teachingemails

Icome across many sportsmen who say . “see how much I have done for the game and how little the game has done for me”. Very few vricketers. Or for that matter those who poay other games. Ever realise that it is the game that does verymuch more for the player than the player can everd do for the game. Players who talk of doing a lot for the game
Think too much of themselves and do not realise how much the game has done for them.so that you may understand this better. Let me tellyouwhat I owe to crichet.…

Cricket has given me my name. My name would not have been Vijay Mervhant but for cricket; it would have seen Vijay Thackersey _Thackersey being my great grandfather’sname and in the case of all the members of my family their surname also. I got the name Merchant from the principal of my school- the Bharda New High School-since trade was our profession at that time. I did not ehange over to Thackersey on graduation because by then I had played in create confusion. Sobut for cricket. I would have been Vijay Thackersey

.cricker has given me fame. It has given me firm friendships. Opportunities to travel abroad and good heaith and a strong constitution. It has made me realise that one should not be overjoyed by success or disheartened by faihure. It has yaught me never to be proud of my achievements and never to understimate the opponent. It has made me realise that a game is never lost until the last ball is bowled; never give up. Keep on fighting right till the end. Cricket has taught me to tackle problems as they come. The way one plays every ball on its merits. It has also taught me that just as you never run away from a bumper or a beamer. You never solve the problems of life by running away from them. Bby teaching me to make up for the failhures of others in a game. It has taught me to help those who are less fortunate than I am. And finally. It has given me a sportsman-like attitude of life- an attitude which I would never have normally developed.

And this I owe to cricket. Cricket does not owe anything to me. I am extremely proud that I was able to do my bit for the land of my birth through cricker and I shall always be grateful to the game for this. After I am gone. I do not want any memorials. I do not want any trophy or tournament named after me. I only want to be remembered as a simple cricker who tried to has debt to his country through one of the greatest of all games- CRICKEY.