Worldview of success and failure can be too harsh on most cricketers, feels Unmukt Chand
Unmukt Chand has a philosophical take on his career saying that the world's view of success and failure can be too harsh on most of the cricketers, and he feels there has been hardly a way out. Chand further added that it is always important to be nice to oneself and not let the world dictate.
A great tragedy in Indian cricket, it is hard to describe the enigma of Unmukt Chand. From being touted as the next big thing in Indian cricket just after his U-19 World Cup win, Chanda failed to become a regular fixture in the IPL even and then was dropped from the Delhi Ranji Trophy team as well. His life touched a new low this year when he failed to make any significant contribution for Uttarakhand Ranji Team. It has taken a toll on his career but Chand feels that the world's view of success and failure can sometimes be too harsh on cricketers.
"The terms success and failure are two ends of a broad spectrum. The more you chase one, the other keeps rolling towards you as if trying to catch you and maybe topple you for a moment. One cannot live without the emergence of the other. They are the two kindred spirits who live together, but only in the absence of each other. Together they can’t survive," Chand wrote in his blog for Sportstar.
"Well, it’s a matter of how we look at it. The world’s view of success and failure can be too harsh on most of us, so it’s always better to have your own understanding and identification with it. These two are very vague terms so make whatever you want to make of it. It’s always important to be nice to oneself so take it easy. Don’t let the world dictate you it’s a definition of these two monsters," the former Delhi opener added.
Chand was a prodigious cricketer in 2012 when he led India to victory in the 2012 U19 World Cup, and in his debut Ranji season for Delhi in 2010-11, he hit 151 on a seaming track at 17 to showcase his potential. But when he was dropped for the first time from the Ranji Trophy side in 2017, things changed for him and the IPL snub made his life a difficult proposition. But Chand believes it was a great lesson in his life.
"To be honest, cricket has been my greatest teacher. It has made me live life to the fullest with passion and enthusiasm. I am sure I would’ve lived half a life if it wasn’t for cricket. Cricket taught me love, respect for oneself and others, the importance of dedication and perseverance and so much more and I am lucky enough to have experienced life through it in it’s most pristine and glorious forms. Obviously success and failures came with it," Chand wrote.
"I’ve seen a lot of them as have so many of my colleagues and others before us and of course all those yet to embark on this bumpy yet spectacularly strange journey. It’s always easier to look back and recollect the past happenings, the wins and the losses, the hundreds and the ducks, the selections and the fall outs. They look fine. As someone rightly said, you always remember the good parts. The brain doesn’t remember pain for too long. One bright moment and you forget all that stuff of the past," he further added.
