IS CRICKET WAR BY OTHER MEANS ?

There was a time—I am not sure if it still persists-when the Pakistan cricket team motivated itself to take on India on the cricket field with their captains freely exhorting his mates with the war cry of jehad. Thus it was for the Pakistanis not just a cricket match but an extension of their religious doctrine of jehad  against kafirs and idol  worshippers that the Indian  team consisted of. . Quite recently one member of the Pak team made the error of repeating similar sentiments when he  said that when Pak lost to India they had let down Muslims everywhere.  He was ticked of by the Indian  media—I am not aware what the Pak media  said about this. The Indian  media roundly condemned the  player for not realizing that  the indian team had star players who were Muslims –Irfan Pathan, Zahir Khan, Munaf Patel—who considered themselves Indians first and for  whom  their faith  was irrelevant on the cricket field. Millions of Indian  fans, overwhelmingly Hindu considered these players their heroes and  poster boys.

               I must add that Imran Khan was once quizzed on this jehadi  mentality . He said that the Jehad cry was purely to motivate the players and did  not connote a religious war at all. I know from reports of Indian  players that they have always been loved by Pakistani cricket fans and players  when on tour to that country. Perhaps we ought not to make an issue of this. Javed Miandad ,one of the most aggressive Pak players is known to abuse India cricketers on the field but  at the end of the day’s play would put his arms round the same players and drag them to his home for excellent biryani !

                Now come the Australians for whom sledging is an article of faith.  This matter became a big issue when India toured Australia  recently.  Sledging was suspended,  the Aussies lost and there was talk that Australians cannot win when asked not to sledge.  I wish this were not true  The Aussies are true champions and  their wins have been consistent,  emphatic and did not depend on luck .Indians seem to depend on this  factor rather consistently !

               Now comes the turn of our own heroes—Sreesanth and Harbhajan Singh.

                The latter almost got into  serious trouble for making racist remarks against an African Australian player .Some Indians tried to bail Harbhajan out by saying  that calling someone a monkey—which really started it all-- was not a racist remark.  I am afraid  this is a serious misconception . I need only to remind readers  that a US Senator called an Indian  a ‘macac’ –a species of monkey—and that was the end of that senator’s political career . Such was the strong reaction  to this ‘ ‘racist’  remark by the Indian community in USA. .

               It was India’s financial clout that was unabashedly on display to    bail out the offending Indian  player.

              Sreesanth is a strange guy. In the episode in which Harbhajan slapped Sreesanth in full view of millions of TV viewers   Sreesanth was seen crying like a baby[in contrast to his strenuous efforts to portray himself as an aggressive guy] with Preeti Zinta consoling him  the way a mother tends to her cry baby. At that point all of us felt  sorry for him. But later it transpired that there was another side to the story.

              The officiating  umpire confided to the media that Sreesanth was indulging in  sledging all through  the  match .Sreesanth  in conclusion was  asking for trouble  This of course does  not justify the slapping but may explain it.

              When I contrast the Australian sledging with Sreesanth’s  I find one serious  difference. Sreesanth does not back up his behavior with performance. Sreesanth is in the news for many  reasons  except performance-- dances,  snarls , sledging ,smirks but all this is almost Shakesperean—Full of sound and fury signifying nothing !

                 I suspect that he is aiming at a film career-- . he has signed  up to act with Malayalam Star Mamoooty !

             The BCCI in a rare display of maturity ticked off  both Harbhajan and Sreesanth by telling them that they ought to learn from Sachin, Ganguly,  Dravid and Laxman who behave  like perfect gentlemen on and off the field. These   players  did not  dance , sledge or slap anyone.  and yet played outstanding cricket.

            I recall that in my school days the fact that I was called to play for my ‘house’ team was enough  motivation to play at my best.

Those were days of innocence.  Now it appears that for some players the honour of playing for the country and being paid astronomical sums of  money  are not sufficient motivators. They  have to add insult and injury !

K.R.RAVI

USA