Earlier this week, South Africa won the second Test of their series against Australia and with it the series in one of the most dominant performances ever on Australian soil. The result came on the back of a 5-0 hiding inflicted by South Africa on Australia in the One-Day International series in South Africa. One of the most striking aspects of their wins is they have done it without the two most recognisable players in their team, AB de Villiers and Dale Steyn.
The result begs the question, how valuable are these so called superstars in the team, then? What is the impact of their presence? Do the staggering numbers written against their names create a false aura, when in a team game, one person doing it all also prevents the rest from contributing? We can extend the question beyond the world of sports of course to any situation where a team of two or more people is pulling along in the same direction. They say for a great team, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts but if one part is much bigger than others, does it act as a hindrance in making that whole greater?
The illusion of a saviour
A discussion like this can never be done in terms of statistics alone, as the numbers themselves often create the illusion of a saviour of a team in the form of a superstar. A talisman that the team cannot survive without. For those who need numbers to get their minds running, here are some statistics. Throughout his ODI career, Tendulkar missed 176 games for India. The win/loss ratio for the team in those games was 1.194 which is slightly better than the win/loss ratio of 1.170 in all the ODI matches Tendulkar played for India.
Before you start pointing your ballistic missiles in my direction for belittling India’s greatest ever cricketer, this is not a reflection on Sachin’s own abilities but the impact of his greatness on the players around him. I also understand the numbers need to be looked at in greater details to get the complete picture. For example, Tendulkar missed some of the matches against lower ranked teams towards the end of his career which pushes up that win/loss ratio for the team in his absence. But still, given all the talk about India’s dependence on Tendulkar to win that game, I expected those numbers to tell a different story.
Those who remember Virat Kohli’s early days in ODI cricket would know that he started making a name for himself by scoring consistently when Tendulkar was out of the team due to his injuries. He may not have played some of the games he won for India if Tendulkar was fit, and even if he played, chances are his contribution may not have been so significant if Tendulkar was setting up games for the team at the top of the order.
Such a situation where the need for a new saviour arrives allowing someone with unexplored potential to step up is a blessing in disguise. Teams where everyone perpetually keeps feeling that push to step up and deliver are often the ones that manage to deliver consistently. Rising up often requires a crisis, a Neo needs to get stranded alone in the Matrix and face up to Agent Smith to realize he can dodge bullets.
A blessing in disguise
India’s dependence on Kohli these days, especially in limited over games is similar to how India could not look beyond Tendulkar in his heydays to win matches. Kohli has rarely been out of form in the last five years. It is almost natural, then, that rest of the players in his team get so used to his comforting presence in the middle that they panic as soon as he gets out. That is the flip side of having one player so consistent that rest of the players do not get exposed to tough match situations often enough.
Is it possible then to manage greatness in a way that it does not suppress potential around it? Rotation of players is a policy that teams have adopted from time to time. Often, the rationale behind it is to give rest to players to keep them fit for an important contest but I assume a side goal should also be to allow your second string of players graduate from talented players to match winners. Whether it is possible to rest someone like Kohli for a major series in an era where television revenues are central to running of the game, is anyone’s guess though.