Short Story About Success: Indian Cricketer

Vijay Singh is a 21-year-old boy from Mumbai. He dreams of becoming a cricketer & representing India across the world.

But what pushed him to aim this big? A man who stood as an inspiration.

Sanjay is the father of Vijay. He has had a small food stall business to earn a living for the last 30 years. But business was never his plan. Being an only son in the family, he had a lot of responsibilities from a young age.

Sanjay had two younger sisters. Handling a five-member family single-handedly was challenging for his father. He understood this at a young age.

His mother was a good cook. So when Sanjay was around 20, he initiated the food stall business. Business slowly got established. Gradually he became a financial support for his family.

There is a saying – “Responsibility crushes our dreams.” Sanjay has experienced this in real life. He was a big fan of cricket from childhood. He always strived to build a cricket career. But his life brought an unplanned twist.

However, Sanjay never left playing cricket. Whenever he had free time, he managed to play cricket with his colony friends. And Vijay was one among his audience from childhood.

Vijay used to cherish watching cricket on TV with his father, during the World Cup and leagues. All these moments were the pillar of his ambition to become a cricketer.

With growing age, Vijay quickly adapted to the techniques of playing cricket. His skills, style & involvement in the sport were appreciated by people a lot. Looking at this, Sanjay & his wife used to feel very proud of their son.

Vijay told his parents that he wants to be a cricketer. Sanjay & his wife were initially hesitant & worried.

Considering financial concerns & possibility of hampering Vijay’s education made taking a decision challenging. At this time, Sanjay’s father (Vijay’s grandpa) suggested that let’s support Vijay in his ambition.

Both agreed & joined Vijay to Mumbai’s reputed cricket club. There he was trained by Mumbai’s reputed stalwarts. Vijay’s sports level improvements got appreciation from family & club as well.

His family wholeheartedly supported him irrespective of a lot of challenges. The consistent achievements of Vijay brought hope & happiness in the family.

He played as part of the U-23 team & represented Mumbai in the well-known South zone league.

He consistently performed in multiple leagues & tournaments, averaging 56.8 in Division A matches for his club. He played 10 matches, scored 2 centuries & 3 fifties, proving his potential.

Vijay outperformed & got selected from 200+ participants for U-23 state selection trials at Azad Maiden.

He was recognized as an “Emerging Player” by reputed sports media & publishing platforms. Because he scored 92 runs under pressure in an inter-state match.

And his many achievements were noticed by coaches & famous cricketers. Later a moment came when all his efforts & family’s sacrifices resulted in fruitful returns.

Vijay was recommended by the selector to participate in the national-level trials. Knowing this, Sanjay got emotional & his dream was now about to be fulfilled by his son. The mother felt proud of his son.

To capitalize on this opportunity, Vijay practiced & trained day & night. He gave his best in all ways possible.

But things turned out unimaginably. Just a few days before the national level trials, he got a massive rotator cuff injury. The reason behind this injury was his excessive training.

Doctors suggest surgery is necessary for Vijay to heal his injury. Hearing this, the family’s happiness completely fades away. Vijay will need months to recover after surgery. So, he would not be able to participate in the national-level trials.

Knowing this, he broke down in tears. His years of effort were wasted. He became completely silent, he didn’t talk with anyone in the house for days. He was in a deep shock. The family tried to confront him but he was angry & frustrated with himself.

One morning, Vijay’s grandpa asked him to come for a walk in the garden. He initially refused, but later was convinced. When they reached a garden, they both sat on the grass.

Both were silent initially, later, Grandpa broke the silence & he asked Vijay to close his eyes. Vijay asked – “But why”. Grandpa replied – “For me, just close your eyes once.” Later he closed his eyes. Grandpa said – “What are you thinking right now?”. Vijay said this with a heavy voice – “Missing national level trials” and opened his eyes.

Grandpa said – “This is because you have become stagnant in your life. Now close your eyes again and think about what’s happening in your surroundings.” Vijay closed his eyes, went silent for a few seconds & replied “Flow of air, sound of leaves colliding with each other, fragrance of soil, calm surroundings.” Now he opened his eyes, looked towards grandpa & he felt a bit burden-free.

Grandpa smiled a little & replied – “This is what nature teaches us. Whatever happens, it always stays in the flow, in the movement. Because nothing can stop it in any way. Even after the air hits a huge mountain, it makes a way to move ahead. Constant movement of water makes it unite with the ocean in the end. You can see the sunset today but it will rise once again every morning. Similarly, whatever you see in nature, all of it stays in constant flow without a moment’s halt. Then why are you living like everything in your life has completely vanished?

Always remember, time will repeat things once again. Today, you may have missed a chance for national-level trials, but the opportunity will repeat once again. Be with time & fight for the future.”

Vijay felt inspired by this conversation. They both reach home & gradually within the next few days, Vijay gets normal.

After months, he recovered completely & began his training once again, for the next national level trials. Within a year, he played at national level trials & gave his best. When the results were out, he found out that he had been selected for the upcoming national leagues. Finally, all his & family’s struggles and sacrifices paid off.

While watching his son’s first ICL match on TV, his father’s tears started rolling down his cheeks. He felt proud that his son fulfilled the dream.

Vijay scored a century in his first national-level match itself. And his achievement became a headline in newspapers & magazines as “Vijay: A Revolutionary Indian Cricketer.”