Recently I was in India for my annual holiday. It was at a time when the entire country was gripped in cricket fever – a fever that was much more pronounced than I have seen before in decades of my following the game ever so closely. The reason was that one of the game’s all time greats Sachin Tendulkar was playing in his last international game. After a glittering career of 24 years, Sachin Tendulkar retired having played the maximum number of test matches ever played and having scored the maximum number of international runs ever scored by any cricketer in the history of the game – the two records that will take some breaking, if they ever are broken!
Having listened to and read so much of coverage in the media over last few weeks, whatever I write in these pages about the great man would fall short for his stature. So I can only salute the man for his focus, hard work, determination, perseverance, discipline, longevity, and many more qualities that he personified on and off the pitch. He will be an inspiration for people in many a field of life for generations to come.
Since this column is about trading, I cannot help but, to narrate a very popular story about the great man, and the lessons I draw from it as a trader.
During a series in Australia in 2003-04, Tendulkar was struggling for form and getting out playing cover drives, a bread and butter shot for a player of his calibre. The Australian team had done their home work on him and were bowling to a plan inviting him to drive through the off side, but packing the field with catching positions leaving a very small margin of error on Tendulkar’s part. Having got out a few times in a similar fashion, Tendulkar worked out a plan and decided not to play that shot until he got his form back. In the 4th test of that series played at Sydney he completely locked that shot. In that innings he batted for 613 minutes and scored a double hundred remaining not out on 241, without a single drive through one of his favourite areas on offside. Such was the discipline of the man that despite being one of the best in game when it come to applying himself to get back to form and to score runs for his team he curbed himself, for such a long batting session. That innings has since been applauded and rated as one of the best for his sheer determination and discipline by many great cricketers around the world.
To my trader friends I would like to say that there a big lesson in this story for us too – That is to stay disciplined at all times in our trading activity. Especially when things aren’t going right, we need to stick to the basics, adhere to our plan, journal our trades, cut down risk, and rebuild confidence to get back to winning ways. Even when things are going good we continue to play within your own strengths and plans – never thinking that a winning streak makes us invincible and start taking undue risks.
To the great man, I would only say – take a bow sir, you will be an inspiration to many for generations. I am sure all my readers will join me wishing you well in your retirement from the game and in all your future endeavours.