Singles not boundaries

There are matches you watch.
And then there are matches that teach you something.

The recent clash between the India national cricket team and the Pakistan national cricket team was one of those.

India did not just win. India controlled the game.

Building the Innings

After losing Abhishek Sharma early, the response was calm. Ishan Kishan played a fearless powerplay knock. Tilak Varma supported him beautifully. Then came a steady partnership between Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak.

It was not flashy. It was not reckless. It was controlled.

Towards the end, the acceleration came from Shivam Dube and Rinku Singh, pushing the total to 175.

At R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, 175 is not an ordinary total. With long boundaries and a pitch that grips and turns, it plays bigger than it looks. On many other grounds, that score might feel like 200.

Yet on paper, 175 still looks chaseable. Less than ten an over in modern T20 cricket is not impossible.

That is where the game becomes mental.

The Collapse Under Pressure

Pakistan began knowing that a good start could change everything.

Hardik Pandya opened the bowling. Three dot balls built pressure. The fourth ball tempted a release shot from Sahibzada Farhan. Wicket.

Then came Jasprit Bumrah. Saim Ayub top edged a six first ball. Lucky. Next ball, full and swinging in. Plumb in front. Review wasted. Wicket gone.

Early panic.

Babar Azam walked in with responsibility. He had the opportunity to anchor the innings, to stabilize. But wickets kept falling. Salman Ali Agha fell attempting a risky shot under pressure.

Three down. Game slipping.

The difference was not talent alone. It was shot selection. It was game awareness. It was understanding the moment.

India hit sixes when the ball allowed it. Pakistan often swung irrespective of context.

In T20 cricket, aggression is necessary. But blind aggression is self destruction.

The Real Lesson: Stay in the Game

Imagine if Pakistan had reached 80 for 4 after 12 overs. That leaves 95 needed off 8 overs with 6 wickets in hand. Difficult but possible.

But if you are 30 for 3 and still swinging wildly, you shorten your own innings.

The biggest takeaway is simple:

Stay in the game long enough, and the game gives you a chance.

That applies far beyond cricket.

Life Is Not a T20. It Is a Test Match.

We often try to hit sixes every day. Twelve hour workdays. Extreme productivity. Over consumption of tutorials. Big dramatic changes.

But real growth is built through singles and doubles.

One hour of focused learning per day.
One concept mastered daily.
One coding question solved.
One whiteboarding session.
One workout.
One breathing practice.

Small runs. Daily.

Exponential growth is nothing but disciplined daily effort compounded over time.

You do not need to watch ten tutorials. Watch one. Understand it deeply. Apply it.

That is how innings are built.

Patience Wins Matches

Patience is uncomfortable.

It is hard to sit for one hour and write.
Hard to read without distraction.
Hard to stay bored without checking your phone.

But patience is built only by staying in those uncomfortable moments.

Success will not come in one week.
Skill will not form in one sprint.
Respect will not be earned overnight.

It requires:

Working when no one is watching.
Reading when no one is applauding.
Staying calm when under pressure.
Not collapsing when things go wrong.

Patience is not passive. It is disciplined consistency.

Work in Isolation. Let Success Make the Noise.

There is beauty in working hard quietly.

The world is distracted. Instagram. Reels. Constant validation loops.

You can choose differently.

Create more than you consume.
Learn more than you scroll.
Build more than you announce.

Do not chase attention.
Do not chase validation.
Do not chase quick praise.

Chase competence.

Competence compounds. Validation fluctuates.

Stop Craving Validation

Social media is engineered to reward visibility, not depth.

If you use it, use it to give value.
Do not use it to seek approval.

The paradox is simple.
The more you chase validation, the less stable you become.

Instead:

Do the work.
Improve your skills.
Sharpen your thinking.
Build quietly.

Let the results speak.

Structured Aggression

It is good to be ambitious.
It is good to be competitive.
It is good to say this is my year.

But aggression without structure leads to burnout.

Instead, choose structured aggression.

Define your daily non negotiables.
Protect your deep work hours.
Reduce fake urgency.
Focus on what moves the needle.

Not everything is urgent.
Only customer impact is urgent.
Only real consequences are urgent.

Everything else can wait for calm execution.

Growth Through Challenge

Growth comes from challenge.

Put yourself in uncomfortable rooms.
Take ownership of harder tasks.
Speak up when nervous.
Volunteer for responsibility.

Challenge builds resilience.
Encouragement builds confidence.

Both are important. For everyone.

But self challenge is non negotiable.

Action points

1. Stay in the Game (Professional Life)

Daily “Singles and Doubles” Rule

•  1 hour deep work daily (non-negotiable)

•  1 concept learned per day

•  1 coding problem OR 1 system design thought exercise

•  1 page of notes written in your own words

•  1 difficult thing done before 11 AM

No sixes required daily. Just controlled scoring.

2. Shot Selection (Decision Making)

Before reacting, ask:

• Is this ball in my zone?

• Is this urgency real or emotional?

• Does this move the needle?

Especially at work:

• Not every ping is urgent.

• Not every escalation is real.

• Not every meeting needs your emotional energy.

Play the ball. Don’t swing at noise.

 3. Pressure Protocol (When 3 Wickets Down in Life)

When stressed:

1. Slow breathing (4-4-6 pattern for 3 minutes)

2. Write the situation on paper

3. Define: What is actually under my control?

4. Take ONE stabilizing action

You don’t win from panic. You win from structure.

4. Validation Detox Plan

You’re right about social media craving validation.

Practical rule:

• Post only when you’re giving value.

• No scrolling before noon.

• No reels during work week.

• 1 fixed 20-min social window (if needed).

Creation > Consumption.

5. Weekend Discipline Framework

Weekend = Skill Compounder

Choose ONE:

• System design deep dive

• Read 30 pages

• Debug something deeply

• Study architecture

• Finish 1 module of your course

No need for 12 hours.
Just 2–3 intentional hours.

6. Patience Training

Patience is built, not talked about.

Daily boredom reps:

• Sit for 10 minutes with no phone.

• Write for 30–60 minutes uninterrupted.

• Read without checking notifications.

If you can sit still, you can outlast 90% of people.

7. Manager Handling Strategy

Instead of reacting to urgency:

• Clarify impact.

• Ask: “Is there customer impact?”

• Ask: “What is the SLA?”

• Don’t emotionally amplify urgency.

Calm engineers get trusted.

. Isolation Work Rule

Adopt this identity:

Work hard in silence. Improve in private. Compete in public.

No announcing grind.
Let output speak.

9. Challenge Framework (Personal Growth)

Challenge yourself weekly:

• Do one thing that scares your ego.

• Volunteer for one uncomfortable responsibility.

• Speak once in a meeting even if slightly nervous.

• Ship something imperfect.

Growth = friction.

But one correction:
Growth is human, not gendered.
Challenge builds resilience in everyone.
Encouragement builds confidence in everyone.

Use both.

10. Year of Aggression → Convert to Structured Aggression

Aggression without structure burns out.
Structured aggression wins.

Define:

• Q1: What skill?

• Q2: What measurable output?

• Q3: What depth level?

Track weekly progress.

11. Core Identity Statement

Instead of:
“This is my year. Rok sako toh rok lo.”

Shift to:
“I show up daily. I improve daily. I stay in the game.”

That mindset compounds harder.

Final Thought

In cricket and in life, the formula is simple:

Protect your wicket.
Take singles when needed.
Accelerate when the moment is right.
Stay in the game long enough.

Because the team that stays calm under pressure wins more often than the team that swings blindly.

Build daily.
Stay grounded.
Let your innings speak.