Cricket and me –Change in behavior through each phase of Life

I never felt this excited to write an assignment for a course. Organization behavior has become my favorite subject and I thoroughly enjoyed my 15 hours in class. I learnt things which I thought I known all the while but it is been taught in fun and though provoking way. This class helped me to spurred my thoughts and made me understand my behavior over the years. I take this opportunity to pick an event which happened during my life time, recollecting my actions and relate them to the behavior I learnt over the class.
Like all Indians I too found no exception in following the popular sport of the country – Cricket. I used to be so mad where I even finished exams half an hour before just for watching a bilateral dead rubber cricket match. The excitement of India playing a match always lingers my thought. In this article I highlighted the path I traveled along with cricket (mainly World cup) over the last 25 odd years, how I saw cricket over these years and also how my behavior also changed these years.

Cricket in childhood

I still remember the day I started seeing cricket as passion and cricket becomes my religion and close to heart for a very long time. There was still newness about the World Cup in 1992. It was one of the world cups where my elder brother is full of excited and sticks himself to TV always, stopping me to watch my favorite cartoon Jungle book. It was a holiday, newly bought color TV and India winning the toss naturally lifting his mood and he wanted India to win this match and he has been telling If India wins this match it is equivalent to India lifting the world cup. Barley 7 years old I too joined in his excited world and get myself involved to the favorite cricket match of all time. It was a slow game and India were scoring singles but nevertheless the mood in our home still at it best as his friends also joined us for watching this match. I was keenly watching their reactions and tried to get their reaction. For the first two wickets gone for India they reacted with a strong emotions but not for the third wicket. I started feel the sense of excitement increases as the little man walking into the ground and all got the goose bumps when he stuck back to back boundaries. His attacking game in the last 10 overs along with the legend Kapil dev enjoyed thoroughly and Indian team set a competitive target for Pakistan. The fun continues when Pakistan lost early wickets and our group already started ready for celebration. It was briefly hold for third wicket and after that it was like falling pins. I thoroughly enjoyed the match from start to finish and I too started admiring the most popular sport of India..
The role of emotions in Cricket is often speculated with some of us feel passion is an essential characteristic for a cricketer, while few others feel calm persona is far more appropriate for best performance. In reality I sincerely feel it is up to the individual as to how to perform at their best. Some people can only have performed only when they are psyched and calm approach would make them feel as though they are just not trying, the opposite also applies.
Over the next few years, my perception towards cricket has changed and I even started thinking Cricket should be my profession. I get up early go for a practice and spent my entire morning and even whole day on weekends to get my shots right and complexion dark. I literally learnt cricket batting from the legends of Sachin and Azarudin and bowling from my all time favorite Kapil dev I adapted a batting style of Sachin and even his mannerism of crouching when adjusting abdomen guard, make the same style of taking stance and a good long follow through when hitting a cover drive.

Cricket in India motivates not only me but also millions across the country. We live cricket we sleep cricket and we talk nothing but cricket. Every time India wins it is like reading 100 motivation quotes and getting full of energy from there. We have done impossible things whenever India wins a match. Be it writing an essay with no mistakes are getting a centum in math or even my first full night out study for exams all happened because India. It is little weird but it is True. Winning a match is more important to me and whenever India wins I feel motivated and do things with extra effort
There comes the world cup happening in India with India been favorites and we have the world best batsmen and world-class spinners. I made my timetable so prepared and I started myself ready for the tournament. I studied for the exams a month before, planned couple of sick leaves in advance and request my parents not to plan for any trip during the tournament.
It was called as Pinch hitting cup with again India been favorites as it is happening in our own country. India had an easy opening with Kenya and West indies with our own master blaster on his full form. Though India lost next two matches against Australia and Srilanka Little master found his form of life time. Every time I see him I wonder what motivates him to play like this. Though other Indian players are not helping him when he needs the most he motivates himself, get responsibility in his shoulders and play for the nation just like a true warrior. I also learned how one can motivate themselves even at times of aggression. It was an incident that took place in India Pakistan match. The quarter-final between India and Pakistan in Bangalore was the showpiece game of the 1996 World Cup. Chasing India mammoth score, Aamer brought up his fifty at more than a run a ball and celebrated with a sizzling slash off Venkatesh Prasad, who was booed in certain stands despite being a Bangalore boy. Once the ball had raced away to the extra-cover fence, Sohail aggressively pointed the bat at Prasad, as if to say, "Go fetch that." Sohail tried to repeat the slash off the next ball, despite it being on off stump, and this time he was comprehensively bowled. A charged-up Prasad gave him a send-off and the quiet tension suddenly gave way to an eruption as the crowd realized the tide had turned. I then realized Emotion is directly tied to motivation. emotion is related to motivation in such a way that human beings tend to execute things that we hope would lead to happiness, satisfaction and any other positive emotion at some degree. Emotions could be viewed as a reward or punishment for a specific motivated behavior. An Incident to forget for all Indian happened at 1996 World cup semifinal. Arvind de Silva gave a steamy start and some one quoted him playing as ‘He uses the bat as a lady might use her fan’ and a handy support from middle order set the total of 250 runs. The match ended in shame and tears for India, when passionate Calcutta fans found the Indian collapse - seven wickets for 22 runs to reduce them to 120 for 8 - too hard to bear, and expressed themselves by throwing water bottle
Boorish behavior should never be tolerated, whatever the reason, it is one of the dark days of Indian cricket not because of losing a semifinal match but shown our self as unruly crowd to the world. It is also as much a slur upon them by those lucky enough to have tickets, as it is on the game of cricket.