I know we all would still be in a state of shock and mourning with what we saw at the World Cup

today, but as the match drew to a close and it became apparent that India is going to exit the
tournament due to “45 minutes of bad cricket” (as Kohli described it later), I couldn’t help but get
a bit philosophical in drawing multiple comparisons between what we saw on the cricket field
today to our own professional and personal lives. So, I felt like sharing some lessons for life
which may resonate with many of us in our workplace journeys.

Talented top-order’s off day

“Execution is what ultimately matters…”

India batting top-order is arguably the best in the world in terms of talent. Plus, most strategic decisions
taken during the match by Kohli/Shastri made sense (except probably sending Dhoni so low down the
order). And yet India failed to cross the line – Why? Poor execution. Our shot selection was poor and we
just didn’t execute the right plans considering the conditions of the match. It’s the same in our profession
– we can have the best talent in the organization and the best strategies in place, but without proper
execution on the ground, it all counts for nothing. So what matters eventually is simply what can we get
done on the ground!

Jadeja’s heroics + NZ’s death bowling

“Thriving under immense pressure…”
Imagine the kind of pressure and nerves Jadeja would be feeling when he walked in with India 6 wickets
down and needing a truckload of runs to win – no one in the world would have given him a semblance of
chance to achieve anything remotely close to what he actually did. And for the Kiwi bowlers when they
were getting thrashed by Jadeja and facing a real threat of India overhauling the target, their bowling was
calm, controlled and accurate despite the tremendous pressure! We can’t even fathom the kind of
pressures sportsmen go through in crunch moments like these – in real life, the pressures may be less
dramatic than on a sports field, but the message is the same – success belongs to those who not only
thrive under stress, but actually get the best out of them in such nerve-wracking situations!

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LIFE LESSONS FROM SPORTS
Vinamra Srivastava

Guptill running out Dhoni

“Power of practice and redemption…”
Guptill had a horrible tournament with the bat. He had a nondescript day in the field...till that fateful
moment when his razor sharp direct throw found MSD inches short of his crease! That run-out was
probably the game changing moment that decided the winner. So how did Guptill manage to come up
with such an accurate throw in split seconds under such high pressure? Practice! Modern day sportsmen
hone their skills through long hours of practice and hard work, probably no different from our corporate
lives, where continued dedication and focus can achieve wonders! The other aspect was how Guptill
redeemed himself – all those failures with the bat forgotten with one moment of brilliance that got NZ into
the finals. Such is life….it will always give us a chance to redeem ourselves and clean up our follies from
the past…it’s all about how alert we are to grab such opportunities and turnaround our careers and lives
with a masterstroke!

Fightbacks – NZ, then India, then NZ

“Never say die”
This may sound clichéd, but sports is such a great teacher of the age old philosophy of never giving up
in life and keep fighting till the end! NZ had lost 3 consecutive matches in the league table and barely
managed to edge out Pakistan on Run Rate to qualify for the semis. They also posted only a modest
score on the first day and no one gave them a serious chance. But their bowlers fought back against all
odds and almost wrapped up the game in the first hour itself on the next day. But then India fought back
from a bottomless pit and almost pulled out an impossible win before NZ again fought back at the end!
Such an attritional game is a great display of how in life those who excel are invariably those who wear
a “never say die” attitude on their sleeves!

Table toppers get a knockout punch

“Delivering when it matters”
India topped the table winning 8 out of 9 matches. India also became the #1 ranked team recently. And
yet when it mattered the most, they got knocked out in a mere 45 min…yups, one month of consistency
and excellence overshadowed in 45 min of poor cricket! Sports can be cruel…and so can be life. And
hence we must never count our chickens before they are hatched, and focus on delivering that knockout
punch to all our challenges in life when it matters the most! What you did in the past counts for less –
what you are doing as of today is what will decide how your future shapes up! Resting on past laurels is
a recipe for disaster – both in sports and in the corporate world.

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LIFE LESSONS FROM SPORTS
Vinamra Srivastava

Kohli’s press conference

“Equanimity of a leader”
But finally, watching Kohli’s press conference gave me a sense of calm. Now people may or may not like
Kohli as a leader or captain, I am not judging that. But what struck me was the maturity with which he
handled the tough volley of questions from the press. Imagine someone emotionally crestfallen after such
a heartbreaking defeat, and then having to turn up immediately in front of the whole world to answer
sharp critics and take ownership and responsibility for the fiasco. That’s what true leadership is all
about…it’s about leading by example, owning up equally to the good and the bad, standing by your team
in moments of crisis and yet doing a detailed post mortem and taking strict actions to amend the
errors...but at end of the day, staying composed, self-assured, and looking at life in a broader perspective
without getting too swayed by the successes and failures. Kohli said something that I hold dear as my
own philosophy in life – always maintain balance as a leader – not too excited by the achievements, and
not too stressed by the challenges. Equanimity of emotions and not swaying to extremes is a hallmark of
a true leader.

Phew…My apologies to those who don’t follow cricket…but I hope you may still appreciate the
eerie similarity sports throws up with our own lives and attitudes!
PS: For those who like reading, I had written a blog few years ago on a similar topic of how
sports teaches us lessons of life…for your leisurely reading pleasure:
http://vinz-world.blogspot.com/2016/04/how-sports-is-saving-worldone-game-at.html