Secret to Sucess: The Shah Rukh Khan Experience
This article summarizes the Episode 04: Secret to Success: The Shah Rukh Khan Experience of The Student Athlete Podcast.
From missing the bus to represent INDIA in the U19 world cup in 2016 to just being a whisker away from being picked in the Indian Premier League (IPL), it has been a quite a journey for this lad. A household name in Tamil Nadu and soon across the country, Shah Rukh Khan is here for the stay. Playing for Tamil Nadu and being the mainstay, the mans eyes is on the Indian Jersey. He talks about the ingredients to success and how he has coped up with fandom at a young age, how he has dealt with the disappointments at a young stage of his career and how he has managed to rise above all.
(01:34) — On the history behind “His Name”
I get that very often by the way. I was born in 1995 when Shah Rukh Khan, the actor was very famous back then, he was up coming in Bollywood and my mom’s sisters were huge fans of Shah Rukh Khan, and they eventually forced my mom to name me as Shah Rukh because I was the first boy in the family.
(02:19) — On his childhood and stories from the past
Cricket started off when I was 5 years old. It started from there. I was playing with the neighborhood friends of mine back then, there were a lot of young boys playing along with me. I used to go to practice when I was 5–6 years old because I loved the game.
I had to leave cricket in between because I lost interest in the game because as a young lad, your mind tends to wander here and there. So I had gone into swimming when I was 8 or 9 years old. I liked swimming back then. I was swimming for 2–3 years. I was a very naughty kid. I never used to stick to one thing.
When I was 11 years old, we used to get Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) u-13 selections; I was 12 years when I first played for Tamil Nadu in the u-14. So from there on my confidence slowly started to build up, to try and reach the next level. And three year later, I was in the u-16 team with my seniors. It kind of started from there. The maturity that I had to show to improve, to move to the higher level, it started from the u-16 level. From there on there was no looking back. Irrespective of the hurdles that came my way, I wanted to keep looking forward; I wanted to barge in to any door that was in front of me.
(05:34) — On one particular technical aspect in his batting which he feels, if done, will give him a better chance to score runs
Personally as a cricketer and as person, my game has improved a lot from the last 3–4 years, I personally feel it is 100% because of my long running that I do. I love to run a lot. Long running and batting go hand in hand. It is because as a batsman, you want to be focused for long hours, in a test game you have to bat for at least 6 hours to get a hundred. Not everyone is Virender Sehwag to get a hundred in a couple of hours.
I think that the focus that keeps me going is the base that I create in long running.
Another thing that I work on specifically is doing drills. That keeps me going, keeps me in the zone and locked in. It keeps me in good frame of mind. Before the game I do these drills and it helps me to just be there in the moment.
So the two things that help me a lot is the long running and the drills that I do before a game.
(07:15) — How to switch off from cricket? When does he know the right time to take time off both in life as well as in cricket?
If you look back at the cricketing season in India, there is no time for a break. If you follow it closely, you’ll understand. You’ve got 9 months going down the train here itself. And you have just two months to prepare and comeback and prepare for the next season. So the time we get in a whole is those 2 months. Obviously you can’t take rest for the whole 2 months. You’ve got to sharpen our skills for the next season. Month of May is the time I try to switch myself off from cricket. And regroup for the next season. Too much of good stuff is bad stuff according to me.
Trying to be engaged in a new sport would help you to be fresh in your head which I personally do. I play basketball and I love it. Also I play Play Station which kind of keeps me chilled.
(10:38) How does he cope with pain when he doesn’t get the desired result? In cricket as well as in life.
I started to play cricket because I love it. I loved the ball hitting the bat and hit it hard and satisfaction. And obviously while doing it, you’ll want to reach another level. There are going to be hurdles and I have faced quite a few. So I think you have to take it in your stride and move forward. Frankly, there is no time to feel about it because the moment the hurdle comes; there is a next game that you have. You don’t have time to think about it or feel for it. You have to be meticulous in your way of practice and going about things because there is no time to lose because if you don’t make it once, you can’t think about it. If you keep thinking about it, you won’t make it the second time. So it is important to take it in your stride and move forward as smoothly as you can. And be meticulous in your head about what you have to do.
You have to make decisions then and there because you don’t have time to lose in cricket and it applies for life as well. If you miss the bus, then you are gone. You have to keep going. Everyone faces hardships in life, but it’s important to keep going. There is no time to think. Life keeps moving forward and you end up in new adventures without you knowing.
The way you behave in life is interconnected to sports because sports show who you are in life. That’s it. What you are I life is what you are in sports. There is no differentiating.
(14:32) — What has worked for him in keeping his sanity when things aren’t going his way?
I wasn’t a disciplined guy when I started off. At 16 you aren’t matured at all. After a point in time when I hit a certain age, I felt that I started doing things consistently. After a bad result, the next day is what matters the most. If you miss it the next day, I think you miss it there. It is important that you wake up next morning and keep doing your routines again and again. It is as cliché as it gets. Stick to your process no matter what comes your way. This is what I do. I like to train a lot. I like to run a lot. And when I run, I let out a lot of things from my head.
(16:56) — How he handled the phase when he wasn’t picked for India u-19 World Cup squad despite stunning performances with the bat and the ball?
Comparing who I am today to myself back then, I never used to take defeats well. That was the first hard hit that it had ever got in life in terms of sport because doing so well in u-19 with the bat as well as with the ball and not being there… When you play, you aspire to wear that ‘Blue Indian Jersey’ and knowing that world cup was very close and if you do well you are going to be there. People had their eye on me because they knew I was a hard hitter and I could change matches. Everytime I performed I used to think I was closer and closer.
I went through a very hard time. I didn’t recover for some time because that was my first hard hit and as a youngster of 18–19 years old, you don’t expect this kind of a hit after you doing so well for your state at national level.
I think I came out of it pretty well. I had my close friends around me and my family around me to get out of it.
I think there is a part of me which regrets why I wasn’t there in the squad. Whatever happens happens for good.
I think I’m happy right now where I am in my career and I know my steps pretty well where I am going. I am very clear about my future and what to do.
Sport is a repeated statement that you have to keep moving forward whether you had a good day or a bad day. You have to keep moving forward. That is what my motto towards sports is.
(20:36) — As a person who leads from the front and doing things which people normally don’t do, there are going to be a lot of perceptions, opinions and talk behind the back. How does he not pay attention to these voices?
I have got that a lot and people looking at me. That is who I am. I haven’t changed myself from when I started playing cricket. People who have become my friends now would feel skeptical about my behavior — is he genuinely like this or is he trying to be like someone else. This is who I am. It is not arrogance but the way I carry myself.
As long as you know who you are, when you rest your head on the pillow at night and you think that you’ve been who you are, nothing else matters. You realize you have been yourself and that is it. Full stop.
(23:03) — In the semifinal game agaist Pune, who were also the defending champions, in RedBull All India Tournament, we had a low scoring game. But he had the belief that we’d win at any cost. And we won the game. From where did the belief come and how does inflict his belief and confidence to other players?
We had played 5 games together including the quarter finals. I knew for a fact that this team could make it from any situation because there was lot camaraderie and a lot of bonding and lot of faith and trust in between players. When you need to win a low scoring game, you need faith in each one of them on the field. As a captain and as player, faith and trust is most important to win a low scoring game I feel. We knew for a fact that if we took 3 wickets of theirs in the first 6 overs, we could catch them unaware. That was my plan. And thankfully it happened and we caught them unaware. When I look back, frankly its one of the best games I’ve been. One to remember.
(26:04) — How does he generate power? Naturally or built through practice? What does he feel is required to generate power and hit huge sixes?
Basically I’m well built right from a young age. People think that I get power because of the way I look because of how intimidating and strong I am but they don’t realize that even for a big guy to generate power you need to put the desired effort. People take it for granted. It’s important for you to connect the ball to hit it outside the park. It’s about practice. It is about the way you practice. Doing my drills has helped me a lot. These basics help me. It puts me in the zone. Along with a bit of gym and training sessions.
(29:35) — Talking about two phases of his life — the u-19 cricket season in the year 2016 and the domestic cricket season in the year 2019. What did he feel that worked for him? What were the key to those performances?
When I started off playing u-19, I had already played two years of u-19 because I finished u-16 and at 17 I had walked into the u-19 team. My teammates were obviously seniors to me. I used to watch them. And the way they used to go about things was something very different for me to see. The gulf between u-16 and u-19 is huge and we don’t realize it. A lot of people mature at that age.
So before my 2016 season I had already played two years of u-19. And in the previous years too I had got quite a few runs. But I didn’t feel like I was making a mark. I didn’t think I was winning games for my team.
As a batsman or reputed batsman, you have to win games for your side no matter what. I started practicing harder and I started training harder. These two helped me a lot. It definitely showed a difference when I went into bat. When we were playing league games in Chennai, I could see myself getting big runs and winning games for my team because my fitness levels were at a totally different level than what I was at the previous year. This was the difference that I showed when I went into bat that year and won 3–4 games for my team single handedly with the bat and ball out of the 6 games. When you step out, you feel you’ve done something for your team and that is the most satisfying feeling than scoring runs on a losing cause. When you win games for your team, you get noticed.
To the previous year, it was the year where everyone in India took notice of me.
Quoting the game which gave him recognition and fandom — game against Gujarat in the semi final of Vijay Hazare Trophy — 56 (46)* [3x4, 3x6]
When you talk about that game, the way I finished was result of what I did 8 matches back. When we started off Vijay Hazare Trophy last year, the first game we played against Rajasthan. A high pressure game. We needed around 120 runs with less than 25 overs. I finished that game quite comfortably. I was like a pressure cooker at that time. I couldn’t soak in. We were chasing against Rajasthan and there was Dinesh Karthik who was batting with me and calmed me. I scored 48(39)* [6x4] I started getting courage that I could finish games for my team at the domestic level as well. You get better players, bowlers and players who have played IPL in that level and it is not easy to score runs and pierce the gaps. This game gave the confidence that I could do it in this level as well.
Two games later, a match against Bengal, I had finished that game too. We were under pressure, we were 123–5, and we ended up scoring 286–7. I got 69(45)* [4x4, 5x6] unbeaten. The second time when I finished the game I started believing that I am the one here and I am the finisher of the team, I can do it and I will do it. This gave me a confidence that I can finish any game.
It started building off from there. And when the crunch games had to come in, the subconscious mind makes you do a lot of stuff than you thinking you got to go there and do. Just because I was subconsciously strong in my mind, my thoughts were so strong that I believed in myself. I didn’t go out there to finish the game, I went out there to enjoy my batting and react to what happens. While chasing there is a target on board and I knew that if I could complete the overs that were left, we would sail across easily. And we did with 5 balls remaining.
It was a special innings for me and gave me recognition all across India.
(39:38) — What he’d do if today was his last day and what does he feel about this was of approach to life?
Personally I think it is important to your head in good state and be in the present. It’s not about thinking that it is your last day or not. It’s about being in the present. Thinking of the past and future, both spoil your present. It’s about being in the present and seeing what you can in the near future, at a fair distance. Setting small targets is the way. Being in the present may seem simple but not easy. It needs to come with practice and consistency. If you are in control with your present, your future will obviously be in your hands. Your controllables are the things you need to worry about.
(43:04) — Does he read books?
I am not a reader at all. I have to do it. I have bought a couple of books but not much patience in that category.
(43:54) — Who were his heroes growing up? Who does he look up to?
When I was young, my heroes kept changing. Way back when I used to watch cricket, I used to like Australia a lot. It shifted quite a few times.
But now I like the way Kane Williamson carries himself on and off the field. He’s got an aura around him that is something to look up to. The way he carries himself and the team with ease, control is something to look up to.
Obviously Dhoni stands out. If there is someone that is close to Mahendra Singh Dhoni, I think that would be Kane Williamson. Obviously Dhoni is my idol but as a batsman, Kane Williamson one of my favorite at the present.
(45:34) — Timeless lessons learnt in life which he’d like to share.
There are quite a few but the most important thing is to keep going and doing things with consistency. Sticking to the routines. There might be days where it’s tough but doing it consistently and meticulously is the most important thing. Once you do it day in and day out, it kind of builds a second nature in you. Results are going to come.
There is going to be a time when if you do things consistently, the results are going to come no matter what. Keep pushing.
(47:46) — What is success according to him? What are his ingredients to success?
I think success according to me is reaching your goals. As simple as it gets. For you to achieve long term goals, you need to set short term goals. It builds up from there.
The small targets or goals that I achieve everyday build up to achieve the long term goals.
Success depends on achieving your target on that particular day. Small instances add up.
Long term goals are to be kept in mind. You should have a vision to think about your future and targets. But important to focus on short term goals because that is what is going to lead you there.
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