Phew! So India has made it to the semis of the T20 World Cup. As have Pakistan, England and New Zealand. But our heart goes out to South Africa. Sad loss. Here’s Dr Bhaskar Das in the November 7 edition of Das ka Dum. Read on…
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Q. Ireland bt England and Netherlands robbed South Africa a berth in the semis. Clearly one can’t treat any competitor lightly. Any lesson in life from this for our readers?
A. Cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties, specially the short format of the game. A team is as good as the last match. I doubt, in this case, any team has taken their competitor lightly. It is just that on that day, one team has better mental control over the game. Besides, all the teams have understood the algorithm of the game. The underdogs (ie probability-wise in the global pecking order) had nothing to lose. So they give their best to create disruption. This year’s World Cup has caused unexpected exits of powerful teams like West Indies, Australia and South Africa, inspite of the fact that the latter two teams have great track records. At the same time, Pakistan has risen from ashes. And that’s the fun and excitement of T201 format of the game.
One can stretch one’s imagination and there are certainly possible lessons in the area of business. But the business world is replete with stories of Davids upsetting Goliaths. And the message was clear even before T201 was invented.