The X Factor

The game of cricket is filled with ups and downs, with elation and disappointment, and with tangibles and intangibles. One such intangible is the ability to focus when the chips are down. A team is chosen carefully by the management based on the players' form and talent. It is up to the player, to perform on the field and validate the management's faith in him. Though it is a valid point that every batting or bowling position carries the same importance before the game starts, the pressure indices change as the game progresses. Pressure can be felt by both the bowlers and the batsmen - for a bowler the pressure is higher if he has just been hit for a boundary, or if he is bowling to a 'set' batsman, and for a batsman its higher when the asking rate crawls up and/or the wickets on the other end keep falling down. Different people respond differently to adversity. There are some who are calm no matter what; some who play with a 'nothing-to-lose' attitude; and others who plain crumble and implode. The only way to get past the fear, and focus, is through experience. Focusing when under pressure, and the level of focus the players can conjure up during such situations is the estimator of how good a team is, or how far it will go in a tournament. Talent and form can only carry the team within inches of the finish line. To cross the finish line, you need the intangibles that are clarity, concentration and courage.

Play with heart, play with courage, and play with the will to win!

Go Blitz!