Cheteshwar Pujara is a special cricketer with qualities which are very rare in this day and age of super fast cricket. He is calm as a lake and his thoughts are as clear as water. Cheteshwar Pujara’s batting is based on basic but solid principles. Let us see the 5 success principles we can learn from Cheteshwar Pujara. These principles can be the pillars for success in any field. Are you ready to apply some of them in your life?
Okay, so here are the Pujara’s 5 success principles:
1. Beauty in simplicity
Cheteshwar Pujara’s batting is simple. He has a handful of perfected shots under his belly but he knows precisely when to use which one. Pujara doesn’t try to complicate things, by playing shots which are not tried and tested. He sticks to the most basics of skills, whether it is a cut, a timed punch or the occasional flick.
He has fixed criteria in his mind when it comes to playing or leaving a particular ball. Hence, he is ready to wait for long times for the right ball, to play the right shot.
This philosophy of Pujara reminds me of Steve Jobs. He also believed in simplification. Apple products are simple and all-white but so elegant to look at. Jobs knew complicating stuff is like inviting distraction and losing out on the main purpose. Remember iPods, they had no screen, no click wheel, and no-touch interface. The user simply focussed on listening to music without worrying too much about changing songs or skipping songs. In Pujara’s case, the main purpose is simply scoring runs without getting out.
Though Pujara doesn’t have a variety of shots, he has mastered the most important shots. His basics of batting whether on the front foot or the back foot are super strong. So he rarely feels the need to do anything different.
We can all learn a thing or two from Pujara and simplify our lives. Cutting the clutter and focussing on the most important things are the ingredients for a long-term success just like the long innings of Pujara.
2. Master the inner world before you master the outer world
This philosophy literally oozes out of Cheteshwar Pujara’s batting. He is probably one of the few batsmen in the world who are not looking to dominate the bowlers. Yet no one frustrates the bowlers more than Pujara. This frustration of the bowlers is the result of the Pujara’s control over himself.
He knows how not to fall prey to any temptation. Pujara is willing to play even ten overs without scoring a run, if he needs to. Also, he seems quite immune to any external pressure or banter or any kind of sledging.
This zen-like quality works wonders for him.
3. Focus on the present moment
How many times have we heard that we should focus on the present moment and live it fully? But still, what do most of us do? We spend half of our time thinking about the past and half the time worrying about future events.
But not Pujara. He bats as if he doesn’t know that India is two down for 5. Also, his batting style doesn’t change even when the team score is 100/1.
He will not hit the ball or play with nervousness, depending on what the match situation is, as a whole. Because he focuses completely on the NOW. He is looking to play one ball at a time as per the ball’s merit. Fortunately, the wonderful format of Test cricket allows him to play according to this strength.
A session or an inning in cricket takes shape, one ball at a time. Similarly, life takes shape, moment by moment.
Now, don’t you think, if we focus on making the most of each moment as it comes, our lives will be as exemplary as Pujara’s class innings?
4. Persist! Persist! And Persist!
If we look at the famous and extraordinary people from any field, we will notice that it was not just their talent or intelligence which helped them achieve success. It was their refusal to quit. It was their dogged determination to persist under any and all circumstances.
Pujara loves batting on and on till the minutes turn into hours and the hours into days. He is ready to face ball after ball to the point when even the opponent players begin to ask him, “Aren’t you bored?”
This quality to persist and go beyond where other people are willing to go separates Pujara and makes him an important asset for any team.
So, at any point in our life, if we feel stuck, we can think about Pujara. We can take inspiration from him and again continue in our mission. Slow and steady does win the race.
5. Love what you do
You know what, this thing is probably the most important. You cannot do something for long if you don’t like it.
On the other hand, if you love to do something, you would want to do it as long as you can.
It is like watching our favorite series. We can binge-watch episode after episode only to take breaks for food and sleep.
That is the power of doing something which we enjoy doing. We can do it as long as we want. And what does Pujara love? Well, isn’t it obvious he loves batting? He is not that much a fan of hitting glam shots or scoring runs. But he is a fan of being out there in the middle and batting. He seems to enjoy judging the merit of each ball thrown at him so he can play it or leave it.
Interestingly, he loves it so much that he is ready to play more than 50 overs single-handedly, session after session, day after day.
What do you love so much? Find it and just enjoy doing it. Results and success will be second nature.
No wonder, these qualities make Cheteshwar Pujara a very special batsman. He has helped India win many important Tests. Hopefully, we will take at least one or two qualities from him, if not all the five. Now, all we need to do is apply these 5 success principles from Cheteshwar Pujara, in our lives and in our field of choice and reap guaranteed success!
What other things one can learn from Pujara? Let us know in the comments section below.
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