I remember watching the India-West Indies series as a child. The year was 1983 (gosh I am old!). I, along with some friends, had a magnetic letters scoreboard on which we would keep the score running as we watched the match on TV. In the first Test itself, West Indies crushed us, hard. They made 454 in the first innings. When India came to bat, we lost two wickets (Sunil Gavaskar and Mohinder Amarnath) for no runs. The West Indian bowlers were so fast and fierce, seemed from a different planet, compared to our gentlemen batsman. India went on to lose the match, an innings defeat. Me and my friends cried as we continued to change the magnetic numbers on our toy scoreboard. India went on to lose the test series 3-0, and the one-day series 5-0. The West Indians came, ravaged us, and left.
West Indies called it the revenge series, as it came right after India’s first world cup win mere months ago. There, we had defeated West Indies in the finals. However, it was as though we were shown our place again. That our World Cup win may have had luck play a much bigger role than the sheer competence of the Indian team.
This was the Indian cricket team for those growing up a generation or two ago. India used to win sometimes, yes. Those moments are also etched in us (remember Ravi Shastri winning an Audi, team on the car roof, Benson and Hedges Cup, Australia,1985?) When India won, it was special. Part of why it was special was because it was rare. However, India also lost a lot. It disappointed its fans very often. There are too many examples of traumatic matches where India lost the first few wickets, followed by a total collapse. It was expected that once India lost four or five wickets, the the bottom order players will crumble in a few balls (essentially the golden rule was once Kapil Dev got out, it is all over).
Boy, have we come far from those days, where the childhood trauma of some of those matches has still not left us. Look at the Indian team now! Aren’t they, as the meme goes – playing like a wow!
In 2023 World Cup, Indian cricket has reached new highs. India has not lost a single match. The Indian team isn’t just winning, it is crushing it. It is devastating the opponent and defeating them comprehensively. As if this game wasn’t even a real competition at all. We didn’t just take the match away from these teams, we took away their souls.
Team India is so good, they make winning look easy. They also keep your heart safe. There aren’t that many heart wrenching moments any more for at no point in the game do you feel India is losing this one. Does it make watching cricket a bit boring? Of course it does. Watching the Indian team play with some teams is like watching The Rock arm-wrestle a five-year old girl. Amusing maybe, but not exciting for sure.
This total domination at an international game is a first for our nation. It is also a template for how India can dominate and be the best in the world at whatever it sets its eyes on – a sport, industry, business or even our infrastructure. It is also a template for you, as an individual on how to improve and become excellent at anything. Here’s a three clear lessons from the rise of Indian cricket.
1) The biggest change that is required is in the mindset. The mindset goes from ‘yes, we are good and we win sometimes.’ to ‘we are the best and we win almost every time.’ Too often India, and we as individuals, set low bars and standards on what is good. ‘Chalta hai,’ ‘It’s okay,’ ‘the city is clean enough’ ‘the pollution is not so bad,’ ‘Indian products aren’t the best, but good enough for the price’ are all examples of us settling for or justifying mediocrity. Why not aim higher? Why believe that we are or deserve less than the rest of the world? We may lag in some aspects right now, why not aim to be better, or even the best? Why not aim for airports, roads and metros that aren’t just functional, but the best in the world? Why not have our manufacturing industry not just comparable to Philippines and Vietnam, but better than any other nation? Why assume that we will never be good at football, but aim to be in the World Cup Football finals in twenty years? And why is it ok for you to have this mediocre career or fitness levels, why not become the best you can be?
Setting higher standards for yourself, is the first step to that journey of being the best. If we did it in cricket, why not someplace else?
The second lesson is to do massive amounts of work after you set your high goal. The Indian team didn’t just become this good by chance. It became so by practicing, playing more and working harder than almost any other team on earth. Even the IPL, a tournament that goes on for months, and requires quick run scoring may have helped the team. There is a high focus on personal fitness in the team. Many players are ripped, something you never saw with cricketers before.
The third learning from Indian cricket is to value merit almost above everything else. Indian cricket may have some politics, is largely a place where merit is recognized, rewarded and celebrated. India has a massive pool of talent. It will only come to the top and shine if we truly value a merit based society. The more we deviate from that, using connections, nepotism or bringing in any other unnecessary politics, the more our performance will drop.
This piece is written right before the India-Australia final, in which I hope India wins. Even if something adverse happened and it wasn’t the team’s day, in some ways Team India has already won the World Cup. Almost any expert will agree the Indian team performed head and shoulders above the others this time. No one match can change that. That said, and no pressure, but India is going to lift the World Cup this time. It’s coming home guys. All the best to the team and its crores of fans!