Recently India won a cricket test series against a strong Australian team in Australia. The victory was all the more remarkable as the team was without several senior players and had come in for strong criticism in one of their earlier games which they lost. In the end, they prevailed in the final five-day match. Life too is a test match, testing us at every stage and teaching us a lot.

The team realised they had to play through five days, not just twenty overs. In life too we need endurance and stamina. Short bursts of brilliance will carry us only so far, the ability to be resilient and persistent wins the game for us.

It was important for the team not to lose wickets. We often focus on our speed and are in a hurry to achieve things. In the bargain, we sometimes get careless, over-confident and break our value system. Broken relationships, financial distress, health problems and emotional stress are wickets we lose in life chasing a goal at any cost in a great hurry.

The players came into the final game having won a game but also lost one badly. We too will have set-backs in life. The ability to pick ourselves up and live every day as a new day without the hangover of the past helps us deliver our best.

Most touching was the background of some of the players. Born in a humble and simple environment, their drive to succeed built their character and competence. The road may well be uphill for us, but it’s the inner drive that keeps us going, no matter how steep the climb.

The Australian team, extremely talented by all standards, missed several catches. Their bowlers must have been frustrated, having done their job to find chances were missed. We too get frustrated when having done our bit we find someone else may have messed up and we too face the consequences. But that’s life. Results are a product of our efforts and circumstances. We can put in our best effort but cannot control circumstances.

The young team believed in themselves. Neither did they play too cautiously aiming for a draw, nor did they have the arrogance of overconfidence. They kept their patience and when they sensed a chance, went for the win. We often forget that patience can be a winning virtue. When we believe in ourselves, we develop respect for patience.

We don’t know what delivery life will bowl at us. When we believe in ourselves, facing every situation with the composure of self-confidence and the discipline of not taking our eye off the ball, we will enjoy playing the test match of life.