his moments of failure. Those moments prove to us beyond doubt that he is an ordinary human being just like one of us. But what makes him different is his ability to be patient when his critics cry out for his blood. Instead of speaking he lets his bat do the talking. And his long and illustrious career has been one long string of achievements that has shut the mouths of his critics. His averages in both versions of the game is testimony to his consistency and perseverance. Speakers need to be consistent. They should earn a reputation by consistently delivering well. At the same time they should also learn to persevere when bad days come. The secret is to keep on doing what you’re good at and maintain the confident belief that if you had done well in the past you can do better in future.
Let me conclude: Yes, Sachin Tendulkar will be remembered for how he played the game. He’ll be remembered for how he cut a niche for himself in the hearts of millions of cricketing fans not only in India but across the globe. He’ll be remembered also for being a humble down-to-earth man.
“For when the One Great Scorer comes
To write against your name,
He marks-not that you won or lost-
But how you played the game.”
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