Ranjan Madugalle has lived long, reflected much and gathered enough knowledge to say a lot about many things. He is by choice reticent outside his work-domain. His words of advice, however brief, are applicable to those engaged in other sports as well. Indeed, it is relevant to non-sports persons too. He probably could say a lot more. Maybe he will one day. For now, we have to make do with what’s come our way.
I have, in this space, written about some pertinent observation that Ranjan has made. This is the last one drawn from a brief piece of advice offered to young cricketers.
In the course of the relevant speech he said the following: ‘Never take a step back. Don’t ever think you are only half as good just because you are born in a certain part of this world. Fight if you think you are right. If you are wrong, have the graciousness to take a step back and accept it.’ I’ve commented the main elements save the last. So let’s talk of being wrong and having the grace to acknowledge error.
Humility is a rare virtue. This is in a way quite surprising since so much can be gained by acknowledging a mistake. People are more ready to forgive than is generally believed. Arrogance is not celebrated, humility is. Crudeness is not applauded, grace is noticed and appreciated.
It’s all about ego, isn’t it? The gut feeling seems to be that saying ‘I am wrong’ amounts to an admission of weakness. Put another way, people tend to think that such admission would be seen as a weakness.
There is no one who knows everything. Even the sum total of human knowledge is but a speck of dust compared with all that is out there to be known. We are all bound to err. Indeed if anyone looks back at his or her life, he/she can easily point out a dozen moments where judgment was clouded due to one or more reasons. Wisdom can and does come but it could arrive too late. Saying ‘I was wrong’ or ‘I am sorry’ will not always change things, but in the very least it will tell anyone interested that the ‘wrongdoer’ is honest and is likely to do things differently in future. You can’t expect change from those who act Mister/Miss Perfection.
You can blame the pitch. You can blame the umpires. You can rant and rave about DRS. You can complain about bio bubbles. You can put it down to one thing or another. The bottom line is that if you’ve failed to deliver, at some level you have to take responsibility. It could be about a string of low scores (in cricket), a long run without scoring (football or hockey) or continuous error-ridden performances in any sport. If you don’t want to see there’s something that you are doing wrong, you can never correct yourself.
Ranjan might remember a lesson taught by one of his earliest coaches, the late Col F C De Saram. According to A.N. Perera, the then Master-in-Charge of cricket at his school, the coach had noticed that Ranjan was driving uppishly into the covers. Maybe it was in matches or at practice, I can’t remember now. This is what the Colonel is supposed to have said:
‘You like that shot don’t you? You could make a small adjustment when you drive and then you’ll beat the fielder by a few yards. After a while the fielder would be moved to take the catch that was anticipated. When you see this, revert to your natural stroke.’
Maybe ‘AN’ was talking about some other batsman. No matter. If the particular batsman was too arrogant to study what was wrong, he would continue to be caught in the covers. Ranjan (or whoever) had a good coach. Even if Ranjan (or whoever) didn’t, realizing that there was something wrong is the first step to correction.
Of course it’s not just about a simple technical flaw. Sometimes errors cost matches. Batsmen err. So do bowlers and keepers. Coaches make mistakes. Selectors too. There are mistakes made by people in all sports. There are mistakes made by leaders. Generals err and so do corporate heads.
‘If you are wrong, have the graciousness to take a step back and accept it,’ Ranjan said. He probably has. The rewards that have come his way must owe in some manner to this quality that he has cultivated.
Ranjan used a nice word in that line and as I conclude my comments on Ranjan’s ‘advice,’ by way of saying ‘thank you,’ it would be apt to say that he has by and large exemplified it.
Grace.
Other articles in the series titled 'The Interception' [published in 'The Morning']
Do you have a plan? Strengths and weaknesses It's all about partnerships
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