His passion for cricket may have caused Pratham Singh to defer joining a post graduate programme in the Indian School of Business but that decision has not stopped him from learning in the inter-cultural environment that he now finds himself in – as part of the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Tata Indian Premier League.
From his room in Mumbai, the Delhi-based left-handed opener who has played 16 Ranji Trophy matches for Railways shares his learning that there are not a few similarities between IPL and management education. The 29-year-old has had time to introspect and articulate his thoughts even as he replays some of his knocks from before in his own mind.
“With globalisation, the world is moving towards being more cosmopolitan. My team-mates are from different cultures and have different experiences. But we share a common goal. In any such environment, the key word is collaboration. And that encompasses so many other qualities like inclusivity and a sense of belonging,” he says.
He has also learnt from different perspectives from cricketers like Ajinkya Rahane and Sam Billings, for instance. “It opens my mind. I realise that there may be no set of ways to do a particular thing. Everyone has one’s own way of doing things. I am sure it is the same elsewhere – be it in sport, be in running a business or be it running a family.
“Besides all these, in a successful organsation like KKR, one learns to be a professional, to focus on doing the job well and that other things will fall in place. I am sure MBA will also not be about just academics but learning from the diverse individuals in the class. I think there are many similarities between IPL and a top business management school,” says Pratham Singh.
Back in 2017, when he was not as experienced in first-class cricket, he learnt the importance of preparation and of focusing on the process rather than on the outcome during his time with Gujarat Lions. “My conversations with the likes of Dinesh Karthik and Suresh Raina helped me improve as a player. I was able to choose a direction for my career,” he says.
“I also learnt not to bring added pressure on myself by pining for opportunity to prove myself. Of course, like all cricketers in IPL, I was hoping to get a couple of matches, but it was all about learning that one must get better each day, even if only slightly,” he says, having learnt this life lesson from his father, Sudhir Kumar Singh.
To be sure, Pratham Singh has got unstinted support from his father, an engineer himself. “When I told him that I may not be able to sustain a living through cricket, he pointed out that the word champion is associated with athletes rather than scholars. He has been an amazing part of my journey so far,” he says.
One of the things Pratham Singh plans to take up soon after IPL is to a Vipassana session. He says despite his ability to grasp things, he still needs to work on developing his mental strength. Then again, he only has to look back at his own life to find a shining example of resilience and ability to deal with anxiety.
The focus on cricket during college days meant that he would be unable to take any examinations in December and had to clear 22 papers in his final year. The likelihood of four years going waste gave him many a sleepless night. He is grateful for the exemption from the attendance rules which allowed him to complete his Bachelor of Technology in first division.
“We have a misconception, especially in the northern part of India, that one must pick either education or sport or socializing. I realised that it is possible to balance them all. It is all about time management. Even if I didn’t get to play for India and got picked for by an IPL team, I wanted to learn all the time and arm myself with more education,” he says.
In 2020, when uncertainty was the buzzword in domestic cricket, like in all areas of life because of the pandemic, he spent three months preparing for GMAT to be able to pursue a master’s degree in business management.
“I cleared that with 90 percentile and tried to get in touch with former athletes who passed out of Indian School of Business. For some reasons, I was unable to speak with them, but I was lucky to meet Maj. Anil Kumar, a Shaurya Chakra Awardee who went to ISB after taking retirement from the Army,” he recalls.
The Railways opener shared his dream of doing an MBA programme from a very good school like ISB and doubts as he lacked relevant work experience. “Maj. Anil Kumar encouraged me by saying ISB really encourages diversity. He went a step further and said I had the necessary qualities and would add value in class,” he says.
The strapping batter remembers being surprised at getting an interview call. “The interview lasted an hour, and I got the letter of admission after a month,” he says. However, since domestic cricket had resumed, ISB said he could defer his admission until he stopped playing. As his luck would have it, he got picked by Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL Players’ Auction.
He identifies an area in which he can do some work. “I get starts but have to convert them to big hundreds,” he says, revealing an ability to be self-critical. “I am running out of time in fulfilling my father’s dream when it comes to cricket, but I am sure I will do something that will make my father proud.”
Pratham Singh’s education has been a point of strength for him from within a dressing room perspective. “I am keen on learning and am curious. Cricketers have learnt so much about life on their travels and interactions. And I learn a great deal about life from them. There is so much to learn from different people, so much new knowledge than can be acquired,” he says.
Blessed with a mind that absorbs like sponge and with friends who goad him to attain greater heights, Pratham Singh quest to acquire knowledge promises to take him on a journey that few other contemporary Indian athletes have sampled.
