‘Real life has a lot of Test matches’: Jaishankar says diplomacy cannot always be reduced to T20-style quick wins

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said diplomacy and geopolitics cannot always be judged through the lens of quick outcomes, drawing an analogy with cricket to explain why some international challenges require patience and long-term engagement.

Speaking at the Economic Times World Leaders Forum, Jaishankar said governments and the media may increasingly seek quick answers and immediate results, but complex geopolitical situations often evolve over much longer periods.

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Responding to a question on whether diplomacy today has become akin to T20 cricket, Jaishankar said there was a need to provide the press with enough short-term developments, while acknowledging that international relations also involve longer and more uncertain processes.

"I think what happens is, to make the press happy, we need to play enough T20. So that's like the spectators need to come in, have a time in the evening, but real life has a lot of Test matches also in it because it doesn't get decided in short time frames."

He said diplomatic outcomes are often not captured by immediate headlines or easily defined as victories. Instead, they can involve sustained investments in relationships, with countries having to remain steady through periods of difficulty.

"It's not the immediate headlines. It is sometimes not even what appears to you as a win or, you know, often these are processes. These are investments over a long time. These are relationships, and you know there will be ups and downs. And sometimes even in the downs, you need to hold steady."

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Jaishankar pointed to the ongoing war in Ukraine as an example of a geopolitical crisis that has defied expectations of a quick resolution.

"So, as I, you know, as I said, you have a war in Ukraine going on for five years. That's not a T20 prediction."

He also compared the situation in the Gulf to a cricket match that has extended far beyond the expected timeframe.

"People may have thought the Gulf would be a T20 match. It has turned out to be not even a Test, maybe a Test series, or maybe even longer."

The minister said the modern information environment has conditioned people to expect rapid answers and concise solutions, but such an approach has limitations when dealing with complicated international issues.

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"So, the point is, look, I know that today all of us, you know, the way we have retrained ourselves, we want quick answers. We're looking for, you know, crisp, short solutions."

According to Jaishankar, while some questions can be answered quickly, many developments in international affairs need to be understood as part of an evolving process rather than as isolated events.

"Some of it can be given, but a lot of it are almost like readouts from what is a long, evolving situation, like a dipstick. Okay, where are you today? What is happening?"

He stressed that this is particularly true of geopolitical challenges, which often involve multiple actors, shifting circumstances and outcomes that cannot be determined in the short term.