Swing it like Sunny

As Sunil Gavaskar completes 50 years in the cricketing world, donning many hats, a work coach guides us on what it takes to sustain and reinvent one’s career in the long run

From being the original Little Master of Indian cricket, to becoming a familiar voice guiding us through scores of matches, Sunil Gavaskar has come a long way from his debut Test match 50 years ago. In half a century, he has played a successful innings not only as a batsman, but also as a mentor, columnist, author and commentator. What does it take to deliver a sustained power-packed performance, like Gavaskar did? Taking a cue from the cricketer’s illustrious career, Pune-based life and work coach Narendra Goidani shares a few tips.

Gavaskar made his debut as a commentator in 1990

Value addition: At any given point in your career, focus on where you’re adding maximum value. Then, it becomes easy to identify signals that indicate areas where your best is going to manifest itself, and accordingly, you can make a switch. For instance, at 30-something, Gavaskar wasn’t fit to be a commentator; but having gone through his entire career, now he can sit inside the commentary box and speak to us about the mindset of players or their techniques.

Eagerness to learn: Be ready to learn skills that make your presence impactful. Standing in front of a bowler requires a different skill, and speaking in front of a mic demands another. So, whichever area you’re diversifying into, identify and analyse the skills required, and then learn them.

Taking chances: Gone are the days of sticking to a single job or role for one’s entire career. Today, a youngster, over the course of a 30-year career, will work in at least 15 companies. If you’re eager to up-skill and are willing to take chances, you can shift gears easily.

Narendra Goidani

Don’t rest on your past
laurels: It’s of great advantage to understand that you shouldn’t rely solely on your past achievements; that’s what has worked for Gavaskar as he took on several roles. 

Master communication: From marriage to friendship and promotion to managing an organisation, communication is an art that can help an individual in the long run, apart from other core skills. Gavaskar developed that, and so, in his second innings, you’ll find that everything he has done depends on his communication skills.

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