After 17 years of unwavering dedication, success is finally achieved!

A very emotional journey behind the recent T20 Cricket World Cup 2024 winners - Team India. Let us unpack essential life lessons to learn.

Jun 30, 2024

For a Nation of Billions, cricket is not just a sport; it is a sport that brings the entire nation together; it is an emotion, passion, a religion. The whole world comes to a standstill when Team India is playing.

The T20 World Cup Final on June 29, 2024, was monumental. It was a day when countless dreams were realized, hard work paid off, and significant milestones were reached.

The realization of all this is not limited to just the team that played for the trophy; every sports lover, every cricketer, and every Indian is invested in this with the same emotions as the playing eleven.

As a takeaway, there are a lot of life lessons that we all can learn.

Indeed, sports are a universal language that we all speak. We often use sports and their analogies to simplify complex concepts and apply sporting principles in our daily lives.

Following is my viewpoint on the finals of T20 World Cup 2024.

Rishabh Pant - “There is no greater strength in the universe than Self-Believe.”
For the fans, this life-threatening incident involving Rishabh Pant in December 2022 is well known. (Details in his interview with Star-Sports - Believe: From Death and Back)
He had the most challenging job in the team - to keep the wickets, especially after recovering from leg injuries. For the uninitiated, a wicketkeeper has to squat up/ down and dive left/ right for every ball bowled through an innings. He did all that with perfection.

For the record - he took 13 catches and one stumping. No wicketkeeper (or player, for that matter) other than Pant has had even ten dismissals in a men's T20 World Cup.
From that tragic day in 2022 to making a comeback and winning the World Cup in June 2024, it is no less than a miracle. If Rishabh can do it in 547 days, there are many things we can achieve in that amount of time with just self-belief and the persistence to do a bit every day toward achieving our goals.
Jasprit Bumrah - “A genius of his craft - a true perfectionist.”
Jasprit always keeps his captain up when tasked with generating pressure and capturing wickets. He is a class of bowler in any form of Cricket. He has variations and, most importantly, confidence in his skill.
The record speaks for itself.
Jasprit Bumrah's T20 World Cup 2024 will go down in history as one of the greatest individual campaigns ever seen in the event's history.
The Player of the Tournament, he finished with 2/18 (4) as India closed out a seven-run win—a total of 15 wickets.
This genius teaches us to find that one thing we are so good at that no one else does it better. The key is to identify that one thing, and with complete dedication and perseverance, make it the most critical skill such that the whole world depends on you. Jasprit has never let his captain or his fans down with his bowling.
Hardik Pandya - “Staying Focus on What Matters the most”
It was a very different Hardik Pandya from the recently concluded IPL 2024 tournament to the T20 World Cup that followed it.
The entire nation - media and fans heavily trolled him for his captaincy, performance, and attitude.
However, Hardik Pandya never bothers to respond, correct, or even entertain any of that noise getting into his thoughts.
He seemed up for the most significant achievement for himself, his team, and his country, and he did not feel a need to answer anyone.
Sometimes, it is best to let your work speak for yourself.
"Haven't Spoken A Word": Crying Hardik Pandya Calls Out His Unfair Treatment Over Last 6 Months.”
He scored 144 runs and took 11 crucial wickets, making his performance in the final outstanding. He took critical wickets of Klassen, David Miller, and Rabada, who all tried to take the win away from India.
This is a widespread life event when we are caught up in noise from people and events surrounding our lives. Just like Hardik, it is essential to stay focused on what matters the most. Similar to the bestselling book “The One Thing” By Gary Keller. The power of focusing on what matters most at that moment and giving your 100% towards it.
Rohit Sharma - “Demonstrating Commitment & Leadership of highest level”
For Indian Cricket fans, November 19th, 2023, was the most painful day. The world knew Team India deserved to win the One-Day International World Cup. However, a better victory script was in the making, destined to happen 223 days later on the other side of the globe.
For Rohit Sharma, those 223 days would have been a nightmare when you knew you deserved the best to claim a World Cup Win in November 2023. He showed commitment towards his dream of becoming a successful Captain of a World Cup-winning team and led the team with example in games under pressure.
He is a humble human who speaks his heart and enjoys his game. He is undoubtedly one of the best Cricket Captains in India.
For records, he was the second-top scorer in the T20 World Cup, scoring 257 runs. However, his contribution to this World Cup and to Indian Cricket over the last two decades cannot be measured.
The greatest lesson from this is also the most common and well-known lesson. It is a practical example of how failures are stepping stones towards something genuinely remarkable. It is just that many of us lose faith and stop believing that success is right around the corner.
Rahul Dravid - “The Pursuit of Happiness.” OR “If you believe in your dreams, the universe helps you achieve them.”
This one is special!
It's more like a movie, but better than Will Smith in Pursuit of Happyness.
Those who follow Indian Cricket need no introduction to Rahul Dravid. He is one of the living legends of Indian Cricket.
However, throughout his career, his performance has always been overshadowed by other talented players.
Despite his illustrious career, Dravid never won a World Cup as a player. He was part of the Indian team that reached the 2003 ODI World Cup final but fell to Australia. He wasn't part of the 2011 World Cup-winning squad under MS Dhoni.
As captain in the 2007 ODI World Cup, India faced an early exit. Coincidentally, this World Cup was played in the Caribbean.
The T20 World Cup 2024 was also played in the Caribbean; I am sure he relieved every moment of bad memories of the 2007 World Cup when he was coaching the team. All he wanted was to turn those into great memories for the generation.
Team India did precisely that for their coach. They won the Cup and created memories for the entire world to remember for generations to come. The whole universe came together to make it happen for Rahul Dravid because his dream was pure and passionate.
Throughout his career, he never received appreciation for all his contributions; however, as a coach of a World Cup-winning team, he did redeem the glory that was due for the last three decades.
There is much to unpack here—patience, Focus, Passion, and a Never-Give-up Spirit; however, the essential lesson stands out: have a dream and work hard to achieve it - if not as a player…then as a coach.
The Pursuit of Happiness
He is another humble human at heart, never outspoken, always keeping his emotions in check; he is one of the greatest who not only played the game with passion but also coached the youngsters to play the game with the same passion.
The whole universe will support you if your dream is pure & full of passion!
Other fond memories that will always be cherished for generations to come.
The Fans will miss you.