Not a bed of Roses ! managing transition !!!

The other day a group of people in their mid  50s were discussing – and it was not on how much they have risen in life, or what they have earned or saved – more on how calm they are [if at all !] – on work life balance and how not to carry tensions home !! - do people become rich and wealthy ! – how many of your classmates have struck a big fortune and now live a happy calm retired life ! – is that simply a state of mind or something well planned backed up by good enough fortune ! 

A few decades ago,   most people were happy  doing clerical / administration work in Offices – they worked  overtime – stretch their working hours and got paid - Overtime pay. Most nations have overtime labour laws designed to dissuade or prevent employers from forcing their employees to work excessively long hours. In recent times, work from home, idling and not doing work during office hours, able to do all household chores during office hours, work stretching beyond permissible time limits – all are heard and seen. 

 

Now many people of mid 40s appear far too stressed and carrying lot of tension, and sometimes ill-health. From times, when people lived happily working in small office and earning little, the modern day man earns lot but feels isolated or lonely at work and at Society.  He is constantly worried about losing job or being sidelined in Office.  He no longer feels that he is Senior and commands control over the work environ – always under constant pressure and threat that he would be overtaken by a novice and would lose respect in work place – why !?!? 

In life, often we hear people say that they performed so well, but had no luck or were overshadowed by the efforts of somebody else.  One of my bosses used to say, that even for regular things he had to struggle, while others got them so easily – is life cruel to some !  is not the Q of the day .. .. at times life throws a bounty  - not for all, as some continue to suffer at the anvil. 

Balancing life, often referred to as work-life balance, is an ongoing effort to manage professional responsibilities and personal commitments to promote overall well-being, reduce stress, and prevent burnout. It involves setting boundaries and prioritizing time for work, family, self-care, and personal interests. Well, there would never be an end, it is not a destination, the act requires continuous effort and lot of adjustments.  Sometime they could be too focused, while people around happily prioritize personal life.   If you are struggling with chronic stress or burnout, consider seeking help from a good friend, Senior or  professional or therapist. Never carry the burden in your mind all the time. 

Today it was a bit irritating to hear Gautam Gambhir talk about transition and speak as if India is suddenly undergoing a change to youth brigade – all the present players are young and lack experience and that is the reason for the recent debacle.  He wants time to be given .. .. .. every team undergoes transition, some manage them well.   

Australians are successful in Cricket because they are well-known strategists and use the technology to the hilt – off the field too.  They have a good support system.  40 years ago in Jan 1984,   Australia bade farewell to Dennis Lillee, Greg Chappell and Rod Marsh in the same match. Obvious it was too big a void;   it was rather more haphazard, and the final Test of the summer was into its second day before Greg Chappell made his announcement, a day during which he equalled Colin Cowdrey's record of 120 catches by a fielder. His interest in the game had, The Times reported, "been on the wane since 1981", and he had hinted throughout the summer that he was ready to quit. •       The timing surprised the media, as Chappell had gone into the match with 6928 runs, 68 shy of Don Bradman's then-record aggregate by an Australian. "If you're playing for records then you shouldn't be playing," he told them. "Catches and runs are not that important." The timing came as something of a surprise to Lillee. He had told Chappell on the eve of the match that it was to be his last Test, and said that he would tell the media at the end. "He promptly went out and, without telling me, announced he was going to retire," Lillee recalled. "That was fine by me because, as a former captain, he deserved the first announcement."  

Years later, in Jan 2007 -  Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, and Justin Langer—retired together after the fifth Ashes Test against England in Sydney. This marked the end of the careers of the three players, who each had played over 100 Tests, and occurred after Australia had secured a 5-0 Ashes whitewash. Australia is a formidable force and every season, we see couple of young players cropping in.  

From the time we started following Test Cricket closely, Sunil Gavaskar retired scoring more than 10000 runs, Kapil Dev retired after becoming the highest wicket taker, Sachin Tendulkar retired after playing 200 tests; when we were eagerly awaiting milestone after milestone, Ravichandran Ashwin chose to retire ! – there have been many many more !! Dravid was the wall, then came Chetehswar Pujara ! 

At this juncture, more than managing the transition – it appears to be blatant mismanagement of resources – a Test team ideally should have Two regular openers, 3 or 4  pure middle order batsmen, one regular wicke-keeper, two pacers, two spinners and if you play with 3 batter, one all-rounder ! – the roles should be clear – pick them, give them a fair chance and if not performing, don’t go by the names, sack them ! – here we are playing with makeshift openers, two wicket-keepers, three allrounders and .. .. if your no. 3 plays 139 deliveries and could make only 14 – either he is not capable enough or his confidence is shattered by lack of support from Team management.

 

Don’t blame the situation ! – it is for the highly paid professional management to come out proper strategy. The fact that South Africa sealed their first series win in India in 25 years and India's second series defeat in 12 months after 12 years of spotless record is hurting Indian fans. 

Life is not smooth, not a bed of roses, not everyone gets paid high for their acts!

 
Regards – S Sampathkumar
27.11.2025