Leadership comes in many forms—on the cricket field and in the corporate boardroom. The recent India vs England Test series 2025 gave us plenty to think about, especially watching Shubman Gill’s leadership under pressure. While some questioned his captaincy style compared to past cricket captains, his performance showed that leadership under pressure isn’t about fitting into one mould.
The same is true in business—whether you’re leading a team meeting or making high-stakes decisions in the boardroom, the way you handle challenges, adapt, and guide your team defines your impact.
From cricket leadership and management to corporate leadership lessons, there’s a lot we can learn when we look beyond the scoreboard and into the decisions that shape success.
Let’s check out cricket leadership and management to corporate leadership lessons in this article brought to you by MyMentalCoach.
The recent India vs. England series was a rollercoaster, bitter and sweet all at once. We couldn’t dominate England, but when you look at the bigger picture, we held our own. India leveled the series 2–2. That last Test was the pinnacle, a nerve-shredding, edge-of-your-seat moment. We were on the brink of defeat but pulled through with a six-run victory, down to the very last run. And that’s why leveling the series felt like a win in itself.
Shubhman Gill’s role stood out, not just with the bat, but with the captaincy. As a batter, he’s been in outstanding form, 4 centuries this series alone. He scored 754 runs across five Tests, averaging 75.40, and hit four centuries in the series. Impressively, every time he crossed fifty, he went on to convert it into a hundred.
And yet, early on, the voice of the crowd was skeptical. Could Gill step into the shoes long filled by Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli? Would he take bold risks, propel the energy when the momentum dipped, and think ahead instead of reacting?
When push came to shove, Gill didn’t just hold his own. He stood tall. His calm demeanor, his well-calculated moves, though quieter than the flamboyant presence we’re used to from Virat, spoke volumes. It reminded us of a truth we often forget: leadership doesn’t always look a certain way. Not everyone is loud, expressive, or dramatic, but a lot of power lies in calm composure, focused thinking, and steady decision-making.
People tend to paint leaders with a single brush: aggressive, outspoken, charismatic. Over time, staying quiet yet deliberate can be compelling in its own right. Gill’s not flawless, no captain is, but better to stumble forward than stand still. How you bounce back matters more than not failing at all.
That thread doesn’t just apply to cricket; it’s the same in the boardroom. Athletes live in the public eye, and so perceptions form fast. In corporate life too, judgments are made early. But behind that polished presentation, what truly matters is decision-making under pressure, recovering from missteps, and growing as a leader on your terms.
So, what kind of leader are you? Maybe you’re not the loudest voice, and you don’t feel you need to be. Maybe you’re measured, more reserved, but deeply thoughtful. And that’s okay. Your journey, and how you respond under pressure, is what shapes you.
We all know that in boardrooms, there’s constant judgment. Every decision you make—big or small—is under the microscope. Some colleagues will question your approach openly, others will whisper about it behind the scenes. And while we like to say, “Don’t take it personally,” the truth is… sometimes it does feel personal. Because as a leader, your decisions are not just about work—they’re often tied to your values, your instincts, and your vision.
The reality is, leadership is never just about the external challenges—targets, deadlines, competition, changing markets. There’s a whole other layer of internal challenges that can be just as tough: politics, differences of opinion, balancing egos, keeping the team aligned, and at times, managing your own self-doubt. You’re not just steering a project—you’re navigating an entire ecosystem of people, emotions, and pressures.
And here’s where we often trip up: we create one “ideal” image of a leader in our heads. Maybe it’s the charismatic boss who can fire up a room with one speech. Or maybe it’s the tough, no-nonsense type who’s always in control. Then, anyone who doesn’t match that mental picture gets labelled as “less effective.” We forget that there are many ways to lead. Some leaders are loud, energetic, and thrive in the spotlight. Others are calm, steady, and do their best thinking in silence—but when the time comes, they make the right call.
The problem with constant comparison—especially with a predecessor—is that it shuts the door to fresh ways of leading. You’re not here to be a copy of the person who came before you. You’re here to bring your own strengths, your own style, and your own vision. And just like in sports, your success isn’t judged on how similar you are to the last captain—it’s judged on the results you create over time.
So maybe the best thing we can do—for ourselves and for the leaders around us—is to stay mentally open-minded. To give space for different leadership styles to thrive. We need to avoid writing someone off just because they don’t match our idea of what a leader should look like. Whether it’s steering a cricket team or leading in the boardroom, leadership isn’t about who talks the most—it’s about making sound decisions, taking responsibility for them, and helping your team navigate both the highs and the lows.
Let’s look at the example of Satya Nadella – Microsoft
When Satya Nadella became CEO of Microsoft in February 2014, the company was dealing with significant internal and external challenges. Under his predecessor, Microsoft had become more inward-looking and was struggling to keep pace with innovation.
Nadella’s approach was different. He focused on culture—listening more, encouraging collaboration, and embracing new ideas, even from rivals. He struck bold partnerships, like bringing Microsoft products to iOS and Android, and made transformative acquisitions such as LinkedIn, GitHub, and Activision Blizzard.
The results were remarkable. Microsoft’s market value soared and even briefly overtook Apple as the world’s most valuable publicly traded company. His style was more collaborative and inclusive than some of the leaders before him, but that doesn’t make it the “right” way—it was simply the approach that worked for him, in that moment, for that company.
And that’s the real takeaway: leadership isn’t about copying a personality type or sticking to a formula. Some leaders are outspoken and thrive in the spotlight, others lead in quieter, more measured ways. Neither is automatically better. What matters is finding a way that works for you, your team, and your situation—whether you’re running a cricket team or a global tech giant.
You’ll have your wins and your losses. You’ll be judged—sometimes fairly, sometimes not. People will compare you to those who came before. What matters is knowing your own strengths, making the best calls you can in the moment, and being willing to learn from the ones that don’t go your way. In both sports and business, leadership isn’t about fitting into someone else’s mould—it’s about building your own and proving, over time, that it works.
Because in the end, the scoreboard—whether it’s runs on the board or numbers on the balance sheet—has a way of speaking for itself.
In the end, whether you’re defending a six-run lead in the final over or making a call in a tense board meeting, leadership is a mix of decisions, instincts, and self-awareness. At MyMentalCoach, we don’t tell you to be “more like” someone else—we work with the leader you already are, helping you sharpen your strengths, handle pressure, and navigate your journey with clarity and confidence.
