Leadership Lessons - A live demo by the Indian Cricket Team

What we witnessed on 19th January 2021 at The Gabba was magical. It was something legends are made of. The grit, the determination, the tenacity, the fearlessness, the will to win – all were on display in abundance. This was the Indian Cricket Team at its peak & at the pinnacle of success. As a true fan of sport & as a ‘sportsman’ at heart, this is a tribute to the Indian Cricket Team for giving us a live demonstration on leadership. This is an ode to the entire team including the coaching staff, the trainers, the physios and the masseurs for giving us an exciting series that we will remember for a long time. This series was special because it came during the pandemic & needed the team to stay in a bubble for over 5 months. I take this opportunity to share the lessons I have learnt from this exhilarating series down under. I am sure it will resonate with most of us – I would urge you to share the lessons you may have learnt. It will only enrich us all. So, here goes:

1.      Road to success will have challenges – face them undeterred: The series was played in very new conditions – the team in a bubble for over 5 months, quarantining at each location, plagued with injuries, pink ball cricket for the first time abroad etc. The team took on each of these challenges head on. With the rules around quarantining – replacements could not be flown in at will. We did not hear even a murmur saying – we are at a disadvantage due to this or that!

2.      Concept of Going Concern – reinforced or the Show must go on: Only two players who played the fourth test match also played the first test match. A total of 20 players were used by the Indian Team during this series more out of force than choice.

a.      No captain post Adelaide – no worries,

b.      Lead fast bowlers (Shami & Umesh) got injured in the second test – no worries, 

c.      Ashwin, Jadeja & Bumrah (match winners) got injured in the third test – no worries

d.      Three debutants to play in the fourth & final test – no worries

What this series has brought about is that like any business, Indian Cricket Team is a going concern. It does not depend on a select few players & that the show must go on.

3.      Everyone has bad days, how we respond post that is what matters: Post the Adelaide Test Match wash-out (all out for 36 runs), it was easy to sulk and to say that it was all but over. Sulking has never helped anyone, ever. With the leading run-scorer & captain not being there for the remainder of the series. Question mark on whether Rohit Sharma would be able to join the team in time for the third and fourth match. Jury was out on what the fate of the series was going to be. The team showed tremendous character to bounce back in Melbourne.

4.      Culture isn’t built in a day: What we see today – the fearless approach, the winning attitude, the camaraderie – it wasn’t built during this series. The credit here must go to Ravi Shastri – the head coach for inculcating this over his tenure and to the team for inculcating it in their approach to the game.  The fearless approach is now the hallmark of this side.

5.      Building a solid bench-strength: The credit here goes to Rahul Dravid for creating a solid under-19 and an India A platform. The constant supply of amazing talent is the ‘proof of the pudding’. We have had some amazing new faces in the Indian team – Prithvi Shaw, Shubman Gill, Siraj, Saini. All this is thanks to the ‘solid’ effort being put in to nurture the young talent. Some of the India A series abroad has readied this new bunch.

6.      When you get the center-stage, grab it with both your hands: This was on display through the series. Players like Navdeep Saini, Mohd. Siraj, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Natrajan – made the most of what was offered to them. There was no stage fright, nerves or a feeling of do I belong here? Complete credit to them for giving it their all when a chance was presented. Sometimes people freeze when a big stage is offered – that was not on display here. Credit to the team management for onboarding these young turks and making them feel at ‘home’.

7.      Let the arm-chair experts be:  I learnt early on in life – listen to everyone, do what you think is right (suno sabki, karo mann ki). If this team listened to the so-called experts, the series would have been over before it started. The biggest learning has been the way this team went about the task at hand without bothering about what the world has to say.

8.      Success demands knock on the chin: We all saw the way Pujara took the blows on the body without letting the spirit die. Like Ravi Shastri said – Cheteshwar Pujara will be known as the ultimate warrior. To win a war, you will have some battle scars. Scars are the testimony to the efforts that went in.

The Australian quartet had more experience than the entire Indian Team facing them. That didn’t cause any flutters inside the Indian dressing room. The only reason was that this Indian team was confident of what they are capable of. The team had belief in their capability & their skill.

9.      Aggression in the mind is better than in words: Ajinkya Rahane is a personification of aggression in the mind. He demonstrated aggression with his field placements, bowling changes, batting order etc. What was great to see was the thoughtfulness for Nathan Lyon – presenting him with a signed jersey was so humbling.

10.  History is always about the past (Oxymoron, isn’t it?): The Gabba! So much talk about the fortress – ‘Gabbattoir’. The fortress was penetrated & how. That too by a young brigade who didn’t care about history but wanted to create history. This team had their eyes set on a win and not a draw. This is the new, resurgent Indian Cricket Team.

11.  Leadership is not about the title: if you ask me what is the one thing this series has delivered. The answer would be – it has given us many leaders. We saw different individuals take charge when the situation demanded. Cheteshwar Pujara took on the body blows but stayed on, Ravindra Jadeja played a memorable knock in the third test, Ravichandran Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari’s innings is etched in gold, Rishabh Pant delivered the knock-out punch. Last but not the least, Ajinkya Rahane has led the team with class!

Cricket and films is what drives India. There could be many more learnings that you could have from this series. I would urge you to share your thoughts too. Once again, this is a tribute to the resurgent India and fearless India. This is a tribute as a die-hard fan of sport. Thank you for the memories!