Men In Blue, Feeling Blue
The ICC World Cup concluded on Sunday 19 November 2023 at The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad after a wonderful series of fabulous cricket ODIs over the last month and a half.
The Cricket World Cup has been around for more than six decades and India has lifted the trophy twice only - once in 1983 led by the iconic Kapil Dev and the second time in 2011 by the Man of Steel, MS Dhoni.
India demonstrated a formidable performance this year and broke many records. It was the only team that consistently smashed all its opponents and won each of the 10 matches before the finals. Virat Kohli was the leading run scorer and the player with 765 runs, breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s record of ODI Tons, and Mohmmad Shami was the ace blower who took 24 wickets.
The final match was no doubt a Clash of the Titans-The audacious Australians who have been the record World Cup champions lifting the trophy six times out of thirteen and the invincible Indians. Obviously, in sport, the best team wins and that’s what happened on Sunday.
The skipper in yellow won the toss and decided to put India to bat, having well thought out the strategy based on the understanding of the pitch, where the dew would have had its due effect of making it slow, initially.
The Indians with all their sportsman spirit accepted the toss of the coin and got on to a great start making every Indian present at the stadium and all those glued to their TV screens once again excited and happy to witness just what they had expected from the Men in Blue.
Rohit Sharma the skipper in blue, as usual, wanted to play his boundaries and sixes to thunderous applause but the Fellows in Yellow used their diving skills perhaps learned from the water sports that Australia has, to limit the Fours, to just singles. Their discipline, alertness and coordinated unity, stood them apart…!
Travis Head, not minding his head, ran backward to catch Rohit’s lofted stroke over cover off to achieve their target of seeing Rohit Sharma depart to the dressing room before his Fifty.
Virat being the sensible player that he has been, realised his responsibility of staying the course and being content with the singles, where India was 80 for 2 after the first powerplay and Virat completed his half ton and the Indian team made a reasonable 240. This target set for the Aussies was not lean or mean given that it was against a remarkable match in the final match and on a slow pitch.
Rahul Dravid’s coaching and wonderful team build up put the Kangaroos worried when they were at 47 for 3. However, India lost finally and 140 crore Indians and the rest of the world, was disillusioned with Men in Blue, Feeling Blue.
Some may call it the play of the law of averages and the unfortunate part of it being the finals, but is that really so or is there more than what meets the eye?
How come, Cummins field placements never looked as if they were only eleven players in the team whereas the Tigers to be, could afford to miss catches between the slips and stopping the fours seemed the responsibility of only the fielder at the boundary?
In a sport, one team will win and the other will loose is a no brainer and therefore its not the loss that hurts, but what does, is, the loss without the fight.
Did we find the body language of our team to be spirited, charged, all ready to attack, and agile?
It is said that cricket is more of a Mind Game. How much of our team coaching is to strengthen mentally, to fight to the end and not give up prematurely?
In stark contrast, was the cool, resilient attitude of the Aussies who went on to say, ’There’s nothing more satisfying than hearing a big crowd go silent’. The Indian skipper can choose to say ‘We tried everything we could’. Is that really so or India just messed it up comprehensively?
While it is no use crying over spilt milk, evaluation is important given the backdrop of the huge expectations and enthusiasm of 1.4 billion Indians and the rest of the world. We need to ask ourselves whether Sunday’s Final seemed like a Final or whether the Blues treated the Yellows to a cool Sundae.
What happened after the first few overs India bowled?
Did the Indian players exhibit complete agility and form for a unified fight? Why would the fielder not move an inch from his spot to try and stop the ball to limit even the singles when the Aussies not only dived on almost every ball but skid and slid their tall bodies for a tall order? David Warner was at his best.
What happened to the psyche of the Indian team in the first ten matches where they were in a do or die outlook to a submissive final and within the final the second innings moreso versus the first?
It might be interesting to get professional inputs from a team of psychologists who would have followed the ICC world cup on the mindset of the Indian players before, during and after the game on Sunday.
How do we explain the messages learnt from the excellent performance of the Indian team during the first ten matches to the message that will be carried forward from the show in the finals.
Rajiv Memani, Chairman & Managing Partner, EY India in his Linked in post before the final match summarised his observations on the Indian Team’s stellar performance saying it had crafted an extraordinary story of Leadership attributing it to Captain Rohit Sharma, and of Teamwork, Excellence and Consistency in Performance.
Not to be taken otherwise, but did we not observe the Indian captain standing cross armed on the field at a moment when there was too much at stake for him and his country while the Aussies were in a super fighting form with their backs arched and their palms resting firmly on their knees-just ready to swing themselves in whichever direction required. Securing wickets is not always under one’s control completely but isn’t fielding well, a pure voluntary action?
So what happened in the Finals, for that earth shattering change?
Is home turf good or bad for Indian cricketers? Why was so much enthusiasm and excitement created for the finals and the venue of Ahmedabad chosen instead of Mumbai or Kolkata of the historic past?
Travel, hospitality, media, consumer durables are some of the sectors who would have laughed to the bank with each Indian not wanting to miss every second of not only a once in four years entertainment but to witness a reality which they were so hopeful of. Betting, though illegal in India, thrives on such events but is eventually a zero sum game.
The opposition parties were missed in the Sunday finals. Has cricket not united the political parties in the past?
Isn’t it surprising that Kapil Dev and MS Dhoni seemed conspicuously absent from an event where they have been the only Indian record makers in International world cup cricket?
The ad of a paan masala brand which seems to have been shot with Virendra Sehwag as its brand ambassador was repeated with Kapil Dev also as its brand ambassador. Did it not look like a forced fit to ensure that the icon is not out of sight at the event where he ought to be. It was later circulated that he said he had not been invited with his then team.
While the individual records of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are unmatched and unparalleled, a team is only as good as the sum of its parts.
A friend recited “Ummedein waqt ki udtee dhool ki tarah shaam hotey dhal jaati hai…World Cup Final mein bhi kuch aisa hi hua…… aankhein num hain…Dil udaas hain”, but the Divine providence had something else in store.
Life goes on, Cricket will go on. What’sapp university will suggest IT sops for the 140 crore Indians, but introspection is important.
The author is FCA, MBA (FMS), Ph. D
Corporate Advisor & Mentor
