The art of losing is not hard to master

Two wins in a week and Mayank Agarwal is already gleefully regressing in life. “This is sport. It can be difficult, but you can’t live without (that).”

Until just four days ago, even in his personal success, he found himself all too often in a dejected locker room – reactions that came after losses that probably wouldn’t be for his team. On Sunday too, against the Mumbai Indians, that moment was not far off.

When his good friend and captain KL Rahul returned to the dugout swinging his bat several times in the middle of the first Super Over, he painted a picture of helplessness. Once again, when victory was in sight, it seemed KXIP had stepped on quicksand, this time, offering the Mumbai Indians a six-run goal in the Super Over. Just minutes earlier, they were breathing easy in the dugout, needing four runs of four balls. But all the hitters in the middle could do was level the scores and take the game to the Super Over. For the fifth time, they almost squandered their chance to seal a victory when the chances of it were slim for the opposition. As KL Rahul mentioned: “It’s not the first time I’ve gotten used to it.”

Various experts may have spoken about the positive aspects of losing in sports to help build camaraderie as a core value in children and young adults, but many have also spoken from experience about losing as a key reason for friction in team sports. professionals, even if the Netflix documentary ‘Losers’ offers a more positive outlook on it.

Chris Jordan, the KXIP pacemaker, says that despite the series of losses, the team has managed to stick together. “Since the last two games, especially, the team spirit and camaraderie that we have shown as a group, as a franchise has been second to none,” he said.

Even in dejection. the pain of losing from a winning position is not similar to being overcome. And losing so frequently in a similar way as KXIP had for a few weeks is rare in cricket. Unsurprisingly, with each defeat that passed, Rahul’s tone, morale, and perception were also dropping.

Against Delhi Capitals (losing after needing 1 in 3 balls): “It’s bittersweet. It’s still our first game, so a lot of learning.”

Against Rajasthan Royals (losing after having to defend 84 of the last 5 overs): “Look, this is T20 cricket, we’ve watched it for so many years, we did a lot of things right, we have to keep our chin up and come back stronger. A lot of positives tonight, we did a lot of things true, but those things happen .. The game keeps you humble all the time, I honestly thought we had the game in our pocket. ”

Against Kolkata Knight Riders (losing after needing 22 in 3 overs with 9 wickets in hand): “We started well, we got closer, but I honestly have no answers.”

While the inability to close the games brought them to the bottom of the points table, it also pointed to the fact that they were losing by small margins and a better side than where they stood. No obvious fixes were needed. Each time, the problems were different, but the problem was common: the inability to finish the game. When the losing streak ended, they didn’t make it any easier for him even in victories. Against Royal Challengers Bangalore, they pushed the chase to the last ball after needing just 11 runs in the last three overs, with nine wickets in hand and two batters set in the fold. And despite securing a much-needed victory, the captain, who had remained undefeated during innings, was not satisfied. “As a group, we have been disappointing. It can be frustrating. It becomes a habit: win and not win,” he had said. “There are ups and downs and this has been the roller coaster.”

Rahul admitted that Mohammed Shami’s first Super Over, where he made sure the Mumbai Indians only matched his score, boosted team morale. Once the game entered the first ‘second Super Over’, Jordan restricted Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya to just 11 runs before Chris Gayle and Mayank comfortably chased the total, KXIP managed to sneak in for the second game in a row. . “Because of the way we played our cricket this season, we could have ended up on the winning side. Unfortunately, that was not the case,” Jordan said after the MI match. “I’m glad we got a little bit of luck on our way. You need to enjoy nights like these where you think you’ve won it, then you’ve lost it, and then you’ve won it again. Hopefully this can some boost.”

It’s no wonder they’re suddenly sitting at the bottom of the pile just two wins away from a team in the top four. In losses, even by small margins, KXIP was aggressive in finding its perfect match and over-fixing its weakest areas. Several players were tried and without ample opportunities, or with a single failure, they were discarded. Back-to-back victories may calm some of these experiments, but the mysterious problem of the struggle to cross the line continues to haunt them.

They haven’t had it easy so far and they haven’t found a way to make it easy in the near future either. It’s been such a season for KXIP: what should have been dramatic has now become predictable. The art of losing is not difficult to master, apparently. Rahul, however, is sure: “We don’t want to make this a habit.”