Random Thoughts
Most
successful sportsman will tell you that while it is difficult to reach the top,
it is even more difficult to stay there for a significant amount of time. There have been many Indian sportsmen who have
had success but very rarely have they managed to sustain that success for a
period of time. That is why the achievement of Vishwanathan Anand stands out as
unique among Indian sportsman.
To win a world
championship in a global sport like chess is tremendous but to win it 5 times
is mind boggling. Vishwanathan Anand must be the most unlucky and the most
under rated sportsman in the world. Very rarely is credit given to this
magnificent sportsman in his own country. While other sportsman enjoy accolades
and rewards, Anand remains low key, probably concentrating on his next world
title. Anand is possibly India’s greatest sportsman but apart from his sporting
ability what sets him apart his humility and dignity. No self praising press
conferences, no ceremonies to honour himself, no flashy statements- Anand is a
sportsman and likes to remain a
sportsman.
Unfortunately
dignity was missing from the final stages of India’s biggest cricket
tournament. I am no IPL fan but even I
have to admit that this year’s IPL produced some great cricket. Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma showed that
the future of Indian batting was safe, Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel showed the
world why they are the best fast bowling pair in the world and it was great to
see the old timers- Murali, Dravid and Gilchrist rewind the clock for a bit. Unfortunately it was again overshadowed by
events off the field. Any sport is in great trouble if the non-sporting
personalities overshadow the sporting ones. As the Kolkata Knight riders
achieved an incredible victory, I was delighted for Manoj Tiwary, a young
Bengali batsman who has found that sometimes fate has not been too kind to him.
I wanted to hear what the so called experts thought of this young man now that
he had led his team to an incredible victory in a tense final. Instead to my
dismay I found that a lot of concentration was based on the bollywood superstar
who owned KKR. The bollywood superstar had perhaps endured a lot over the last
few years and had a right to celebrate. The focus should have been on cricket
and cricketers, instead it was on superstars and actors.
Every
individual has the right to support and celebrate a team’s victory. But it is
important for regional governmental authorities to recognize the difference
between the victory of a corporate brand and a regional team. KKR’s victory was
a victory for its corporate franchise and its brand. It was great that some
authorities recognized and rewarded the team and its franchise for this
victory. But almost six months ago, a young Bengal team went on to win the
Ranji Trophy one day tournament. In cricketing terms it was a more significant
victory but alas nobody bothered to acknowledge this win………….
Nevertheless
it was wonderful to see Gautam Gambhir display the kind of leadership that only
vindicated the stand that I had put up on blog a few months back. Gambhir
without doubt should be India’s next test captain. While his captaincy was refreshing, what
stood out was his ability to lead from the front and his refreshing
honesty. The IPL victory was a triumph
for Gautam Gambhir and his players-and it should be recognized only as that.
Indian cricket
faces a monumental year ahead. Twelve home test matches provide an opportunity
to rectify the misdeeds of the last one year. In Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar
Pujara Rohit Sharma and Dhawal Kulkarni, India has the raw material to build
another successful team. The approach and the attitude need to be correct for
this to be achieved.
Comments
May I add that thanks to the fact that the Market is what rules our lives today everything, from dignity to love to justice and the entire set of values that make us human,have been turned to commodities. Whether a thing is important or not is determined by its price/value in the Market. Clearly dignity sells cheaper than indignity, hence the IPL prefers that.