With the 12^th edition of the ICC Cricket World Cup Tournament underway, all the excitement has been building up to a frenzy. After all, it’s a tournament for which cricket fans have been waiting for with bated breath for the past four years, and for good reasons too! Indeed, it gives players the chance to write their name in the history books, as the eyes of the entire world are always upon them. Plus, there are questions being asked by millions of fans, such as, ‘Will Kohli join the league of legends who have won the cup’ or ‘will the new Australian team match up to the legendary teams of old’? Or even ‘Will this World Cup see an underdog such as Afghanistan or Bangladesh upset the odds?’.

Source: timesofindia.com

Surely all this passion and excitement involved make Cricket WC a wonderful sporting festival.  But there are actually a few wonderful lessons that students, especially distance learning students can take from the holy grail of cricketing tournaments. What are they? Let’s find out!

Prepare for any eventuality

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When Afghanistan played India, it was assumed by most that the match would be a walk in the park for India. However, Afghanistan won the hearts of the cricketing fraternity by taking the match to the death. Accordingly, the game has changed over the years and being armed with a solid strategy, no matter whoever be the opposition ,  success is achieved. This is where the coaches, captains, and players sit together and sort out a strategy based on either their observations through years of experience or data analysis insights.

As a student of a correspondence course, you too must be prepared for any ‘bouncers’ which come your way in your exams. Set out a study schedule, adhere to it and cover every topic and concept thoroughly, and you will ensure that you’re ready for anything that comes your way!

Focus and discipline

With all the talk about how the Pakistani team fared against the Indian team in the recently concluded match, there was a lot of talk about the fitness levels of both teams. What was mostly mentioned was that the Pakistani team did not even hold a candle to how to fit their predecessors were, let alone be compared to their opposing team. All anyone could talk about was how they let their fans down with a dismal performance. Most experts gave a detailed critique about how focus and discipline in the run up to the tournament could have really made a difference in their game.

This is where you should remember that practice and dedication make a person perfect. Overnight strategies and practice sessions rarely work in the long run. No matters how smart or talented you are. It takes hard work and discipline for a long time to succeed, and so if you’re pursuing a distance MBA or BBA course, make sure you hit the ‘practice nets’ and revise your concepts for even a short time every day. It builds confidence and discipline.

Team-work wins

Source: hindustantimes.com

The performances in the tournament so far have been a testimony to teamwork. Fielders are putting in them all to save even singles and established batsmen are playing it slow and sensible so that their peers can do the hitting and shine. Take Kohli for example. Against Pakistan, he too could have attacked every ball and been the man of the match, but instead, he played the role of the perfect partner to Rohit Sharma - who was in fine form.

And the results always show how a well-oiled machine can give results. The teams that are leading the table have shown how a well-matched team can do wonders on the field. As a distance learning student, get in touch with your peers, exchange ideas and collaborate on projects. You will learn a lot by helping others and working for them, as this will give you the team-working abilities that will come in handy in your professional life as well.

All in all, whether you are a cricket fan or just looking to cricket as entertainment, the learnings from sport are greater than any other activity. Sport has been known to bring out the best in people and instils traits that are useful throughout one’s life. Work hard, but make sure to wave that flag all the way!