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The Law

Mindset - V

We see some people with tons of grit or determination or perseverance, who do not shirk effort, who will dig in despite  difficulties. Such people, more often than not, attain their desire. On the other hand are people who do not have the grit to succeed. Such people perform inconsistently and when they fail, it is always due to reasons not attributable to them. They are masters at justifying.

Both set of people may be equally endowed with inherent abilities or talent. Talent does provide a good starting point. But talent alone does not take one to the finishing line.

Grit comes from the mindset. Individuals with closed mindset are usually deficient in grit - the will to succeed irrespective of the conditions.

I am tempted to draw an example from the Indian national cricket team. In the current team, there are two players who entered the senior team after playing in the Under-19 national team - Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. Both players are blessed with lot of talent. Rohit is about a year older than Virat.

The experts say that Rohit Sharma is the more talented one. He is credited with having two or three shots in his repertoire for every ball that is balled to him. He is credited with having a "quick" eye which enables him to watch the ball a split second earlier. His talent enables him to execute his shots with "lazy elegance". It is indeed a pleasure to watch Rohit bat when he gets going. That is the catch - when he gets going. His inconsistent performance has compelled the selectors to drop him from the national team more than once.

Rohit debuted in the national one-day and T-20 teams in 2007 and found a place in the test team in 2013. His average score varies between 30 to 42 depending on the format of the game. After playing in 223 international matches, inclusive of all formats, he has 13 centuries and 40 half centuries to his credit, some of his centuries being big ones. On his day he is unstoppable.

Virat Kohli debuted in the national side in one-day format in 2008. He found place in the national T-20 team in 2010 and the test team in 2011. Once debuted, he has retained his place in all formats of the game. Playing in 254 internationals, his average score ranges from 44 to 55 depending on the format of the game. He has 36 centuries and 63 half centuries to his credit. It is apparent that he gets going twice the number of times than Rohit.

Virat was a confirmed on side player. He has subsequently practised hard to gain competence on the off side also. Today he has the best cover drive in the game in his armory.

On five consecutive occasions, I have seen Rohit getting out playing the same shot - a front foot straight drive played with lazy elegance. What does it mean/ Why two players with almost the same cricketing experience, loaded with talent perform so differently, specially when the chips are down? Why the opponent teams become jubiliant and heave a sigh of relief when they see Virat walking back to the pavilion? To me the answer is one - mindset. There is a big difference in midset between the two.

We will look at the behavioral pattern of both players in the next post - on the field and off the field.

Te veo pronto

Prabir