I am passionate about sports in general, but when it comes to cricket, it’s an emotion.
India’s 1983 World Cup victory and Kapil Dev’s Heroic captainship.
Shane Warne’s ‘Ball of the Century’ in the 1993 match against England.
Venkatesh Prasad’s legendary sendoff to Aamir Sohail in the 1996 World Cup quarter final, in Bengaluru.
The Indian team carrying Sachin – The Little Man – Tendulkar around Mumbai’s Wankhede stadium,after their action-packed triumph against Sri Lanka in the 2011 World Cup finals.
You get the drift.
These are core memories that every cricket lover has relived time and time again, and how!
But outside of appreciating the game as an ardent enthusiast, I find myself lucky to also be able to experience the game today, as a tech entrepreneur.
Back in the day when technology had yet to infiltrate the cricket universe, it was what it was. The umpires umpired. The spectators spectated. And the players played. The devil in the details was perhaps dormant.
Fast forward to today – We’ve managed to integrate intuitive technological solutions with the 16 th century game so beautifully, that even the Victorian era audiences might appreciate!
Data, Analytics and Visualization
After all, who doesn’t want error-free judgment and pitch maps and real-time analytics!
Give me data visualization - give me the Wagon Wheel over a three minute commentary of how specific batsmen scored their runs, or which part of the grounds saw most boundaries, and so on. Crunch it down and give me maximum data in the most consumable format, so I can get my information quickly
and in the most reliable manner – without bias and with minimal errors.
Likewise, the hotel tech universe too has seen a revolution with real-time data analytics and reporting.
Real-time data helps you stay on top of your hotel’s affairs and adjust your strategy to the last detail.
One of the most profitable ways, among many others, is the power to avoid opportunity loss - like in the case of dynamic pricing that helps maximize revenue opportunities, giving hoteliers complete control over their business at all times.
I cannot emphasize how crucial real-time analytics and data is to a cloud-based SaaS solution, and I’m proud of all the ways in which we, at Hotelogix, make this happen for hoteliers.
Minimized human dependency & potential errors
In the same breath, the multi-pronged Decision Review System was an absolute game changer in modern day cricket. The fact that we can now rely on technology to minimize human dependency and therefore potential errors hits home. This is just as crucial in cricket as it is with hotel tech, especially considering that the industry is so heavily reliant on human actions and interactions.
No doubt the Decision Review System has reduced the burden on the umpires - but think of how much
more fair the sport is now to the players. I can’t remember the last time one bad decision changed the
outcome of the game, as was the case rather frequently back in the day!
Experience, Experience, Experience!
Fact is that we inhabit a world today where experience matters. We appreciate today’s cricket a lot better because of the myriad ways in which technology has changed the overall cricketing experience, for all of us!
Consider the viewers’ experience today. From spider cams, to stump cameras, ball tracking, the snickometer and the hotspot and every other kind of data we now have access to! All of which is presented to us on-screen in almost real-time.
Somewhere between test matches and T20s, we realized that viewers played just as integral a role in this business of cricketing as the players themselves - And
we ensured that the viewer experience is top-notch.
The same applies in the hotel tech space. We have evolved to a place today where we are able to meet and exceed the expectations of the modern day guest. When the right information is available to the relevant hotel staff, the ‘experience’ changes for everyone involved –guests, employees and the hospitality space, overall. Real-time guest history is another loaded weapon in today’s hospitality, along with rate shopping to take the right pricing decisions, to redefine guest experience.
As tumultuous as it was a few years ago with COVID destroying the hospitality sector, it also brought about an aggressive adoption of contactless apps, which today has truly changed the way we understand guest experience.
Competitive intelligence & real-time strategy adjustments
We’re living in a time when matchups have rendered cricket teams so much more prepared that one is able to take timely and informed decisions on which specific bowler to pitch against a certain batsman, or vice versa, based on pattern assessment and deep research.
Pardon me for drawing the parallel but by investing in the right technology, hotels too can tap into rich and reliable competitive intel today, to know what their competitors are up to, observe patterns and trends to modify their own strategy accordingly - all based on data and research.
The similarities for me are endless and all of this is too exciting for me!
It’s funny how the game of cricket itself hasn’t really changed in centuries, but it is evident that so much around it has! Like with hospitality too – The core remains the same. But it’s definitely a lot smoother and efficient now, thanks to technology. I guess evolution is the name of the game. We evolve with times and the only mantra is to build technology that makes life more and more efficient.
The next generation has always been and will be better than the previous one. If it is not, then the world
would not be moving forward. – Kapil Dev
Here’s to another spectacular World Cup experience, powered by millions of hearts, hopes and tears - and some sound technology!
