A Series Where Everyone Won: Mindset Lessons from the Epic 2–2 India-England Test Series

The recently concluded five-match Test series between India and England, stretched over six weeks of high-octane cricket, ended in a 2–2 draw. On paper, neither side “won” the series, yet in many ways, everyone emerged victorious. It was a showcase of the power of the human mindset and a testament to how great competition and camaraderie can coexist.

I’ve been writing about “Real Wisdom, Artificial Intelligence,” or what I call Real Authentic Sustainable Human Multi-modal Intelligence (RASHMI), regularly. My followers have probably missed me talking about the Venturis Mindset and phrases like “Business is a Team Sport.” This test series and its outcome give me the perfect opportunity to combine both threads and discuss the Venturis Mindset, its role in the RASHMI tech stack, and the lessons we can learn from this series. So, let’s dive in.

Venturis Mindset: The 4 Key Pillars

The Venturis Mindset revolves around four key pillars: Focus, Adaptability, Mojo, and Engagement – or FAME. These are the essential ingredients that make any sports team successful, and we believe they are equally crucial for entrepreneurial success and innovation. Let’s apply these pillars to the recent India-England Test series and see how this drawn result was the most fitting outcome, with no losers and growth for all involved.

Focus Under Pressure

Maintaining focus was paramount throughout the seesaw series. Time and again, players on both teams delivered under immense pressure by concentrating on the moment and their goals. There were standout examples of individual focus and perseverance that turned the tide of matches:

• Shubman Gill’s Marathon Double-Century at Edgbaston: The young India captain’s 200+ run innings in the second Test exemplified single-minded concentration and grit. Gill anchored India’s batting with unwavering focus. His ability to “play each ball as if it’s the last” was reminiscent of the Venturis Mindset’s idea of having a clear north star and relentlessly pursuing it.

• Joe Root’s Masterclass at The Oval: In the final Test, senior batsman Joe Root produced a sublime century that nearly carried England to a record run-chase. Root’s innings, described as a “masterclass,” showcased intense focus and technical excellence under high stakes. Along with Harry Brook’s audacious 111, Root’s knock put England in the driver’s seat on Day 4, proving how staying mentally locked-in can create game-changing opportunities.

These performances required concentration, discipline, and mental fortitude to tune out distractions. Focus was a key reason the series remained finely poised; neither team ever mentally folded. Instead, individuals rose to the occasion, treating each session as a fresh battle to be won. The result? Cricket of the highest quality, with memorable innings that will “live long in the memory” as examples of concentration under pressure.

Adaptability and Resilience

If focus set the direction, adaptability ensured both teams navigated the many twists and turns of this saga. Over five Tests, momentum swung back and forth, forcing players to adjust strategies, learn quickly, and demonstrate resilience in the face of setbacks. Each side had to continuously adapt to different conditions, each other’s tactics, and the curveballs thrown by fate (like weather and injuries).

One clear example was how each team bounced back after defeats. England drew first blood at Headingley, only for India to adapt and roar back at Edgbaston with a crushing win. England then edged a tense battle at Lord’s by 22 runs, but India responded by grinding out a draw in Manchester (Old Trafford) despite being on the back foot. By the time they reached the Oval for the decider, both teams had been tempered by adversity and refined their approach. This adaptability set up the grand finale, where India, trailing 1–2, seized their chance to square the series.

In-game adaptability was equally crucial. A great illustration was the emergence of young pacers stepping up when senior spearhead Jasprit Bumrah was unavailable. The Indian bowling attack adapted, with Mohammad Siraj shouldering a huge workload. Siraj was the only fast bowler to play all five Tests, maintaining pace and intensity throughout – a perfect example of physical and mental adaptability.

Both teams showed remarkable resilience. Even when the odds tilted, neither side gave up. In the fourth Test, India found themselves in dire straits at 0/2, still 300 runs behind England’s total (and trailing 1–2 in the series). In a position where many teams would concede defeat, India fought tooth and nail to save the match and stay alive in the series. As Gill later reflected, “We never give up.” This never-say-die attitude kept India in the fight. As Mohammed Siraj said after sealing the last Test, “We just kept believing. This team never backs down.”

Team Mojo and Momentum

Skill and strategy alone didn’t decide this series; team mojo and momentum were pivotal. By “mojo,” we mean that ethereal quality that you can’t quite measure, but you can feel. Great teams have it, and it was on full display throughout the series.

India’s team culture of backing each other was evident in how different players stood up at various moments. The camaraderie in the Indian camp was on full display during the victory lap at The Oval. England, too, found their mojo under the Stokes-McCullum leadership. Their ethos has been about playing fearless cricket and trusting teammates, creating an aggressive, can-do atmosphere in the dressing room. That team spirit was nearly vindicated in the finale when Chris Woakes came out to bat with one arm, fighting for the team till the very end. On the other side, earlier in the series, Rishabh Pant batted with a broken foot. These instances from both sides speak to an overarching team mojo that prized bravery and commitment above all. When players see their teammates literally bleeding for the cause, it creates an infectious fighting spirit.

The Venturis Mindset pillar of Mojo, encompassing team culture and momentum, was a deciding factor in why this series was so entertaining and evenly matched.

Engagement and Commitment

The engagement level from both players and fans in this series was off the charts. All 25 days of play were filled with commitment, intensity, and an electric connection between the action on the ground and the spectators off it.

For the players, engagement meant giving everything for the team’s cause. There were numerous instances of near-superhuman commitment. As one report put it, this series “was played with players battling broken feet and shattered fingers, ending with a one-armed man at the crease.” That level of dedication embodies the Venturis Mindset’s Engagement pillar: being fully present and giving 100% in the moment.

Overall,  the series was a win for the sport itself. It kept millions of viewers around the world hooked day after day. In Venturis Mindset terms, this was the epitome of high engagement: everyone involved was emotionally invested and absorbed in the process, not just the outcome. Fittingly, the result – a draw – didn’t dampen the enthusiasm. Instead, it amplified the sense that we had witnessed something special, where effort and entertainment were more important than a trophy.

Competition and Camaraderie: Everyone Wins

Despite battling each other to the brink for weeks, players from both teams acknowledged each other’s courage and skill once the contest ended. This sportsmanship highlights that great competition and great respect can coexist.

This brings me to why Mindset, and “Real Authentic Sustainable Human Multi-modal Intelligence (RASHMI),” sit at the top of the RASHMI tech stack. Knowledge-driven Intelligence (and AI, the pinnacle of that) is based on strong identification with individual and shared identities, training this Intelligence on the memories (data) that amplify these identities. It projects a future where for you/your team to win, someone else must lose. This mindset is at the heart of the many wars we fight. Training AI with this “us” vs. “them” mentality and the world and life being a zero-sum game will only make things worse.

People have pointed out to me in the past that sports is the ultimate zero-sum game – for you to win, someone has to lose. While that may be true at a particular moment, the best sporting contests are where the opponents make each other better. This series and its final result perfectly demonstrate that. Far from being anticlimactic, that shared trophy felt symbolic of what this series truly represented: there were no losers. Both teams emerged enriched, having pushed each other to the limit and, in the process, discovered new heights in themselves.

Conclusion: Growth Over the Final Score

The 2–2 India-England series demonstrated that winning isn’t always about the final score. It’s about the growth, joy, and inspiration derived along the way. Both teams pushed each other to excel, displaying focus, adaptability, mojo, and engagement in abundance. As fans, we witnessed not just a contest of bat and ball, but a celebration of the human sporting spirit, where mindset triumphed as much as any innings or bowling spell. In the grand scheme, each team left as better competitors and comrades, having been a part of something larger than individual glory. That is the real victory – a stirring message to carry beyond the boundary: when we focus, adapt, bring positive energy, and fully engage with our challenges, we can all come out as winners - not just in sports but in business, in every aspect of life. This is the journey from Intelligence to Consciousness and the need of the hour - to pursue purpose-driven innovation.