In a modern cricket setup, a batter might spend hours in the nets and not face a single bowler. Instead, a sidearm specialist stands a few metres away, using a throwing stick to deliver hundreds of balls at speed, repeating the same line until it becomes instinct. It is a paid role built around practice, one that barely existed a few years ago.
Professional sport today runs on a network of specialised roles far from the action on the field. A Google-Deloitte estimate put India’s sports market at $52 billion in 2023 and projected it to reach $130 billion by 2030, with more than 1 crore jobs linked to that growth. Contract roles at the Sports Authority of India for performance analysts in psychology, biomechanics, nutrition, physiology, and physiotherapy show how wide the field has become, with starting pay of around ₹60,000 a month.
For Shebani Bhaskar, international cricketer and commentator, sport as a career once only meant pushing through bruises and bad days, a daily contest of form, fitness, and survival. “As players, the focus is naturally on staying in the game. It was only later that I realised there were serious roles in analysis, training, and support work,” she says, while cautioning, “As players, the focus is naturally on staying in the game. It was only later that I realised there were serious roles in analysis, training, and support work."
As teams, leagues, and broadcasters grow more structured, they create room for people who can contribute to performance, preparation, and presentation, even if they never play professionally. This has redrawn the arc of a player’s career. Bhaskar’s path shows how work can continue after stepping away from the pitch. She moved from cricket into commentary, while building academic depth in communication and IT, earning two master’s degrees. She is now considering software ideas for the game she knows best, a reminder that range can matter as much as passion.