Your Greatest Competition is Yourself

Brian Lara, at the age of 25, made test cricket history in 1994 by clobbering a massive 375 against England.

That was truly his prime when he had taken the batting world by storm.

However, when Matt Hayden broke his record with a resilient 380 in 2003, people expected that to stay for a long time unless another in-form batsman played a masterstoke.

Well, interestingly enough, the record was broken a year later by none other than Brian Lara himself.

No one in their right mind would have expected him to amass a quadruple century against a force like England, 3 years before he retired.

Lara eclipsed his own record 10 years later.

This taught me that:

1. The strength of the mind > years of age.

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2. Beating a personal best is plausible once you realize that you've traveled the path once already & would be privy to the challenges along the way.

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3. Competition is a blessing at times. Had Hayden not hit the 380, Lara may have had less reason to persist in that innings.

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