The Hindu Business Line : Revision 20-20

There is a new national sport in the country. No, it isn’t blowing your horn at the vehicles around you, like it’s a proclamation of your manhood. It’s actually the twenty-over version of the game which was once called cricket.

Actually to classify this phenomenon as only the new national sport would be a touch blinkered as far as the ramifications of this term go. Our nation, especially the younger version, which as helpful statisticians will point out, is the larger part of it, seems to be moving towards what could be called a ‘20-20 mindset’.

Let us examine some of the key indicators of how this trend is exhibiting itself.

The shorter-term perspective

It’s just not possible today to ask the once (in)famous standard question which used to present the easy path for most under-prepared interviewers - ‘Where do you see yourself five years from now?’ One would encounter a cynical smirk, sometimes on both sides of the table.

It’s time to wake up, those days are long in the past, and this is the case across applicants in many industries. People seem to be living in a state of ‘divine discontent’ when it comes to most things. Career paths are not as long drawn out as they used to be. ‘Live for the moment’ seems to be the clarion call of the hour, with emphasis on ‘live’.

Given the exposure to media and increasing access to the mesmeric possibilities of the World Wide Web, people are continuously re-evaluating their choices. Hence there is a state of uneasiness that sets in the moment things don’t go according to plan. This results in shorter stints at organisations, shorter attention spans generally and tragically shorter ‘long-term’ relationships as well

To take the cricketing analogy further, in the past, five-day test matches ensured that players had to grind their way through difficult sessions and pitches; it celebrated perseverance and resilience as values. Today those values seem to be moving towards extinction.

Patience seems to be the latest four-letter word of the new India.

Packing in more

The 20-20 game has bridged sport and entertainment perhaps like no other initiative this country has seen before. But underlying this merger is a far more deep reaching concept. It is the fact that this ‘20-20 generation’ is expecting more out of every aspect of their lives. ‘Why can’t cricket be like a movie?’, ‘Why can’t movies be more like cricket?’ ‘Why can’t cricket stars also converse well?’

There was a time when the Man of the Match Award recipient used to dissolve into the background after picking up his prize. But now he is expected to speak with some authority about what went through his mind when he was performing. In effect, he actually also needs to create the background for his exploits, and that is just one example.

Take a look at a standard screen format of any news channel – it is packed to the brim with information. The amazing thing is that the concerned audiences are able to process most of what is incident on them. Previously people needed one good reason to gravitate towards a brand, today is it time to develop many? When consumers expect themselves to be so multifaceted (ideally), can marketers still religiously follow the ‘single-minded proposition’ approach that has been the backbone of most marketing efforts over the past?

The level playing field

The shorter version of the game in many ways counters the effects of ‘class’. A single stroke off a legendary bowler can elevate a greenhorn to the same pedestal; likewise, one delivery which claims the master’s wicket at the right time can make a rookie an overnight sensation. We are entering the era of many and instant stars. The few icons which lorded over our minds are going to be replaced by newer fleeting sensations that will keep emerging and fading.

Reality television programming has also ensured that becoming a ‘face in the crowd’ is now within the reach of many people. An interesting destination to this theory is that eventually ‘you will be your own celebrity’.

Thomas Friedman touched upon the ‘level playing field’ in his book The World Is Flat. It certainly seems to be the case. There will be lesser awe for established institutions because everyone will, in a while, believe that greatness or success is within their grasp as well.

To conclude, we might be seeing the evolution of a different species, quite unlike the one authoring this or the unsuspecting reader who has stumbled this way. Whether this is taking the nation the right way forward is a touch too early to judge, but the change is sweeping through right now. It might just feel like a ripple at present but a dangerous tidal momentum seems to be forecast.

So while we celebrate 20-20 cricket, let us take cognisance of the metamorphosis that is happening, else it leaves us stumped.

The author is an independent strategic and ideation consultant. He is also the patron saint of Juhu Beach United, a footballing movement that celebrates the ‘unfit, out- of-breath working professional of today’.