In Part 1 we covered the attitude and mindset with which we should approach CAT.
Here lets analyze Sachin’s game preparation strategy and try to implement it in CAT.
4) Sachin is aware of all the arrows in the quiver of the opponent team – He scrutinizes each and every bowler of the opponent team before a match. He knows exactly what is the range and the kind of deliveries a particular bowler can bowl. For example he knows the range of balls Shoaib Akhtar can bowl – yorker, bouncer, reverse swing and slower incoming delivery and he prepares for it accordingly.
Learning – You should also cover all the topics and concepts that are usually asked in CAT and get accustomed to it. Have a good hold over all the portions of the paper – Quant, DI, RC, LR and VA. If even one of the portions is not covered properly, it can cost you dearly.
5) Sachin’s message to Brad Hogg – Hogg took Sachin’s wicket in an ODI match and after the match Hogg went up to him with the wicket taking ball and asked for his autograph. Sachin signed the ball and added a line – “It will never happen again, Hoggy”. After that Sachin and Hogg faced each other 21 times but never again was Hogg able to take his wicket.
Learning – Never repeat the mistakes made in mocks. First time a mistake is pardonable, second time it becomes a crime. Keep a note of all your conceptual errors and keep revising them. Make a notebook, say a concept book, in which you can jot down all the concepts from a particular topic and just go through it before every mock.
6) Sachin’s reluctance to take a runner – Sachin never likes to take a runner no matter how hurt he is or at what stage the game is. (Inzamam-Ul-Haq would love to have a runner all the time). When quizzed, he replied that it is only he who knows how hard he has hit the ball and in which direction the ball is supposed to go. He says that he mentally starts running, even before the ball is hit. In case of a runner, first Sachin will hit the ball, the runner will see the ball, check for the fielders and then start running. As it is correctly said, cricket is a game of mind.
Learning – Never follow someone else’s strategy blindly. It is only you who knows what your strengths and weaknesses are, what’s your calculation speed, how strong is your vocabulary base and so no two strategies to approach the exam can be the same. Make a plan according to your capabilities that will maximize the returns.
Leaving aside the practice sessions and domestic matches, Sachin has faced 50,000 balls in international cricket. How many of us actually practice even 500 RCs/DIs for CAT? Think.
Thank you !!