True-blue ACS (I) Cricket Captain in National School Games!

RI players in a confident mood after winning the opening throw. Photo credit: Suresh Nair

By Suresh Nair

He raised his hands like a true leader when his powerful shot delivered the match winner in the National School Games (NSG) final on Thursday (May 12).

At the Ceylon Sports Club Ground on Balestier Road, Mahiyu Bhatia, the very confident Anglo Chinese School (Independent) skipper, knew that his powerful strokes would make all the difference in the important game against an equally confident Raffles Institution (RI).

The cheering RI supporters listen to the seniors. Photo credit: Suresh Nair

RI won the toss and decided to bat and got 82 for 8 in the 20-overs limited edition final. And Mahiyu knew it was an achievable goal to win and patiently gathered his team to eventually make 86 for 3 over 14.1 overs to win the match by 7 wickets.

Tall and strong, the skipper personally scored 53 runs in 36 deliveries with a blistering three sixes and three fours, proving he knew he could lead by example as he understood the basics of effective cricket leadership and captaincy.

Ready for the prize giving. ACS (in blue) and RI (in white). Photo credit: Suresh Nair

In any sport, success depends on having a united and strong team leadership† In cricket, there are many leaders, from coaches, captains and vice-captains to the bowlers who set the field. But both on and off the field, it is the form of the captain that plays the most important role in building a united team.

Mahiyu proved exactly that by making the decisions in the order of play, determining: strategy and tactics, and inspire the team to continue to learn and grow, meaning a lot is put on the captain’s leadership skills.

We lost the throw. But we were determined to make it up and every player worked hard on batting, bowling and fielding. We went through some difficult moments but the teamwork prevailed and I believe there is a lot of crossover between the desired leadership qualities of a cricket captain and a leader or manager in any organization, he says.

ACP skipper Mahiyu Bhatia receives trophy from the cricket convenor. Photo credit: Suresh Nair

His playing style was a sporting beauty to watch as he guided the players in the attack and defense strategies. And what better way to show your class in the field how it excelled, especially if you’re holding the bat.

If you look at Mahiyu, you will see that leadership is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Not everyone leads the same way and usually ours personality plays a major role in this. In my opinion, what makes a damn? good leader is one who knows when and how to play with the strengths of the team.

I could see that leaders don’t need to revise their leadership style or follow the exact footsteps of others on the leadership team. What they do have to do is work to be the best version of themselves. Only then can they bring out the best in those they lead. That perfectly sums up the ever consistent Mahiyu, a true role model in the field of play.

Mahiyu says: The captain should bring together 10 different individuals with different personalities and personality traits and make them all go in the same direction by treating them equally but differently.

Delighted ACS team ready for the post-match congratulations. Photo credit: Suresh Nair

Player management and the ability to bring out the best in every individual on the team is just as important in the workplace as it is in cricket. Like any team, there will often be an unpredictable mix of people with different personalities, behaviors, attitudes and experiences.

But on the final whistle, when he reached his match-winning goal at the 14.1 over, there was obvious pride as he held the bat over his head as his players surrounded him with congratulations for bravely defending the cricket title.

(For all the news, videos with post-game interviews, stories, photos, fan zone details and more from the 2022 National School Games, visit our website: go.gov.sg/nationalschoolgames†