Lessons From Tunbridge Wells

Let us go to Tunbridge Wells. Tunbridge Wells is a little town in the Kent countryside. It is less than an hour's train journey from London. There is a cricket ground – Nevill Ground – that saw one of the best cricket innings in one-day cricket. Kapil Dev scored 175 not out against Zimbabwe on June 18, 1983. India had lost to Australia and the West Indies in the previous two matches in succession.

If India had lost to Zimbabwe, it would have been sent off from the Prudential World Cup 1983. Kapil Dev had walked in to bat when India had nine runs on the scoreboard for the loss of four wickets (9 for 4). Yashpal Sharma was out soon thereafter. India was 17 for 5!

One of the greatest leadership acts in survival and rescue – that is two-in-one – followed. It was performed by Kapil Dev. He was the captain of the Indian team. He led the team in survival. He led the team in rescue. He led in both survival and rescue from the front.

But it was not an easy act of survival and rescue. Kapil Dev had to bat with teammates who were somewhat weak in batting. Kapil Dev had no choice. He had to get the best from his resources. He had to stop the disaster from happening.

He did. He motivated Roger Binny to protect his wicket. Kapil Dev motivated himself to protect his wicket. Leaders need to do both. Motivate the team; keep themselves undaunted and motivated. Together, they added 60 runs. Then Roger Binny lost his wicket. India was 77 for 6. Bleak! Zimbabwe had great batsmen who could score this and more in a hurry.

It got worse. Ravi Shastri came and went. He had a reputation for being an all-rounder. He could bat. He could bowl. But it was not this all-rounder’s day. India was 78 for 7. Kapil Dev – an all-rounder – was running out of partners. His best resources had been consumed by the effective and unerring Zimbabwe bowlers.

The team on the other side – Zimbabwe – had found new purpose and had bloodied the Indian team. Zimbabwe was led by the redoubtable Duncan Fletcher who would go on to be India’s coach in the future. But this day was different. Duncan Fletcher had India on its knees.

Madan Lal – a bowler with no strength in batting – came in to bat when India was 78 for 7. Kapil Dev had to motivate Madan Lal in as effective manner a as he had motivated Roger Binny. And, he had to make runs without losing his own wicket. Making runs without losing wickets became a two-pronged objective. That is how cricket is played and won.

This is how the fight against SARS-CoV2 – the virus that causes the respiratory disease known as COVID-19 – has to be fought. Protect people from being exposed to the virus. Cure people who have been exposed to the virus.

Madan Lal and Kapil Dev batted together with resolve. They took the score to 140. Then Madan Lal lost his wicket. India was 140 for 8. From 17 for 5 to 140 for 8, Kapil Dev had got the best out of Roger Binny and Madan Lal.

Kapil Dev had yet to unleash his batting until the entry of Syed Kirmani, the wicket-keeper. And then he did! The survival part had been completed. It was time for the rescue.

Kapil Dev smashed the Zimbabwe bowling from this point, 140 for 8. The rescue had begun. The rescue was on in resplendent glory. Kapil Dev and Syed Kirmani added 126 runs together, of which Syed Kirmani scored merely 24 runs.

Leadership requires competence. Kapil scored aggressively without losing his wicket. Followership requires trust and belief in the team’s objectives. Syed Kirmani batted cautiously without losing his wicket. Specialisation allows different people to do different things. Specialisation requires different people to do different things.

India finished at 266 for 8 when the stipulated 60 overs had been bowled by Zimbabwe. Kapil Dev was the leader in both the survival and rescue phases. He was the captain too. Roger Binny, Madan Lal and Syed Kirmani were the followers in the survival and rescue phases.

In the chase in Tunbridge Wells, Zimbabwe could make only 235. They lost. But they would have won the game if Roger Binny, Madan Lal and Syed Kirmani had not been Kapil Dev’s followers and allies in the survival and rescue phases.

Folklore and legends include a large number of stories of survival and rescue. Successful survival stories are motivational. Rescue stories are inspirational. Survival is the result of resolve. There is leadership when the survival of a whole team is at stake.

Rescue is the result of resolve. Rescue is often the result of sacrifice. Rescuers put their lives on the line. There is as much leadership in rescue as in survival.

Tunbridge Wells is different from Tham Luang. Survival and rescue were integrated in Tunbridge Wells. Survival and rescue were separated in Tham Luang.

Ekkapol "Ake" Chantawong – the monkish coach of the Wild Boars – motivated his team of 12 young footballers to survive for 18 days in a cave. It is in Thailand’s Chiang Rai province. The Tham Luang is cave is not an ordinary cave. The 12 doughty boys and the one man survived in a dark, damp, wholly quiet and nearly airless cave. Ake’s leadership role was restricted to the survival.

The leadership in rescue belonged to John Volanthen and Rick Stanton. They had dived and swum through Tham Luang's narrow, dark and muddy passageways for several days before sighting the 12 boys and Ake. Then thousands of volunteers from around the world joined hands to bring the Wild Boars to safety.

The massive rescue team worked in trying circumstances to rescue the Wild Boars. One of the rescue experts died while rescuing them. Another died fifteen months later because of the infection that he contracted while rescuing them.

COVID-19 has given us the context and the necessity to show leadership in survival and in rescue. Some aspects of the leadership will require the integration of survival and rescue as in the dazzling and unforgettable cricket match in 1983 in Tunbridge Wells. Some aspects of the leadership will require the separation of survival and rescue as in the miraculous and unforgettable rescue in 2018 from Tham Luang.