Analytics ups the interest quotient in cricket, says Meheriar Patel from Sun Pharma

The ICC Cricket World Cup – the greatest cricket carnival – has begun. While much has been discussed and dissected about this popular sport, Firstpost tries to highlight the technology aspect of this game. Technology is not just helping sportsmen prepare for their game better, but is also making the sports of cricket more fan-friendly. Specifically, analytics is changing the overall cricket viewing experience. Meheriar Patel, Head Technology, Global Infrastructure at Sun Pharmaceutical Limited, shares his views on the mix of analytics with cricket from a fan’s point of view. He bats for analytics in sports and believes that data visualisation helps viewers understand the game better. “Today, world cricket is being shown on public screens just like soccer the interest quotient makes it very much necessary to have this instant impact.” [caption id=“attachment_2162285” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Meheriar Patel, head technology - global infrastructure, Sun Pharmaceutical Limited[/caption] Elaborating further on the use of analytics in fields like sports, Patel says, “It works both ways, for players and viewers. Analytics plays a wider role in an ability to gauge oneself and also to show the statistics online. Working on ones own ability and performing by statistics is a trend everyone is following today. If you compare the business drivers and compare the industry the same would be true for cricket.” Analytics also helps improve sports management. If you look at today’s cricket, it has surpassed the game of just pure play, he asserts. “The game is becoming more and more commercial. Sports management is looking at key drivers and deliverables to check on players their records, consistency and of course optimum performance. The stakes are too high, it’s imperative that technology would come in play.” Now that cricket and other sports are already leveraging the power of analytics, what has been the impact of analytics in the industry you deal in? On this, Patel notes, “Like any other industry, analytics is what one needs to perform. As an industry which has varied geographies and huge demands, analytics plays a big role in identifying key forecasting and planning areas. Having said this, it is equally important to see the data in right context.” Social sentiment and predictive analysis is all set to unleash the next wave of analytics opportunities. Commenting on use cases of these kind of analysis, Patel adds, “Social sentiment would fall under unstructured data which lies in domains, which need to be collated and analysed. It would differ from industry to industry. It will have to be taken as a social truth and value attached to this content will also form the basis of future paths.” And, is there a need to give the power of analytics in the hands of top management? “Dashboard summary will showcase the key points and key result indicators which will help to plan beforehand also to gauge where you stand in present performance,” he concludes.