The 'International Conspiracy'
Hemant Kenkre
Are you aware of the latest 'international conspiracy' to hit
the world of cricket? I was not. Until I read all about it in
the bowels of The Times of India, a day after Mark Taylor
turned the tables on his hosts at Bangalore.
The 'international conspiracy' centres around Saurav Ganguly,
pride of Bengal and Indian Test cricketer. The protagonist, a
certain Peter Van der Merve, who, in his capacity of match referee,
suspended Ganguly for showing dissent after being adjudged
leg before wicket by English umpire David Shepherd. The crime
committed by the elegant left hander was that he indicated to
umpire Shepherd, that the ball had kissed his blade before going
on to his pads.
The TOI news report mentions how Saurav's one-match suspension (from the Kochi one-day international) rocked the Bengal
assembly.'Soon after the start of the (assembly) session,
members belonging to both the Treasury and Opposition benches,
in a rare show of unity (chuckle chuckle, ha ha), lambasted the
present cricket system that had allowed the 'Prince of Calcutta'
to be humiliated.'Wow!
The news, mentions TOI, was reported on the front pages of local
papers alongside Lok Sabha proceedings. If local vernacular dailies
are to be believed, the entire episode reeked of racism and bias
against Ganguly. Wonderful!
Oh yes! There is also an observation from an former Bengal cricketer
who did not want to be identified - a case with most former cricketers
who continue to sit painfully on the BCCI fences. 'When cases
of Australian cricketers' misbehaviour, both on and off the field,
could be blatantly overlooked, such an action on the South African
match referee's part indicates a hangover of apartheid.'
Fortunately, Bengal's invisible da forgot to mention the presence
of the English umpire along with the South African match referee
to justify the 'apartheid' part of the conspiracy. Hot stuff.
The fact that elected members of the Bengal assembly
took so much time to discuss umpire Shepherd's credentials and
a Marxist legislator called Mycap - the spelling is correct -
demanded that the state assembly pass a special resolution to
condemn the injustice perpetrated to Ganguly shows how deeply
involved the Bengalis are as far as sports, particularly cricket,
is concerned.
This is not the first time that cricket crazy Bengalis have been
vocal about the injustice meted out to cricketers from the region.
And if the cricketer happens to be Ganguly then life in Calcutta
comes to a standstill. It would not come as a surprise if the
Marxist ministry soon appoints a special minister for injustice
to Bengal cricketers.
The minister could be a former Bengal cricketer
(it would be difficult to find one who would like to be identified),
who could gather all available data on injustices that the cricket
system has perpetrated on cricketers all across India and then
prove that Bengal cricketers are the ones who have seen the wrong
end of the stick more often than the others. In fact for the next
Lok Sabha election, the sufferance of Bengal cricketers at the
national and international levels could become an election plank!
Khub Bhalo!
Like the Bengal assembly issue, the non-inclusion of Mumbai players
has also generated a lot of debate. Mediapersons from Mumbai have
berated the selectors for not picking more players from Mumbai
and that, in my opinion has caused more harm to their chances.
To compound matters, the comments of Ajit Wadekar, the newest
member of the Indian selection committee, have not gone down well
with the media as well as with a few of his colleagues on the
panel Masta Aahe!
The way I look at this issue is that if a player is worthy of
selection he will be picked -- whether he happens to be from Mumbai,
Bengal or Jharkhand. There is no need for any kind of a promotional
campaign with a regional motive. Such campaigns are not in the national
interest. There have also been mediapersons from other states
who have conducted such campaigns in the past and have been successful
too. But, in the long run, it has been proven that the players
who have been the focus of such campaigns have not lasted for
more than a series.
Trainer Andrew Kokinos's presence seems to have gone down well
with the Indian team. The Indian skipper, a confirmed fitness
addict, has welcomed this move by the BCCI. Over the years, there
has been a lot of debate about the levels of fitness of Indian
sides. Teams like England Australia, West Indies, South Africa
and recently, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have included fitness specialists
as part of their squad.
In spite of the presence of fitness experts, it is amazing to
note that England and Australia, two countries that have propagated
the cause of fitness development, have the maximum number of unfit
players on any given tour. And, when one looks back at the glorious
careers of players like Vivian Richards, Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar,
one is amazed that they never missed a single game on fitness
grounds. In fact, I doubt if Kapil ever left the field during
a Test or one-day match.
It is great to watch Courtney Walsh who has toiled for more than
a decade, bowling in demanding conditions for his country, country
and state. Fitness, to Walsh, Richards, Dev and Gavaskar is a
state of mind and not restricted to mere physical well being.
If the younger crop of players can crack that -- the world is their
oyster.
Tailpiece:
Heard outside a Calcutta Disco
"Knock knock"
"Who's there"
"Greg Blewett"
"Sorry, Greg. You blew it!"
RELATED REPORT:
Players's ignorance of ICC code no excuse: Van Der Merve
Hemant Kenkre
|