7 Life Lessons from Pakistan Women Vs India Women T20 Cricket Match. No. 4 Will Surprise You!
Pakistan women vs. India women T20 World Cup match — What can we learn?
After India’s loss to New Zealand in their opening game at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, India found themselves in a tight spot. With a negative net run rate of -2.900, they are at the bottom of the table below New Zealand, Australia, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Not to mention their negative run rate, there is also an added pressure of NOT losing to their arch-rivals Pakistan. It’s a must-win for the Indian women against the Pakistani women to have any chance of making it into the playoffs.
Cricket, they say, reveals the character of a person. When a person is under pressure, the way they behave tells a lot about them. This is true not only of cricket but also of life in general.
So, what life lessons can we learn from this India Women vs. Pakistan Women T20 World Cup match?
Top 7 Life Lessons from India Vs Pakistan T20 World Cup Match
(1) Don’t be too defensive
Having won the toss, Pakistan chose to bat first. At the toss, the Indian captain, Harmanpreet, too, said that she’d have loved to bat first. It meant one thing – the pitch was a good pitch to bat on! You win the toss, you bat. As simple as that.
But Pakistani openers didn’t bat with a lot of intent. They were too defensive in their approach. Not to take anything away from the Indian bowlers, the Pakistanis did not leverage the advantage they had of batting first. As a result, they came under pressure and lost wickets in quick succession. They were eventually bundled out for a mere paltry score of 105/8.
Life lesson: Don’t be too defensive. Being so can hamper your personal growth, opportunities, and success in life!
(2) Approach life with a positive intent
Contrary to the Pakistani openers, the Indian opening pair of Shefali Verma and Smriti Mandhana batted with a lot of positive intent. They were right on the money from the word go, which was very evident in their body language.
They weren’t playing for a record; they played for the team and took calculated risks top the order to set the platform for the middle order to come and finish the game. India won the match with one over to spare.
Life lesson: Take calculated risks to distinguish yourself from your competition to advance in life.
(3) Failure doesn’t mean it’s the end of life
In the first innings, the Indian team dropped way too many catches. Had they taken all of them, they’d have probably ended up with a slightly higher net run rate. But, it wasn’t the end of the game for them. They held on to their nerves and restricted Pakistan to 105 runs at the end of 20 overs.
Life lesson: Failure doesn’t mean the end of the world. Yuvraj Singh hit Stuart Broad for six sixes, but Stuart Broad ended his career as one of England’s best test bowlers of all time. A few setbacks in life doesn’t define you!
(4) Focus on your strengths rather than trying to FIX your weaknesses
How important is this? Most of us spend way too much time trying to fix our weaknesses instead of focusing on our strengths.
Indians are traditionally known for their batting and Pakistanis for their bowling. But just imagine, if India had also decided to become a bowling unit like Pakistan, would India have won the game?
True bowlers win you matches, but neglecting your natural strength just because you too want to be a bowling unit won’t win you matches in the long term.
So, while you got to improve your bowling as a unit, it should not be at the expense of your innate ability, i.e., batting.
Life lesson: Working on your strengths allows you to excel at things you are naturally good at, giving you job satisfaction and fulfillment in life.
(5) Support will ALWAYS come through when it really matters
When I turned on the TV to watch the toss on Hotstar, I was curious about the number of views on the channel. I was disappointed to see only a mere 1 lakh views!!!
However, as the game progressed, the number of fans following the game on the TV rose – from 1 lakh to 4 lakh to over 10 lakh. The game was so engrossing that I completely forgot about the numbers and continued watching the match.
This made me realize that the same is also true of life. When it really matters, support ALWAYS shows up from the most unexpected of places.
When my dad was admitted to the ICU in the final moments of his life, support poured in from unexpected places, from people I never imagined. Friends who hadn’t been in touch for more than a decade called and chipped in financially and otherwise. Some way or the other, help always comes through!
Life lesson: No matter what you are going through in life, have faith. God always comes through in various ways and forms!
(6) Rise up to the occasion
At the end of the first inning after bundling Pakistan for 105/8, one of the TV presenters asked Shreyanka Patil what she felt about chasing down the target. I loved the way she answered it – Bowlers have done their job; now it’s up to the batsman to do their job!
When working as a team, you can’t do everything on your own. You need everyone on the team to contribute their bit. But that may not always be the case, as was evident in the men’s first test match between India and Bangladesh earlier this September.
When the batsmen failed India in the first innings, Ashwin and Jadeja rose up to the occasion and turned things around for India.
Life lesson: Be flexible and rise up to the occasion when others aren’t able to contribute.
(7) Enjoy the moment
Last but not least – enjoy the moment. When the match was over, I couldn’t help but notice the camaraderie between cricketing arch-rivals India and Pakistan. Don’t take life too seriously. Life is already too hard; you don’t have to add any more stress to it. Take it easy!
Even the Indian PM, Narendra Modi, shares a good camaraderie with his opposition Congress candidate, Mallikarjun Kharge. Share a light moment wherever you can, no matter what your differences are.
Life lesson: Take life easy. The more relaxed you are, the better you are at everything. The better you are with loved ones, the better you are with your enemies, the better you are with your job, the better you are with yourself.” – Bill Murray
What did you learn from the Pakistan Women vs. India Women T20 World Cup match? Do let me know in the comment section.
