How Arun Lal's words of wisdom turned it around for Shahbaz Ahmed

Life is a great leveller. On a particular day, the individual thrives. Yet, the same person has to start from scratch the very next day. This cyclic chain will continue to exist throughout our entire lifespan. Every day is more or less a battle for an individual to survive in a competitive world. However, staying complacent about accomplishments impedes the person's growth. Primarily in the field of sports, one must assure that the vision of pushing oneself beyond the boundaries of comfort does not slip through the cracks.

Shahbaz Ahmed offered a glimpse of his all-round credentials for Bengal in the Ranji Trophy, scoring 509 runs and scalping 35 wickets. Speaking to ESPNCricinfo, the 25-year-old feels that it is important to not get bogged down by success and spotlight. He understands that there is a lot of scope for growth, considering that he hasn't quite translated the club cricket's batting numbers to the first-class arena. "I've been doing well but I haven't been able to get them. I trust that I will start making hundreds and people will enjoy that as well. I've made hundreds consistently at club cricket and that's why CAB gave me this chance. So I want to bring that to the
team." 

Success is not going to happen overnight. A multitude of complexities, misjudgements, and pitfalls would have to be conquered. Turbulent times, more often than not, yield miraculous outcomes in any individual's life.

Bengal head coach, Arun Lal, recalls an instance where he was infuriated by Shahbaz Ahmed's deja-vu mode of dismissal in the second game of his debut season. "The year before, he got a couple of chances and failed, and I fired the hell out of him because he made the same mistake in the second game. He had a bit of a problem with incoming balls and some coach had advised him to stand with an open stance. He did that and got runs at club level, so he brought it to Ranji cricket. And simple offspin outside off stump, he edged it twice to slip because his foot wouldn't reach the ball. He was so square on. I told him, you try and rectify one problem and
you create more. Two hundred years of cricket wisdom has suggested that you stand in one fashion."

Lal worked tirelessly to ensure that Shahbaz combats the shortcomings with a comprehensive technique. A strong player-coach relationship worked wonders as it influenced the youngster to make appropriate changes to his game -- A characteristic that was quite glaringly apparent in the previous Ranji Trophy season. Like any other youngster, Shahbaz Ahmed is looking forward to sharing the dressing room with Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, the two players who have been the major exponents of not being complacent about the achievements. "I feel proud that I'm in RCB and will get to share the dressing room with Virat bhai and AB de Villiers. It's a big deal."

[ESPNCricinfo input]