Who is the Steve Jobs of Cricket?

Steve Jobs, 1955-2011

In the morning, when I woke up and logged in to check my twitter stream (that’s how I start my day), I was shocked to get the news of early demise of Steve Jobs. I became a bit emotional. I belong to a generation which grew up admiring the innovations and ideas of Steve and his work at Apple, the company he founded. Rest in Peace, Steve. You will always be missed and no one can match your contributions and accomplishments. I am sure you will make heaven a better place like you did to our world.

The best thing about Steve Jobs is the legacy he has left us with. You may hate Apple products but you got to admire the ideas behind these products of Steve Jobs that revolutionised the way we use technology. Being a cricket enthusiast, I wondered if anyone in the Game of cricket will have a lasting legacy like that of Steve Jobs. This kind of comparisons may be naive, still which cricketer has a life almost similar to Steve? In short, who is the Steve Jobs of cricket?

My mind gave me the answer: Sourav Ganguly. A leader beyond comparison, a visionary who saw the dream of World Champion Indian team and worked to take Indian cricket to the next level. May not be Cricket’s, Sourav Ganguly may be called as the Steve Jobs of Indian cricket. On leadership, Steve had said,

Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower

This quote best describes Steve and Sourav. Both were able leaders who had the trust of their colleagues and inspired millions by their actions. Not just their ideas, thoughts and visions put them in the same league, but a look at their careers and lives will reveal how similar their stories are.

In 1985, Jobs was ousted from Apple by John Sculley after a disagreement on how to run the company. Ironically, it was Jobs who had brought Sculley from Pepsi to work at Apple. Jobs was stripped of operating authority in the company of which he was the co-founder. This is similar to the Ganguly-Chapell spat that the world witnessed. Ganguly was ousted from the captaincy and later from the team over a disagreement with Greg Chapell. The same Greg Chapell was brought to Indian cricket by Ganguly himself. Ganguly found himself out of the team he built.

Another similarity between Jobs and Ganguly is their never say die attitude. Both of them, made several comebacks in their careers silencing their critics. And all these comebacks have been spectacular. After being ousted from Apple, Jobs founded another company called NEXT computers. Later, in 1996, Apple bought NEXT computers and brought Steve Jobs back to the company he co-founded. He changed the way Apple worked and led it on a fresh path which guided many innovations. Recently during his illness, when he was on medical leave, he made appearances during iPad2 launch event. India’s comeback king’s story is quite similar. Every time, people thought that ‘dada’ is down and out, he came back strongly. After the ouster from team India on the insistence of Greg Chapell, Sourav went back to domestic cricket and impressed the selectors again. Selectors had to give him a chance at the top level. Sourav returned and scripted a new chapter in his cricketing story, just like Steve did during his second stint at Apple.

Barack Obama, the US President’s message on Steve’s death, uses the best words to describe the ‘Steve Jobs’ phenomenon.

Steve was among the greatest of American innovators — brave enough to think differently, bold enough to believe he could change the world, and talented enough to do it

The same is applied for Sourav Ganguly too. They thought differently, they believed that their thoughts would work and they were successful doing what they believed in. That’s the recipe of success. Hunger for success is the secret of success. In Steve Jobs’ own words,

Do your best at every job. No sleep! Success generates more success. So be hungry for it.