Team Work

It is amazing to notice how the Indian cricket team is performing so well in 2023 Cricket World Cup (“CWC”). They are unbeaten (Played 8 & won 8)so far in this CWC 2023 and it is entirely possible that someone other than the Indian team may win the CWC final 2023. But I always believe the steps involved journeying towards the final of CWC 2023 are equally important. Dhoni used to famously say, “If we do the processes right, the results will take care of themselves”. It is also interesting to note that this Indian team is placed #1 in World Cricket Ranking in Test, One-Day Internationals and T20 as of today.

I remember how much India celebrated in 1983 when Kapil Dev’s Indian Cricket Team won the CWC. Those days, the only motivation was the national spirit more than the money. The next time, India won the CWC was in 2011 when it was conducted in India. That was the first time, a host country won the final and after that in 2019, England won CWC as a host country. Many Indian cricket players as well as coaches contributed for their consistent progress over several decades. Emotions run so high every time when Indian team plays be it a test, ODI or T20 and managing their expectations besides remaining fit themselves, is a great challenge for every Indian cricketer.

I always think about what contributed to this success besides relentless effort of the players, coaches, fitness staff and others who work for the team and I came up with the following reasons:

1) The players are allowed to travel with their family enabling them not to miss the family for a fairly long period of time when they go on tour to other countries besides traveling in India. When there is a family emergency, the players are allowed to travel back home to spend time with the family. Board of Control of Cricket in India (“BCCI”) pays extraordinary compensation to the players to put them on contract with BCCI besides their ability to earn a lot of money through sponsorships.

2) The quota system that existed earlier to allow all regions to be part of the national team is eliminated and the merit drives the players’ selection by the national selection committee. There are so many state-of-the-art training facilities introduced throughout the country to promote players from rural areas. To generate fast bowlers, Denis Lillee Foundation in collaboration with MRF Tires was formed. Bangalore has built a rehabilitation center for the cricketers to recoup quickly from their injuries.

3) Indian Premier League (“IPL”) that was introduced in 2007 allowing both Indian as well as International Players to play in IPL giving tremendous opportunity for the young Indian players to learn from the competitive league. Young Indian players learn so much from the international coaches and the international players allowing them to aspire to be part of the Indian team and contribute at the national level. Zone and Regional level cricket were modified to suit the requirements of the ODI and T20 players.

3) Team-building exercises were introduced for the players to mingle among themselves to overcome the fatigue that builds over a period due to excessive cricketing schedule. The medical team not only focused on fitness but also on mental wellness. COVID protocols created a lot of issues for the cricketers as they were isolated and quarantined regularly causing significant mental health issues.

4) The individual team members were assigned specific tasks on how to play their role within the team and the players were willing to make whatever sacrifice necessary for the success of the team. For example, some team players were asked to be aggressive in their batting style when others were told to stabilize the innings. Even bowlers were told to perform specific tasks in cycle in the best interest of the team. The coaching for fielding was strengthened and Indian team is getting better and better each time they play.

I feel many sports are played in India and those sports don’t get the same attention as cricket does. Hopefully, India will encourage other sports personnels by building more training facilities, active training programs, and actively promote other sports in India so that India would become active in multiple sports. There will be a day when India will perform so well in Olympics like United States of America, People's Republic of China, and Russian Federation as India has many talented sports men and women.