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[poondu]

India needs to stand by its team

Sport is rich with comebacks, writes Rohit Brijnath 




How does one play collected cricket amidst this din, this hysteria, this "don't come home," this "team needs to be whipped." The air is thick with insults, invective, effigy burning, and this is not new, in fact it's as stale as the team, still it makes Brazil appear rational about football. We are proud of this? The saddest thing after the Bangladesh match was that we quit. Not the team, but so many fans. It was a day when Indian skills went into hiding and an energetic neighbour gave us an instructive spanking. In sport it happens.

Yet we lost our nerve and said farewell to the Super Eights. Bishen Bedi was quoted as saying: "It's all over?" This is a former Indian captain, and in his reflexive defeatism lies a tragedy.

It's strange, we impale players for not believing in themselves, yet we chucked in the towel without a backward glance; we derisively point to their body language even as our shoulders have slumped; we go on about the virtues of "team," yet TV channels have polls to pick who is the guiltiest player after defeat.

In Australia, there is no abandonment of team, there's no "can't be done."

When they stumble, fans mutter, grimace, then put their shoulder to the team's cause. There is a sense that for better or for worse this is their team and the marriage has to endure. And perhaps this faith binds them, for few teams are as adept at rescuing themselves from positions of expiring hope.

This relationship in India, between fan and player, is edging beyond the uncomfortable. Respect from both sides has dimmed. Players might see many fans as noisy nuisances, useful only to their bank balance. Many fans see players only as idols or targets, whose effigies they burn or pictures they garland.

Middle ground


So little rational middle ground exists, so little delight found in the game except in victory, so little sense of adventuring together. A shrill worship has been confused with affection. In a game of patience, it is now fashionable to pass definitive judgements every hour. Perhaps we need to learn to love the game again.

We do not know yet what caused the death of Bob Woolmer, but must be mindful of the stress we place on unformed men and greying coaches. If men bat with tension darting through their fingers it should be because the occasion is exciting, not because the repercussions of failure are grim.

In 2001, John Wright asked Harsha Bhogle to address the team, and though the exact words elude him, the wise commentator remembers talking about Indians across the world rising early to check India's performance on cricinfo, beaming when the team shines, and reminded the players of the power they had over people. We might say this team tends to forget that. But we might also say that if it's hard for us to cheer a seemingly slothful team, it's hard to play for someone who wants to kick down your house. Yes, this team is annoying, exasperating, sloppy. Yes, you'd think they have enough free time to learn to field. Yes, their teamwork is sometimes less than admirable. But they're also the best of us.

Their erratic nature should not surprise, for no perfect team can be born of a flawed system. We are impatient for greatness without caring to carefully court it. Still, this team is all we've got, we cannot exchange it for another. So we might as well believe, that Rahul Dravid, perhaps one final match left as captain, will find the words to rouse them, that old men will stand proud and young men take their chance.

Sport is rich with comebacks, some forged by these men in 2001. It would be nice if they stood up against Sri Lanka, and we stood by them. And that even if they fall short, we can criticise, fume, hope for better days, push for a smarter system, but leave it at that. No burning nothing. No worst player polls. No "disgrace to the nation" posters. There would be, after all, something cruel about young Indian men, whatever their failings, feeling nervous of coming home.

http://www.hindu.com/2007/03/21/stories/2007032106712000.htm

[RicePlateReddy]

I have mixed feelings about this article.

First of all Rohit Brijnath, whether he likes it or not, represents a demographic that is the same calibre as the fans he is lecturing to. The Indian cricket press. They have made a mockery of and exaggerated the feuds that are but a natural outcome of cricket mania, and inundated our sensibilities with over exposure of stupid matters, invariably of a personal nature that go beyond the nuances and laudable aspects of the sport.

It is a chicken and egg problem -- the public bay for more and the media feed it to them. Like the entertainment industry and sex. In these cases, one should equally accuse the chicken and the egg as they form a mutually symbiotic system of gratuitous provider and voyeuristic consumer. Has the media shown any restraint in its coverage, stymieing rumors and focusing on the virtues of the game than India's involvement in it? In spite of all the mini-wars, factionalism and witchhunts on this DG, there are more pearls of knowledge and history per square yard on it than all Indian (English) newspapers put together. There is more appreciation of happenings beyond Indian cricket than we ever see in the Indian media.

Equally, we should not let the administration out of sight. We have mind-numbingly gigantic finances involved, a complete lack of transparency regarding lobbying and utilization, an excuse of a 'constitution' if at all, weird telecom policies regarding broadcast of games, the farcical betting episode that lead nowhere -- let the puppet masters first be taken to task. Sharad Pawar accused the media of causing disappointment and indirectly creating the pre-requisites for violence by projecting heroes out of average mortals, the day after the loss. Did anyone in the media take him to task for accountability and decision making? Are they waiting till we return on a flight this weekend? The chairman of selectors couldn't keep his mouth shut at the appropriate time, singling out a questionable personnel choice at the worst possible moment, for the lap-dog media to slurp up and drive a wedge further in the schism.

Rohit is partially correct when he accuses us of abandoning hope prematurely. Theoretically, we have a way out. But is it right to advocate that we channel all our energy into the future and simply fritter away our indignation at the charade the team management has put us through? We are not rueing a depressing loss to a big-eight team here. As much as Bangladesh was good on the day, given the money, resources, and time at our disposal we pulled up unacceptably short.

This was the equivalent of Brazil losing to a Senegal in the soccer world cup, with their forward yawning in the afternoon on world TV in the face of a 0-1 scoreline, and risking elimination from the second round. Strike that, the analogy falls quite a distance short because Brazil does not control the money strings and influence the FICA as much as India dominates the ICC! Perhaps a more fitting analogy would be the US bankrolling the Olympics to come out with 2 silver and 1 bronze medal -- in baseball and beach volleyball, and with a record scoreline against the Lesser Antilles when achieving it.

The loss to Bangladesh and then straining every sinew and praying to every deity to make it beyond the shrinking odds is like a priority challenged student who flunks the simpler mid-term and desperately scrambles to ace the finals and make-up an A grade. Should a parent be advised to realize that this is the nature of adolesence and enjoy the ups and accept the downs; or upbraid and constantly remind the son of his stupidity? Does it matter any if the parent did the exact thing when growing up? Does it matter if the child is in a better school than the parent could manage? Is the message diluted in comport because of who is saying it and the manner in which they do?

The loss to Bangladesh with a Dravid, Tendulkar and Ganguly -- "era" players -- was a low-point in Indian cricket history. Those who could have made a difference must be figuratively kicked in their rear-ends. I am not condoning the stupid violence against the players families, but that is India for you, economic powerhouse with a rampant high school drop out rate. Yet using that as an excuse to tone down our disgust and invective is off the mark. Again without excusing the physical remonstrations one bit, let us remember that Escobar was shot dead in Columbia for a painful loss: disgusting, but the point being we are not the only freaks.

Brijnath wrote a better article just a few days ago:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/6407041.stm

He underestimated his own case of the Pessimist, though he leaves us the choice of whatever makes us happy!

[pieterSAN]

KoP...excellent analysis of the article. While I agree with many observations you make, I have some other points to make.

For starters, I am dismayed that there is a perception that we as fans are gambling on an Indian performance/result when we spend time and money to watch these matches. I am even more dismayed that some of us have little desire to follow the WC if India is not playing - most of us will meet up for the final. This tells me that if it was not for India's involvement in the World Cup, most of us would be as interested in as we would be in football. We would watch the final and perhaps watch some highlights.

This leads me to believe that there is more truth to what Ruchir says then all of us believe. There are quite of few of us who are watching the game due to our nationalistic fervor. I don't believe there is anything wrong with this. But it explodes the myth that we are big cricket fans.

Then there are people who are or claim to be fans of the Indian team. I don't mean to define the role of the fan here - but I always thought that fans are there to back their teams, not bring them down. If they are bringing the team down are they truly fans of the team? Maybe. But I think some of them cross the line - some give up on the team before the game starts and some vandalize the players' homes when there is a bad result. For me, these are not fans.

Going back to my earlier point, my theory is that some fans expect the team to live up to a certain image based on their perceived national superiority. In which case, there is bound to be severe backlash if the team fails because some of our young men would be enraged by this "insult". I am not sure if writers like Prem Panicker or Rohit Brijnath have a role in this. I am not convinced that the fans' passions are stirred by the media.

[LosingNow]

The loss to Bangladesh with a Dravid, Tendulkar and Ganguly -- "era" players -- was a low-point in Indian cricket history.
---
Amen!!! [Actually, make that the lowest point]

...and about time we(yes, we fans) get over this GC-SG bullcrap, the team is more important than these "spent" individuals.

--
Applause for a well written post.

[RicePlateReddy]

Thanks pieterSAN, losingnow.

pieterSAN you mention: "But I think some of them cross the line - some give up on the team before the game starts and some vandalize the players' homes when there is a bad result. For me, these are not fans."

Yes, these are not fans. I would also add that the politicians who gift land and houses on a victory to an often hyped and extremely well paid team are also partially to blame. I don't want to get into the psychology of mobs, nor condone violence in any way, but I would factor this tax payer subsidized largesse into the bigger picture.

Finally, your point about the national superiority complex rings true. I left the shores of India a long while back, and in my time, there was no "proud to be an Indian", "Indians are the best" national motto that was drilled into us ad nauseum. The idea had its place to uplift our pride and instill self belief. Yet every year I return to visit, I notice this jingoism has gotten more strident and cheap; it is probably at the point today that some otherwise educated young minds believe it whole hog and suffer from soft-landing trouble when brought down to earth. Between them, the illterate thugs and a normal distribution of a billion people, sufficient nonsense is guaranteed at all times. Yeh hey India.

[LosingNow]

pieterSAN you mention: "But I think some of them cross the line - some give up on the team before the game starts and some vandalize the players' homes when there is a bad result. For me, these are not fans."

Yes, these are not fans. I would also add that the politicians who gift land and houses on a victory to an often hyped and extremely well paid team are also partially to blame. I don't want to get into the psychology of mobs, nor condone violence in any way, but I would factor this tax payer subsidized largesse into the bigger picture.

Tax-free Ferrari to Sachin, free land to MSD... they are special citizens!!

(Never indulge a politician or a political party ..you are playing with fire!)

[caught and bowled]

Kudos KoP. I actually liked your analysis a hell lot more than I did the original article. Well done

[feverpitch]

Finally, your point about the national superiority complex rings true. I left the shores of India a long while back, and in my time, there was no "proud to be an Indian", "Indians are the best" national motto that was drilled into us ad nauseum. The idea had its place to uplift our pride and instill self belief. Yet every year I return to visit, I notice this jingoism has gotten more strident and cheap; it is probably at the point today that some otherwise educated young minds believe it whole hog and suffer from soft-landing trouble when brought down to earth. Between them, the illterate thugs and a normal distribution of a billion people, sufficient nonsense is guaranteed at all times. Yeh hey India.