A summary of the talk on ‘Winning Edge’ delivered by Cricket Legend Padmashree Mr Syed Kirmani (Former Test Cricketer), held on 16 July 2008 at Chennai.

It’s my proud privilege to be amidst such successful industrialist, persons from academic fields who have assembled here to share my experiences. It’s a matter of education and learning to me to be associated and before I go any further it’s a matter of motivation and inspiration to me, to be associated with the most successful ladies and gentleman present here.

The gifted ability in me like Mr Nirmal Kumar said is that I am an athlete. Well I was an athlete. For any international reputed sportsman, who lasts long, has to be an athlete first. I ran the 100 and 200 mtrs at the school state level. Played hockey, then cricket and then football like any other kid in the house. I played all these games. Then suddenly my coach Mr K K Tharapur, when he saw me playing cricket, asked me why I shouldn’t concentrate more on cricket since I was playing that game better? Well, at that tender age, we did not have anybody to tell us what the goal of life is, where we should aim, how we should go about climbing the ladder of success.

So that’s how I started playing without realizing where I am going to head, neither did my coach tell me where I am going to head with my talent , with my promise .So the gifted ability of my sporting instincts flowing into me brought the best out of me.

In 1966 I happened to be selected for the state schools as a reserve wicket keeper. I was introduced as a Captain of Mysore schools and I am sure Mr. Nirmal Kumar would recall R.Mohan. He represented Madras schools then when I came into stardom. In the same year, the Australian Schools came into our country touring and the Indian schools won the series. And I happened to be very consistent in my performances where ever. So I was selected with the Indian schools team in 1967. The first ever Indian Schools Cricket team to tour abroad was to England. Immediately on my return I was in Datkath in to the state Ranji Trophy team 1968. Obviously it was all due to sheer consistency in my performances and that was the key to the success in any walk, any walk of life. Consistency is the key to any success. I was seventeen years of age when I went to England and sixteen years when I represented the state in the Ranji Trophy. I was seventeen when I was employed with State Bank of India on ad hoc basis. You only get a government job when you are eighteen years of age right? I was the first school kid in my group and people told me that I was the one and only guy in the whole of our country if not in the world to have been employed before eighteen years of age and I think that’s a record by itself.

Once when I was in top form I was dropped. Many a times it did not deter my spirits. There were so many things which were told to me that if you want to go back to the team you got to do this, you got to do that , you got to touch so-and-so’s feet and stuff like that. This forehead only went down to the prayers of the Almighty and nobody else. And this is what they wanted me to do which I refused and I will not say that I paid a price for that. I was dropped, I was not considered and still I have not been considered to give back to this great game to give the country a better Kirmani.

Now I would definitely like to quote one of the very important incidents which I came across on positive thinking. You know! You have to be always according to me I have always been optimistic in whatever I did. I have never bowed down to any tensions and pressures. So that has been my system I suppose, that is the way I have been brought up may be which I have been blessed with the system. I took off from Bangalore to Calcutta on flight and one hour later, the air hostess with her very sweet voice asks, “Ladies and Gentlemen! Is there any doctor on board? We have a passenger who has got the symptoms of a heart attack and he is breathing heavily. We have provided him oxygen and he is sweating profusely. The whole aircraft, right from the front to the back, is turning around to see where the doctor is and nobody got up! Then in another five minutes the same airhostess makes the same announcement. Nevertheless when the third call came in, suddenly a doctor gets up and walks. So everybody were anxious.

After fifteen minutes the doctor walks across saying the passenger is breathing normally. Everybody were shaking hands with everyone and very happy. Half an hour before landing the passenger also comes across and takes the doctor’s hands and thanks him. After landing, I was looking out for this doctor and spotted him near the conveyer belt waiting for his suitcase. I went across to him and introduced myself. I said many congratulations and asked him why did he get up on the third call and not on the first call? He looked left and right and whispered, ‘I am no doctor. After two announcements I did not see any doctor on board and on the third announcement I decided to go. But before that I prayed to God, ‘I am trying to save another species of yours who you brought into this world. Please help me. The first belief and the faith is in the almighty from the so called doctor. So with that prayers I got up and went.’ When I asked him what medicine he gave him, he said it was a simple pain killer called brufen. Now there ends the matter as far as doctor was concerned.

Now coming to the patient, when he sees a doctor after three announcements, he is like ‘wow thank you! Doctor is here, he will give the right medicine.’ That is positive thinking from the patient and from the so called doctor who was not a doctor. Everything is mental ladies and gentlemen, the entire circle of life. You got to be mentally tough in everything.
This is what inspired me also. This is where they talk about mental toughness. Mental toughness is much stronger than physical strength. You got to be mentally strong to accept any kind of discrepancy, tensions and pressure.

After the 1983 World Cup, we were playing against Zimbabwe. I was in my towel preparing for my breakfast and a shower. I had a toast in my hand when somebody shouted “Hey Kiri, pack”. I thought someone was fooling around since the match had just started and I played 6th. I then relaxed not realizing that already four wickets have gone. And then there was again a big shout in three or four minutes. Then I peeped in through the window and saw the score was at 17/5! By the time I was walking in, eight wickets had fallen. Kapil was playing at 60, he had a small partnership of 20 and 60 runs with Madan Lal and Roger Binny and the score was 120/8. Kapil Dev was there at 60.

Now in that hurry, whether I had the right gear, right pads, right guard at the right place all these things, I have no clue. Kapil Dev was with his head down. 8 wickets have gone and after me was only Balvinder Singh Sandhu, the last man. He was in his deep thoughts and I did not know what was going on in his mind. So I walked across and told Kapil, ‘I’ll do my best to give you my maximum stand, you play your natural game. You have always been opening up, that is your natural game and don’t worry about what is going to happen and I will do my best.’ I faced my first ball which went across my face, the second ball also the same thing happened. But the third ball was a good shot-of-length ball and I wacked it a four.

So probably that would have Kapil to think, ‘Hey, when this last batsman can hit like that why cant I? Of course he did not say that! But it comes into your mind automatically. I presumed yes, he has given me lot of confidence so I will play my natural game. And after that as a captain Kapil said, ‘Kiri, we need to play 60 overs’. In those days it was 60 overs. So ladies and gentlemen, we put on 126 runs partnership and we won the match. We won the match by thirty runs and it was very close.

This is nothing but sheer will to perform, will to win. This was the winning edge. The topic given to me was ‘Talk on the Winning Edge’. So I was like an edge into the team, the winning edge. So that was the most memorable match. That was the Zimbabwe match of sheer and great determination and positive thinking. And we never gave up. We bottle necked the strong opposition who ever we faced. That was the trick of the trade. This is where the industries and the corporates capitalize upon the shortcoming of their competitors. There are many who become complacent. Not realizing that the complacency is the one that defeats you in the end.

I made it a point to enjoy whatever I did. That is the crux of life. You have got to enjoy whatever you are doing. Of course there are many a times where the sorrow has taken priority. But at the same time, you have to calm yourself and believe in the Almighty. I am a firm believer. I believe that whatever happens, happens for the good.