Abhishek Dubey
An overtly aggressive young man from Delhi—both in intent and style was the next great thing to happen to the Indian cricket after the eclipse of the great Sachin Tendulkar. The other one was India’s one of the most thinking cricketers and the highest wicket takers for the country. Although, he had only a brief stint as the leader of the team, he left his stamp as a Statesman. Unlike, ‘wear your aggression on your sleeve’ style of Virat Kohli, Anil Kumble from Bengaluru was a ruthless, but a calm headed customer. Though, when both come together, Virat had a very successful run with another former cricketer Ravi Shastri, but many billed this partnership as the greatest thing to have happened to Indian cricket. Why do the romantic stories, invariably turn into a tragedy?
Why did this pair fall apart? In the answer to this biting question, are hidden many unpalatable realties of Indian cricket. Firstly, in cricket we have an unmatchable talent pool. We do have one of the most resourceful boards which invariably lords over the world cricket. We have had administrators who have created a huge infrastructure base in terms of facilities. There is immense social security—as former cricketers get handsome pension and lucrative jobs, current ones are the incredibly paid rock stars of the world cricket. And the younger lot could eke out more than decent living, even if they are on the fringes of Indian team or in some cases are unable to make it to the top fifteen. Irrespective of this, we may have had brief spells at the top, but we are unable to be the cricketing super power of the world, as West Indies were in their hey days and Australia were till the recent years. Why?
To be numero uno means an eternal quest for the excellence. And to reach this zone, requires to get out of the comfort zone. Indian cricketers are in the comfort zone. Whosoever wants to take them out of the comfort zone are villains for them. Anil Kumble is the latest one for them. As famous sociologist Diwakar Prasad says, “Previously, Greg Chappell wanted to take them out of the comfort zone. He became a persona non grata in the dressing room. Now same is the case with Kumble. But the unfortunate part is that whereas Chappell, being a foreigner was totally alien and anti thesis to the Indian conditions, Kumble is 100 per cent Indian and one of the keen students of India and Indianess.”
Secondly, contrary to the view projected by a few self-serving sports writers and commentators, the entire episode has thrown Virat Kohli in the poor light. It has shown Kohli might be one of the world’s best players, but he has to cover a huge distance for being a Statesman. As a former cricketer on condition of annomity says, “Leaders like Kohli come with a shelf life. I am afraid, if he continues like this, it may come sooner than later. Like in life, in cricket too you have your share of good and bad phases. From my personal experience I can share that these things haunt you more in your bad phases. Aggression in intent is good. But aggression as a statement should be used as the last resort by an astute leader. The problem with Kohli is that he uses it too often. Moreover, as market expert and sports entrepreneur Gagan Jain aptly puts it, “In a country having a deep seated ethos of Guru Shishya parampara, the brand Kohli has taken a big dent after this episode; Kohli has matured over the years. But this episode proves that he has a fair distance to cover.”
Thirdly, successful life comes with an innate hangover. And to make a seamless transition from being successful in one field of life to another and from one stage of life to another requires the tenacity to make a fresh beginning from the scratch. Life is motion in lessons. Once, while interviewing Pulela Gopichand, I asked him. What was your biggest challenge when you decided to become a coach even though you were a great player? His reply still remains etched in my memories, the biggest challenge was to come out of the Hangover of being a great player and start from the scratch as the coach. Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman might be amongst the greatest cricketers to have walked across the beautiful planet, but as the members of the Cricket Advisory Committee, their job was not well done. They either took this assignment too lightly, or they mishandled it totally. Both the situations are dangerous.
Fourthly, Kumble-Kohli saga has put the current establishment of cricket administrators in the poor light. After the Indian Premier League saga unfolded, Indian cricket indeed needed an antibiotic. But instead, full blown surgery was done. Though the entire exercise is still a work in progress, the signs are ominous. The honourable Supreme Court administered panel is struggling to put the house in order as per their vision. The BCCI ad-hoc body is functioning in the manner as the ad-hoc bodies function—tentative and indecisive always the life jacket for their safety. And, in the absence of leadership, hired professionals are groping in darkness. Often, they become more loyal their masters themselves. The entire saga was brewing over the year, but it so so poorly handled, that it looked like it has come abruptly. There is nothing abrupt in modern sports-one needs to understand the indications and work pro actively to deal with this.
Fifthly, a team sport is more about putting the team before the self. Consistent and successful teams are those who do this more than often. Time has come when we should start putting a team before the individual more often. When one works with the team goals in mind, there comes clarity of purpose. When one works with individual goals in mind, the team objectives get a cluttered vision. Indian team has to make certain tough callings before the world cup 2019. Should Yuvraj Singh be there in the team? Should Mahendra Singh Dhoni be in the team for the world cup? If no, is this the correct time to pitch in the youngster like Rishabh Pant? Is Ashwin-Jadeja a viable option in the unhelpful foreign conditions? There are some more queries. And to answer to these queries, you need to have a person of stature and standing before you who could show you the mirror. Unfortunately, the selection committee comprises of the members, who lack in eminence and stature. In the same manner, if you get a coach whom you want to be a yes man, it will be a deadly cocktail.
May be India will win few matches. There is also a possibility that the team wins series or tournaments. But Indian cricket, despite being an advantaged lot cannot be at the summit like West Indies and Australia, until they find a definitive answer to these queries.
(The writer is senior Sports Journalist)
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