Down underdogs and servant leadership

I recently watched the docu-series Down Underdogs on Sony LIV. If you are a passionate follower of cricket, then this four-part docu-series is definitely worth a watch. Experts like Harsha Bhogle, Ayaz Memon and players from team India take you through their rollercoaster journey of Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21. Down underdogs takes you through the debacle of the first test match to an extraordinary India's series win by a rag tag team (mostly players from the bench and no big names).

While reliving the test series what stood out for me was the captaincy of our Indian captain. Not Virat Kohli, but Ajinkya Rahane. What Ajinkya displayed as a captain in the the series, was according to me the perfect demonstration of servant leadership.

What is servant leadership, you may ask?

To put it simply, servant leadership is a decentralized and democratized way of leadership where the leader acts as a facilitator to help his team succeed which in turn attributes the success of the leader. The phrase 'servant leadership' was coined by Robert Greenleaf in an essay published back in 1970. Greenleaf defines servant leadership as "a non-traditional leadership philosophy, embedded in a set of behaviors and practices that place a primary emphasis on the well-being of those being served."

The key characteristics that make a good servant leader are:

• Leads from the front: Expect from the team what the leader expects and can do himself.
• Be a facilitator: Understand what hinders others from performing and remove the impediments for them to be effective.
• Always focus on true north: Know what your team goal is and keep steering the team towards the same.

Coming back to the docu-series, captain Rahane truly imbibes the characteristic of a good servant leader and shows how it is brought to action throughout the test series.

In the first test match at Adelaide, India gets into the match as the favorites. With a formidable team (at least on paper) fancying their chances of a series win outside India, especially in Australia after a long time. What happened instead was shocking to say the least. Indians witnessed an embarrassing performance by their team folding for mere thirty-six and losing a winnable match. All hopes crushed the team was written off by the fans. Adding to the pressures of the team was the decision by captain Kohli return home for the birth of his first child.

As the captain departs, the vice-captain is called in to take up the responsibility of a demoralized team. And there steps in or rather steps up vice-captain Ajinkya Rahane. A stark contrast to his predecessor, Ajinkya was a calm, low-key silent operator on filed. Unlike the loud, bombastic and in your face Virat Kohli. Ajinkya's style of leadership gave the team the space for introspection. He never overwhelmed the team with his presence, rather stepped out of their way to let the players do their own thing. He huddled the team to convey a message which most likely would be something like this I imagine. "Each one of you is an expert in what you do. I will not tell you how to do your job better. Rather tell me how I can help you do your job better".

Team India entered the second test trailing by a game. Rahane showed his intent and girt right when it was needed in the first innings by hitting a ton. This century by Ajinkya, created a solid base for the team to win the second test giving them hope of a revival.

The third test starts with both teams at par with one win to their name. Taking inspiration from their new captain resolute knock in the second test, Cheteshwar Pujara with a determined hundred and Jasprit Bumrah with his six wickets haul, won India her second win of the series. Now one up in the series, all India needed was a draw to secure a series win in Australia. Ajinkya stayed in the background to steer the team, never stealing anyone's thunder.

In the final test, when Australia put up a three hundred plus total in the last innings for India to chase. Ajinkya could easily have settled with a draw, the series was already in India's bag. But he led the chase from the front and set the tempo for his team to go for the win. I still remember his shot straight over long on for a six, that was as clear a message as it could get to, for the team to go for the win. With the rains playing a spoilt sport both teams had to settle for a draw.

Thanks to Sony LIV's Down underdogs, I didn’t just relive the exciting moments of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21, but also was inspired to pen this article. Today, I touched upon the merits of servant leadership. I will reserve the flip side of this leadership philosophy for another day.