Power of negative reinforcement

By Vikram Afzulpurkar

9th April 2014

The T20 World Cup final 2014 between India and Sri Lanka won by the latter made these larger impressions on people:

• ·         Sri Lanka was always a good team and this time got revenge
• ·         India was just too good for themselves until this time and suffered cramps
• ·         Sri Lanka bowled stupendously frugal from overs 17-20 and choked India at an unexpected time

 

A victorious team Lanka did things just right

All quite true and we can add more points. However, let’s analyse what lessons will emerge from a team management, that is, coaching strategy point of view, from this experience in particular. The issue may be more of communication and whether some vital points are being missed out even as we all remain certain that all staff put in their best.

Picture this – okay, 130 has been the small total India has put up. Not enough but anyhow, these things happen and after all there is the ‘curse of small totals’ which may have played psychologically on the Sri Lankans; As if to remind us of this, MS Dhoni the Indian skipper said before the start of the match that if his team were chasing, he would not be worried too much about a

Team think tanks can spell out bullet point strategies. Were these done?

total of 160 or more, nor of something in the 90s or just about 100 if indeed such was to be the case. This sidelight may have bypassed us as our attention turned to the match which was to resume in 5 minutes from then!

Let’s not dwell on the Yuvraj struggling scenario (these things happen) and also MS Dhoni’s equal struggle. The bowling at that stage was just brilliant and while we praise execution easily, what about the strategy? It must have been masterful, given that two or more bowlers were able to execute it well.

Let’s move to the business end, when India started to bowl and defend the total. Well, their line and strategy too was immaculate and the results started to show as top order wickets fell at consistent intervals even as the score progressed comfortably for the Sri Lankans.

Mishra strayed down leg

Amit Mishra seems to have been well advised to stop experimenting with faster balls (at least for the larger part), a mistake which saw him give away many runs in the semi-final against South Africa. He also maintained a steady line even to the left handers. The message given to Ashwin may not have been too specific to a general line to bowl to (off or outside off stump, as an example) probably because he was now recognised as India’s main wicket taking bowler; it might have been assumed he would know his part or at least be allowed to back instinct to bowl ‘wicket taking balls.’ He therefore bowled quite a few balls on leg stump especially to the left handers and while bowling from around

What license did Ashwin have to justify leg side bowling?

the stumps on occasions. This may not have been the best strategy as the resulting boundaries from those deliveries turned the tide. Things needed to be kept frugal even at the cost of regimenting our bowlers and reducing them to labourers who had been given instructions. The only point in favour of this ‘straying line’ may be MS Dhoni’s gamble of Sangakkara probably sweeping to the deep aerially and getting caught out.

Many balls bowled 'down leg' by Indian spinners leaked runs

Mishra too bowled many balls outside leg stump, apart from the wides which are testimony to his straying anyway. These other balls were promptly dispatched for boundaries. What was perhaps lacking from the team vision and coaching was the need for something we call negative re-inforcement. 

 

Sure, we spend time telling bowlers and fielders what to do within a wide scope of developments, meaning positive re-inforcement. However, do we ‘communicate’ the ‘what not to do?’ This would have to been the bowling down legside, something that simply should not be allowed to happen as it leaks vital runs in

Negative reinforcement is a 'positive'

defending a small total. That is negative re-inforcement and if one understands training mechanisms, it is simply not the negative or frilly thing it sounds like! It may just have won us this match if practised.

Corporates too train with negative reinforcement modules

Easier to speak in hindsight but this is not a complaint. It’s a hope that this may have made India wiser in future matches with so much at stake!

Indian Obsession with Captain Fantastics

So again Indian fans are out for the head of the Indian cricket captain MS Dhoni, this one declared earlier to be the most successful ever in India. While this diaspora remains tempestuous (in the 1990s they’d stone the cricketers’ houses to show their disapproval), they are simply saying ‘out’ meaning they don’t want him as skipper in any format. However, at least former cricketers like Saurav Ganguly are being specific that it’s ‘Tests’ he should step out of.

Aussie intellectuals

Ian Chappell: for Virat Kohli's elevation

The highly respected Australian Ian Chappell too is in favour of Dhoni’s ousting in Tests for the better of Indian cricket. However, are these changes mooted by the feeling that Virat Kohli has shown a sort of future captaincy potential, that too since the end of 2007 when he led the Indian Under-19 team to a World Cup victory? Both the senior and Indian teams were paraded and Dhoni and Virat sat on a podium, the images etched in everybody’s mind. Did we in India expect too much with too much certainty? It’s almost like we decided we had to have the results were used to in that heady September month of 2007 and therefore any failure especially from the senior captain meant we had to have Virat in as skipper.

Mallya’s style matches Virat’s?

It’s partially also the reason Vijay Mallya seems to have re-invested hurriedly in Virat Kohli for the Indian Premier League, this year being the seventh successive year that Virat has been retained. That is, he believes he has always had the future Indian captain in his side. And of course, he would go to great lengths in the third Great Auction in the IPL’s 6-year history to secure this man.

Virat: Gotten off the right foot for Indian fans since 2007

Dan Vettori seems to have been ousted from the Royal Challengers Bangalore team as a player (well he probably chose not to be in the auction and avoid a ‘junior’ feeling creeping into him and was chosen as team coach) because he would be dethroned by the popular opinion of elevating Virat to captaincy, more than any really good algorithm.

Vettori: Faith in him jaded too fast?

 Is this also the old Indian feeling of wanting fast results? Because Vettori-led Royal Challengers Bangalore failed in both the 2011 IPL and Champions League final (incidentally at the same venue Chepauk and against the same side Chennai Super Kings), popular opinion in RCB seems to have found the ‘witch’ easily in what would otherwise have been a witch hunt.

Grand Plan

There is little doubt now that Dhoni would be retained as captain in all formats till the 2015 World Cup so as not to destroy his rhythm for this tournament, the biggest prize of all. After that, his ouster from Tests seems a mere formality, barring suddenly good Test match performances by India. What India must realise though is that we must allow for some failures if we want them to perform at that peak in other tournaments.

Ganguly: A different style to Dhoni's?

Simply because India won all matches in a longish Champions Trophy tournament in England while winning the trophy in the end does not mean that winning everything is a must to be a good team. You just can’t have everything.

Know when to peak?
Maybe a team needs to play at 85% after a gruelling series or tournament or as a build up to a major tournament two or three months later. To create a lax feeling before crucial tournaments, although some may call it the admirable quality of invincibility, will actually steer the focus away from them. And then the fans will want to criticise the team for not winning the ‘World Cups’ the times that somehow to them will ‘matter the most.’

Indian Fans

Dhoni is a tired man because of the strain by expectations India puts on him and of course the quantum of cricket played. We must allow for his failures. But unfortunately, we’re quite an impatient nation. This time, Ian Chappell who’s provided an unbiased outsider’s view will have galvanised the Indian opinion that Dhoni must step out as captain soon because Virat is available. Are we so convinced of the belligerent Virat’s ability to carry a team through a whole generation?

Do these gestures hype Virat's abilities?

Is he truly capable of the maturity required to lead the most heavily taxed cricket team in the world? His aggression and outward attitude may not be the best indicators. Nor can a few victories under this young leader indicate truly how he will carry the load over a larger period. Well, we’re so overcome with flamboyance in leaders that we haven’t even considered if there’s anybody else in the Indian team who is as good as Virat. Sure, Ian Chappell is likely to offer an unbiased opinion but do we not have a truly unbiased opinion of our own in India?

Indians calling timeout on Dhoni

Can we not give Dhoni the luxury of some more mistakes? Well, the historically ‘pure’ form of the game cannot be neglected, right, or the Indian team will show poorly in ‘records?’ Maybe it’s time to sacrifice some records and realise the cricket world has already moved to ‘faster’ cricket. 'Pure' is such an outdated expression.