Frequently Incoherent Ramblings

“I had a point to prove. Not to anybody else but to myself”. These were simple words but in many ways reflect the significance of India’s World Cup victory. Dhoni was talking about his batting finally living up to the standards he set for himself. But in many ways, it was about the Indian team finally achieving the success that many thought they had the ingredients of for many years now.

If the 1983 win came as a pleasant surprise where a team of underdogs overcame much stronger teams by playing a brand of uncomplicated cricket, this latest campaign also came without the weight of expectations, media scrutiny and almost a demand by those who had invested millions to see results that matched their moolah. The intervening years saw the retirement of many of the 1983 heroes and it took a long time before India came close to mounting a serious challenge.

Had India won the World Cup in 1996 or 1999, it would have likely been because of the brilliance of Sachin Tendulkar, returning to England famously after losing his Father. But, even he could not pull it off on his own.

In 2003, a good Indian unit reached the shores of South Africa but they were overshadowed by an Australian side at the peak of their dominance. An Indian side that was trying too hard to announce that they could match anyone with aggressive intent slipped up – Zaheer Khan’s 18 run first over after trying to sledge Gilchrist from the get go being symptomatic.

2007 marked India’s quest to be champions confused with being more like Australia, Famously, the team was prescribed a diet that mandated Pasta on game day as opposed to the Indian fare the team was used to, a move that symbolized how winning cultures cannot be transplanted but need to come organically. A rapidly rotating roster in the lead up which left people confused about their role meant it all went horribly wrong and a simple thinking Bangladeshi side trumped the muddled Indian side.

In these campaigns – whether it was “ambush marketing” where India was exerting its financial muscle or players boarding the flight to the world cup straight from an advertisement shoot, the gap between what people wanted this team to achieve for various reasons and what they ended up with was evident and yawning.

It has been a gradual process of rebuilding and improvement since then – coinciding with the tenure of Gary Kirsten who believed in bringing out the best each player had to offer, a captain Dhoni, who remained equanimous and was secure about his strengths as a leader, player and team and also accompanied by the slow decline of the Australian side. And players like Yuvraj, Raina, Zaheer, Sehwag and Harbhajan who had seen the peaks and troughs of international cricket and who had time, during those troughs to reflect on their own strengths and realize what success at the highest level meant to them and how they had to condition themselves mentally and physically and also understand that success was not guaranteed by ability. Of course, a liberated Tendulkar, enjoying the most glorious late summers of his cricketing life but knowing that it no longer was him or bust, was the glue that held it all together along with Dhoni.

So when success came, it was not one that was achieved by mimicking Australia. It wasn’t one that came at the expense of anybody else – like Pakistan or South Africa. It came to a group of individuals who dug deep to produce their best, for each other and for themselves, without worrying too much about what it meant to others or what incentives lay in store for them. And more significantly, it came with each member of the team contributing and it wasn’t about one or two people individually having the tournament of their lives.

India Inc - one that includes not just the corporate bosses but those who go hand in hand from Bollywood to South Block in Delhi, was in full view at Mohali and Wankhede, ready to embrace the success of Team India and explore associations that would help further their own interests. There will be many who will define this success on terms that stand to benefit them in some way.

Much has been said about what this win might mean for India Inc. But what this means to the rest of us in India Exc (excluded) is equally if not more significant. Like the many who could not get tickets because they were not part of some club or the other. The many more who would have watched Dhoni clout that winning six on TV sets far away from the bright lights of South Mumbai, who finally had an image of our cricketers more enduring than them selling Cola or Engine Oil. The millions who would have gone to sleep wondering if the next morning would be as bright at the firecrackers that lit the night sky in Mumbai.

In the coming days and weeks, many things will be asked of these men. There are numerous interests that want them to be many things to many people – from peace ambassadors to brand ambassadors. Among the many roles these cricketers will be asked to play is to be one of the few bridges between India Exc and India Inc. And if that bridge endures, it will be more because of the fundamental human qualities of this victory that India Exc. will connect with at a basic level.

So, just like success achieved by Dhoni and his team looks and feels different from that achieved by Ponting’s team, perhaps our own successes will come in their unique flavor – be it in cricket or any other pursuit we choose. That we just need to look inwards and dig deep enough and persevere long enough. And that like Dhoni’s team, we will be judged not just by one tournament but how we do over a sustained period of time. When we seek success for the right reasons, surround ourselves with people that share that vision in its purest form and give it our all, our own private World Cup moment is within our grasp.