External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar attended a book launch event on Thursday for former Indian cricketer Mohinder Amarnath. During the event, he shared interesting comparisons between cricket and India's foreign policy.

Speaking about India's triumph in the 1983 Cricket World Cup and at the launch of former Indian batsman Mohinder Amarnath's memoir "Fearless," EAM S Jaishankar stated, "I think nobody has any doubt that 1983 was the inflection point. It was not just the inflection point, but the man of the match of the inflection point. Pakistan won it at one point and Sri Lanka won it at one point. But nowhere else was it as big an inflection point as it was in the history of cricket. Because, if you look at India's role in world cricket after 1983, it fundamentally changed."

"I like to constantly compare the evolution of cricket in India with the evolution of Indian foreign policy, and with India itself," the EAM said, offering an intriguing parallel between cricket and foreign policy. He identified many key points from the book that are relevant to India's foreign policy. "The first takeaway is that the world is intensely competitive, but respect is earned. So the same Clive Lloyd in 1976, who did not spare any of you from body line bowling, was also the fielding captain who was generous enough to declare that pitch unfit in 1983. And that, in many ways, was respect earned". He mentioned that another important lesson was how one person can make a big difference.

The External Affairs Minister (EAM) explained that when people think about foreign policy, they often compare it to chess, but in reality, it's nothing like chess. "It's far more like cricket. And it is like cricket because first, there are many players. Two, the playing conditions keep varying. Playing at home and playing abroad are very different. You are at the umpire's whims at times. There are many formats. And at the end of the day, a lot of it is about psychology, trying to outthink the other team, trying to get into their heads. That every time you go out there to do your business, it is actually that competitive spirit that you tell yourself, I have to win this", Jaishankar said.

"So cricketers are great analogies to explain to people in very complex situations what they should be like in their behaviour. So in my own system, if I have to tell someone, hang in there. Take it on the chip. Whatever happens, stand your ground. You are the analogy I use," Jaishankar added. "An India which is frankly good for global business, an India which sets standards, which tests other people's metal," Jaishankar said, describing modern India as the one the world wants to play with. He restated the counsel that cricketer Mohinder Amarnath's father had offered his peers. "Move early, play late, prepare well, anticipate, read them and then play".

 In his remarks about Pakistan, Jaishankar brought up Amarnath's opinions about Pakistan and the 1982–1983 tour. "You said you played them better because, from the traditional side-on position, you now move to an open-chested position. I couldn't have found a better description for a Pakistan policy that time". Mohinder Amarnath is the son of the famous cricketer Lala Amarnath. He played for the Indian national cricket team from 1969 to 1989, scoring 4378 runs in Test matches. He scored nine of his eleven Test centuries in foreign countries.

In the 1983 World Cup, he was named Man of the Match in both the semi-final and final, helping India win the tournament. In 1984, he was honoured with the Wisden Cricketer of the Year award and also received the Arjuna Award. The memoir of cricketing great Mohinder Amarnath is titled "Fearless."