Making a living without playing for the country

In 2013, Sreesanth dealt a huge blow to his cricketing career when he was caught in a spot-fixing scandal. Two of his teammates from the Rajasthan Royals, Ankeet Chavan, and Ajit Chandila were also caught. While their bans have been overturned by the courts, their cricketing careers are effectively over.

Of the three, Sreesanth got the most press as he played for the country. The other two, in all probability, would have never played for the country. But if they had maintained a certain level of performance, they might have played for a few other franchises before calling it a day.

The IPL is a cauldron of inspiring stories. For instance, Varun Chakravarty went from being an architect to playing for KKR. What is remarkable about this story is that it wouldn't have even been possible 15 years back.

Before the advent of the IPL, it was hard for a cricketer to make a decent living without playing for the country. Domestic cricket didn't play that well and club cricket paid even worse. Playing for the country for a reasonable amount of time guaranteed them a decent paycheque and if they got lucky, endorsements.

This doesn't change the fact that every cricketer wants to play for the country one day. Even if the IPL pays more, wearing the India cap is the ultimate dream. But even if for some reason that doesn't happen, they can yet play the sport and get paid reasonably well. There are many cricketers who have retired or fallen out of favour with the selectors but still play for their respective franchises.

This doesn't just apply to cricket.

Can you create your own talk show without being on TV?

Can you do creative work outside the ambit of an advertising agency?

Can you interview people without having a radio show?

The answer to all of the above is yes. That doesn't mean being a part of an established structure doesn't have upsides. Working at CNN gives you a better chance of interviewing a powerful political figure than having your youtube channel.

The opportunities to make a living outside of the mainstream has never been higher. It has its fair share of challenges but it's a shift many of us don't fully utilize.