Jhakas | Sanjay Jha
Amidst wild speculation and general chaos which usually precede every selection meeting for picking up an Indian cricket squad, Sourav Ganguly maintained his supposedly precarious rank and slipping position for the potentially tough encounter against the Australians beginning a week from now. Despite all the media hype, I would not call it a comeback fable this time for the Prince of Kolkota, because the truth is that he was not officially dropped from the team that last played that disastrous series against Sri Lanka. Of course, the fact that he was not given the practice Irani Trophy match did sound ominous, but I am glad that K 'Cheeka' Srikanth, the new chief selector and his colleagues have not tried unnecessary experimentation, especially when the visitors, at least on paper, look slightly vulnerable. It is a prudent move, notwithstanding centuries by Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli against the Aussies, and the luminous form of Suresh Raina.
I guess it is not easy being Dada, for Sourav. Thanks to his highly charged, humongous and dramatized confrontation with the brusque Aussie coach Greg Chappell, which led to rising cost of imported newsprint, he is now constantly under media scrutiny. And I guess now that trend is quite likely to be irreversible. But I quite liked the definitive rejoinder given by skipper Anil Kumble to the whole 'honourable exit' story currently in high velocity. It is atrocious, to say the least. The whole proposition that the Fab Five will be asked to voluntarily quit, irrespective of either form or fitness, at a certain pre-determined time negotiated between the players and the BCCI, is a bizarre, flawed plan, if it is true. Rest assured, such wild concoctions only emerge because some obtuse BCCI officials will have supplied these creative doles to some friendly scribes, which will then naturally escalate into 'Hurricane Cheekha'. Continue reading below
Kumble has rightly rubbished the hypothesis that Ganguly and the other senior pros are being offered a VRS scheme. The reason why such insane rumours gather momentum is because of the 'deal-making' reputation of BCCI, where transparency is as discounted as mortgage bonds in the US financial markets. BCCI believes in the art of infinite possibilities, so even as most have trashed the shady pressure-points being created, nothing can be truly ruled out.
Since the selection panel is meant to be totally independent of BCCI, why does the new BCCI President S Manohar have to have an introductory confabulation with the selectors before the proceedings commence? Frankly, what stops the eminent selectors from dumping the golden oldies if quality replacements are readily available? It must be mentioned though that Dilip Vengsarkar did try and improve standards, and even protested about unjust commercial terms, which has resulted in a speedy implementation of paid selectors. Dilip tried to be independent, even as his impotent rage was often visible.
Most importantly, Kumble has used the one term we completely forget once even an illustrious cricketer reaches his final innings; respect. We humiliate our once super-heroes, dismissing them off with cursory disdain. All those glorious achievements are summarily dismissed, record performances are casually ignored, and that fighting spirit displayed over years playing for the country is totally forgotten. It is a great pity.
I know that the Fab 5 will perhaps voluntarily call it quits when they have no more self-motivation or know that their form has been perennially damaged. And that there is no looking back thereafter. I guess it's the least they deserve from Indian fans; a moment to reflect on their own, do their own soul-searching, do their own introspection. After all, they will always be remembered just for hitting the ball with their bat, or for bowling batsmen out. It is only a game of cricket that defines them. Nothing else. As their careers near a great end, and a full chapter comes to a close, let us let them choose their own epitaphs. Their own full-stops.
That's the least we can do for Sachin Tendulkar & Co.
