Hindustan Times
Cricketers should behave themselves
The recent spat between two sets of cricketers in the Indian Team touring Australia is most disgraceful and against any kind of sportsmanship. The differences between the present Captain Mahindra Singh Dhoni and his deputy Virendra Sehwag were first reported soon after India’s humiliating defeat in the Boxing Day test but the Indian media dismissed the reports stating that they were part of the mind games being played against us. But it is evident that the report was not only true but subsequent events have caused a huge divide in the team, which had only won the World Cup last year.
The main cause of this feud is in all probability the string of defeats suffered by the Team and also the poor form displayed by most of our star batsmen. Had the Team done well and the players scored as per expectations, the division would never have come to surface. Dhoni contributed to the tense situation the other day by hinting that the top three batsmen—Sehwag, Gambhir and Tendulkar—were not too quick in the field and thus were costing the team many runs. Of the three, Gambhir has been scoring consistently but as we all know the form of Sehwag and Tendulkar is a matter of great concern.
India normally wins or performs well if Sehwag clicks on the top and he is one batsman who has contributed to our winning streak more than anyone else. But he also is now guilty of retaliating against his Captain at the end of the match press conference.
What Dhoni and Sehwag, both of whom are outstanding sportsmen must understand is that certain things should not be discussed outside the dressing room and that too when the team is abroad and in the midst of a very important Tri Series. The Board must ensure that none of our Cricketers open their mouths needlessly. If they still persist, strict action should be taken against them.
The spat has also led to a debate whether Sachin Tendulkar should retire, at least from one-day matches, as he is unable to perform as per his own high standards. Former India great, Kapil Dev joined the debate and opined that Tendulkar should have said good bye to one day Cricket after winning the World cup. He would have gone on a high note. Many other cricketers have joined this debate and have been expressing their opinion on various TV Channels.
I am reminded of a comment made by former Indian Opener Vijay Merchant as the chief celector after he had selected Ajit Wadekar to Captain India on the West Indies tour of 1971. Merchant was asked by a Doordarshan anchor why he had given up playing when he was at the peak of his career. The Cricketer replied that one should give up when people ask “Why” and not “Why not”.
This certainly is something, which even Tendulkar will have to consider at some point of his life. No one can take away his contribution to the country as well to Cricket but he must know whether he is fit enough to play at a stage which requires exacting standards. This applies to some of his other colleagues too.
An argument which is often given is that none of the youngsters is still good enough to replace the experienced Cricketers but like Virat Kohli has shown that if enough confidence is reposed in any of them, they are capable of producing results.
One really feels sad that the Cricketers who have got more than their due from the admiring millions of this country should squabble amongst themselves on a foreign land. They must always remember that however great they maybe, they are both ambassadors of their country as well as the Game. They have to set standards or inculcate values in the people who consider them to be iconic figures. They should not repeat these ugly scenes again—either in Australia, India or anywhere else.
(5 votes, average: 4.2 out of 5)
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