Jhakas | Sanjay Jha
Even as every myopic , self-serving BCCI office bearer soundly thrashed the battered Men in Blue since their low-profile return from the West Indies, the erstwhile national heroes kept a strange, mummified silence. Looking a picture of grown-up men who retreated hastily behind closed doors . Who allowed every Tom, Dick , Harry and Niranjan Shah to run them down their screeching tyres, mauling them ruthlessly under their radial weight. No fight-back, no resistance; just a meek surrender. Media gags, reduced endorsements, no player contracts, lesser match fees, the BCCI made them perceptibly appear as boys in serious need of a dressing down, handing them continuous sit-ups as part of kindergarten punishment , hand holding ears, and counting till 100.
BCCI publicly humiliated the poor cricketers, making them the butt of a national joke. Of course, the Indian cricketers were smothered with a soft pillow, the Damocles sword of a media gag hanging ominously over their craning necks, and preventing them from uttering a single monosyllable in retaliation. Consequently, the BCCI has successfully branded Raul Dravid & co as a bunch of “selfish, hungry money-minded players with no passion to respond to the call of national duty”. It is a vicious attempt to pass the buck, and make the Indian cricketers look like guilty mouse sheepishly scraping cheese , even as the BCCI makes a blatant mockery of governing standards. Continue reading below
Not surprisingly, Sachin Tendulkar, no less, is boorishly booed by ignoramuses in Ahmedabad during the Twenty 20 tournament. I maintain that the Indian junta shows it’s woebegone knowledge of sports in general, and cricket in particular, by baring their bloody fangs with religious regularity every time we lose . If you ask me, it is not the sportsmen, but the Indian public who behave in a barbaric, immature manner who are the real “ losers”. Some of the vitriolic comments Indian spectators make is pregnant with their insane irrational passion for the game which dramatically turns toxic when opposition smothers us out. I think we disrespect opposition, when we fail to honour the victorious. Bangladesh and Sri Lanka were never really given their due recognition for thumping India out of the Caribbean campaign. We are not fans of cricket, we are just fanatics. Lacking the sporty fiber to applaud a great opponent.
I believe the players themselves are responsible for the sorry mess they have landed themselves in . They have singularly failed to act as a cohesive, tightly bound unit. Their over-hyped Players Council announced with massive TRPs some time ago has turned out to be a bigger disaster than Nishabd. The current impasse with the Board, provides the team with the prefect platform to bounce back, by setting their own players association in order. If your own house is not in order, pal, everyone joins the party in pelting stones.
Why can’t the players make their own self-regulatory norms amongst themselves on endorsement limits, create, train and choose their media spokespeople, voice their opinion on being forced to play masala matches, agree on domestic tournament restructuring and junior cricket, suggest coach credentials etc and negotiate an understanding with the BCCI ? Shouldn’t Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Anil Kumble and other senior pros come together to activate their defunct body? Why are they allowing themselves to be treated like a bunch of juvenile schoolboys by an inept, inefficient and incapable BCCI? They belittle their own reputation, and erode their own self-respect and net worth.
Frankly, the senior pros need to get together not just because they need to respect the game that has given them so much, but also to provide the road-map to several promising youngsters who will need a clear-cut direction from their famous predecessors.
The Indian cricketers by forming a Players Council will provide the ultimate antidote to the unilateral, dictatorial ways of the shabby BCCI. Ironically, I believe the BCCI will be the biggest gainer, as they will have no choice but to improve their own performance standards to meet an organized demand from an active players front. This suggestion will not result in a confrontational crisis, but instead will create a healthy environment for rapid improvement in the game through transparent dialogue . On a level-playing field.
And most importantly, it will help the players become a better team outfit, as they can resolve their own conflicts and issues amongst themselves on their own, without aid from gossip mongers and vested interests.
We need to bring respect back to Indian cricket which has witnessed a cataclysmic fall in the last few weeks. For starters, the Indian cricketers need to huddle together. This time, off the field.
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