The Indian cricket team has been unstoppable in the ongoing edition of the ICC World Cup 2023. After beating England recently, India has maintained a streak of 6 straight wins. Whether chasing down totals or defending marginal ones, India has succeeded with aplomb.
QNET India reviews the Indian team’s wins this year at the Cricket World Cup. There are some valuable lessons for entrepreneurs to glean from the Indian team’s successes to become successful in business.
India’s Wins at ICC World Cup 2023
India began its ICC World Cup 2023 campaign at three wickets down for two runs while chasing a meagre total of 200 runs set by Australia. But not many had imagined the ensuing results. Since then, India has come back, and how.
The Indian team, led by captain Rohit Sharma, has bulldozed through some of the best teams in the world, including Australia, New Zealand and England. At the end of their 6th match, the Indian cricket team was at the top with a second-best net run rate (NRR) of 1.405.
Points Table (as of October 30, 2023):
While 5 of the six wins so far have come while chasing in the second innings, the victories can be attributed to certain best practices India has adopted. Here are some of the essential lessons that can define the functions of an entrepreneur in India in making their business successful:
Celebrating Each Other’s Wins
The excellent camaraderie between the players is one of the secrets behind India’s success. Almost all players have admitted no competition in the dressing room. Instead, they celebrate each other’s wins and successes.
This culture of teamwork and complementing each other has been an ongoing trend since the captaincy days of MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli. However, even the ongoing World Cup edition saw players helping and supporting each other in their wins. Be it Hardik Pandya supporting KL Rahul or Rahul and Ravindra Jadeja helping Kohli reach his milestones, teamwork has been at play. A successful entrepreneur understands and nurtures a culture of celebrating individual and team wins among the members.
Flexibility
A successful leader also leads from the front by being flexible and sacrificial. This has been exhibited by captain Rohit Sharma throughout the tournament so far, especially in India’s sixth match in the World Cup against England.
In the first five matches, India was chasing targets after mainly restricting teams to achievable scores through some quality bowling. Rohit Sharma, who always wants his team to play more aggressively, led from the front by hitting higher strike rates of 120 to 150. Yet, he slowed down his strike rate when the team had to set a target batting first against England recently on a tricky pitch.
Sharma admitted that he did what was “necessary for the team”, even if that meant being flexible in how he played. Often, the best entrepreneur is not the one who is flamboyant and has only one style of functioning. Instead, it is someone who is flexible and adjusts his style of functioning depending on what his organisation or team requires.
Driving Motivation
Entrepreneurs often face the challenge of inducing motivation continually among team members. Often, in an attempt to motivate team members, leaders also wrongly pit them against each other.
Here, the Indian cricket team management has set a healthy example. In the current ICC World Cup 2023 edition, the Indian team management introduced a unique way of motivating all the players to give their best on the field. This year, the Team India fielding coach, T Dilip, introduced the ‘Best Fielder Medal’ where the best fielding effort was rewarded in the dressing room post every match.
However, they did so by introducing a healthy competitive spirit among all players without pitting them against each other. The move has helped the Indian dressing room continue celebrating each other’s wins while trying to give their best.
Taking Risks
When the all-rounder Hardik Pandya damaged a ligament in his left ankle during India’s match against Bangladesh, there was massive speculation that India might continue to play it safe with Shardul Thakur and replace Pandya with another all-rounder. However, rather than opting to play R Ashwin, the jack-of-all-trades, India and Rohit Sharma opted to play a batting specialist in Suryakumar Yadav and a specialist fast bowler, Mohammad Shami.
Considered risky by many, the move was also tested in the recent match against England. India kept losing wickets, completely exposing the tail-end batters and resulting in a less-than-desirable target to protect. But the move proved to be genius as Shami and Jasprit Bumrah dismantled the formidable England lineup, with Yadav also playing a crucial innings as India won by 100 runs.
Entrepreneurs in India have a valuable lesson here to learn about taking risks. While some challenging and risky decisions may sometimes result in failures, they often lead to high returns and boost the morale of team members who are backed by the decision.
Rising To The Occasion
Virat Kohli needs no introduction and no comparison. Yet, former England cricketer Michael Vaughan recently compared Kohli with Lionel Messi, saying, ‘Great players always arrived in World Cups’. Much has been made about Kohli’s slump during 2020 and 2021. But a champion like Kohli cannot stay quiet for long.
The ongoing ICC World Cup 2023 has already seen Kohli join Sachin Tendulkar in the elite list of the highest number of centuries in One Day Internationals (ODIs) at 48. There is a high chance that Kohli may surpass Tendulkar in this tournament. Entrepreneurs can learn a thing or two from champions like Kohli about rising to the occasion.
It is straightforward to succumb to pressure. But big stages can also end up challenging and motivating the champions among entrepreneurs to rise to the occasion and absorb the pressure around their team members while excelling.
As business leaders, be they men or women entrepreneurs in India, they can lead from the front while motivating team members to celebrate each other’s wins. Entrepreneurs can drive results for their business by taking risks while being flexible and adjusting their strategies as the situation demands.
At QNET India, entrepreneurs are empowered and nurtured to exhibit these successful traits, evident from the Indian cricket team’s winning ways.
