Business lessons learnt from a former pro cricketer

As the Australian Olympians and Paralympians celebrate their successful campaign in Paris, former professional cricketer and Nutrien Ag Solutions Head of Application and Data, Sriram Kalyan (Sri), reflects on the most valuable business lessons that he’s learnt from his career in sport. 

Sri grew up in Chennai, a city in southern India known for great food, hot weather and the infamous tied Test match between Australia and India where Dean Jones scored 210 under sweltering heat conditions. It is the also the home of the IPL team, Chennai Super Kings. 

“Indian families are always very generous when hosting people and it’s usually without a lot of notice. So, my childhood was spent with lots of spontaneous visits from family, neighbours, friends and even friends of friends all gathered at our home and enjoying delicious South Indian dishes, curries and vegetables together, all prepared by my Mum,” says Sri. 

As a child Sri says he had a lot of energy so after spending many afternoons watching his cousins play in the local cricket competition and playing on the streets with friends, his parents enrolled him in a cricket coaching camp over the Christmas break. 

Sri says hockey is India’s national sport, but cricket is more broadly popular. 

“Cricket soared in popularity in 1983 when India won the Cricket World Cup. Everyone in India lives and breathes cricket. All you need is some form of bat and ball and then it’s game on. We would play inside the house, on the street, at the park, at school. Growing up India’s professional cricket players were treated like superstars. I was such a big fan of the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Saurav Ganguly, and I also loved the Australian team of the early 2000’s” 

Sri commenced his professional cricket career as a leg spinner, then quickly progressed into a medium-paced bowler and number three batsman. 

“I have played for my state and zone and had the opportunity to play against the visiting New Zealand side which was absolutely a career highlight. If I remember correctly, I scored 46 and got three wickets while facing the likes of Shane Bond, Tim Southee and bowling to Kane Williamson etc. It goes without saying, we won that match, I think the high temperatures on the day got the better of our opposing side.” 

Sri has played with and been inspired by some of India’s most recognised players, including R. Ashwin, Murali Vijay, Ajinkya Rahane, and Suryakumar Yadav.   

These are some of the lessons that Sri says he’s learnt from his career as a cricketer that are still relevant to the workplace today. 

1. Responding to a challenge 

“In cricket, if we were five wickets down or not playing as strongly, this is usually when I would perform my best. I think it’s about recognising the situation, staying focused and really rising to the occasion, rather than letting the pressure become too consuming in a negative sense. If I’m out for a duck, there is no option to leave the game and toss in the towel so to speak, we still have to field and see the game through.”  

2. Leading the team like a professional sports team 

“In any sporting team you can’t lead or captain the side from the front or the back, you have to be ingrained in the team’s culture and operations in order to deliver results. When you lead from within it’s also easier to recognise how to get the most out of each teammate, having the right person for the right job, and work together to achieve a common outcome. It’s about acknowledging the individual strengths and contributions of everyone and finding opportunities to utilise their skills.” 

3. Accepting failures and learning from mistakes  

“You can put in all the effort and hours of training to be as prepared as possible before a game, but things don’t always go to plan and there will always be variables on the day. Sometimes when accepting failures, it’s important to adjust your focus on the process rather than just the outcome.” 

Sri now lives with his family in Melbourne and is a member of Nutrien’s IT leadership team. His team is responsible for all the applications and software used by the network. Despite not having a background in agriculture, Sri says he feels very connected to Nutrien’s purpose and its customers. 

“Technology is critical for farmers and the ag sector more broadly. It doesn’t have to be complex and overwhelming, put simply it should be about convenience and accessibility. Our team is focused on making sure everyone has a seamless experience with Nutrien that’s enabled by reliable applications and programs,” says Sri. 

Sri still plays cricket occasionally for his local club and says he also enjoys cheering on his two daughters in their own sporting activities. It seems the love of sport runs in the family, with one of Sri’s daughters recently being recognised with a black belt in taekwondo. 

While this year saw the return of surfing, skateboarding, sport climbing and the debut of breaking at the Paris Olympic Games, cricket fans will have to wait until the Los Angeles 2028 Games for cricket’s comeback on the world’s biggest stage, which is likely to be played in a T20 format.