It’s a Sport, stupid!

Over the past couple of weeks, almost everyone has had something to say about the recent failures of the Indian team.

Thanks to our prime time media, which played a happy host to anyone who is associated with the game in any form, anything that can beef up its TRP ratings and the market economics, these days, anything that carries any significance to our life turns out to be ‘Breaking News’ or the first item in prime time news.

Coming back to the debate on the cricketing failure – be it the late night parties sapping the energy levels of the players or the questionable fitness levels as claimed by some unpublished report or the choice of priorities of some of the key players – falling prey to a club’s cause over the nation’s cause, or just a coincidental poor run of sorts, few things intrigued me in this whole drama.

1. If you are a stranger to the game and have followed closely what has been debated upon in prime time television the past few days, you would be baffled over whether we were talking about few individuals’ contribution to a sporting event or a nation’s cause in a war!  Why do we elevate the results of a lowly cricket tournament to the glorious heights of causing a nation’s defame, as if our cricketers personify the entire nation’s dignity and pride. It’s a sport, stupid!

2. Next comes the question of the freedom of choice for a player – to choose between representing his club’s interests, to that of wearing the national colors.

History gives us many examples. There was once the Dream Team of the USA, comprising the basket ball greats like Michael Jordan, which was also from the pool of the best of talent from the NBA. It is not the Dream Team anymore and today there are lots of nations – totally less in the glamour quotient – who can beat the best of breed from the NBA.

Similar is the case with the English soccer team, who are such an amazing collection of supreme individual talents, have not got any success when playing together for the national side, in any of the recent FIFA world cup events. More importantly, neither does it make any of the players frowned upon as an anti-national and the citizens burning their effigies.

IPL – for that matter any professional league is at a very nascent stage in this country. Turning Pro would not necessarily mandate you play with the same vigor for your nation and nor have many of us come in terms with the hefty paychecks of these sports men and their elevation to instant stardom.

With so much economics at stake, soon, the employers might have the right to decide how a player expends his talent. Man U had a big say in Rooney making a comeback from his injury and playing for the English national side in the 2006 world cup.

For that matter, unlike the other sporting bodies in this country, BCCI is not a federal sport body to live on taxpayer’s money, for the public to have any rightful expectations over its cricketers.

3. The issue lies more with us than with the team – in how we react to any situation. Remember the open roof top bus cavalcade that was given to the same team after we won the 2001 world cup? Remember, when Sachin’s effigy was burnt and poor Mohammed Kaif’s house was stoned after the 2003 world cup debacle?

It is the same cricketing public and the media that orchestrated an over-reaction to a sporting victory and now calling for the heads of the players!

4. Now, coming to the present state of our game of cricket and the players we all love.

Don’t’ forget we are the No.1 Test team and No.2 ODI team. Many of the players in the current T20 team are very much part of that magical run, not to undermine the contributions of the biggies like Dravid, Sachin, Laxman and Kumble.

If we have few niggles to fix with the short-pitched deliveries or our fielding skills send them back to the schools to address those. We don’t have a choice, but to nurture these young talents, if at all we believe in the future.

Thanks to a flat world, there are quite a few talented cricketers in this country or abroad (throw the money and BCCI can line-up the best of the breed from any corner of the world) who can help us overcome these deficiencies. The great Viv Richards already said he is ready to help out.

5. The worst of all is, few people asking for Dhoni’s head. Yes, this is one of his most disappointing shows as a leader. But, how can we be so myopic? Just few weeks back, he led his amazing CSK to win the IPL title and cricketing pundits all over the world were raving over this captain cool.

Let some sanity prevail on what we react to and how we react!