India – Aussie: Good lessons to Sri Lankan cricketers

By Dr D. CHANDRARATNA

Turnarounds, we know from history, can never be predicted. But Indian lower order debutants did a magnificent turnaround last week that will go straight into history books. There is much to be learnt from the recently concluded dazzling cricket series between Australia and India. What is interesting to note is that some of the new players, who excelled in this Test, have overcome turnarounds in their real lives, too. These are lessons for Sri Lankan cricketers who have not really grasped the significance of playing for one’s country.

The Australian papers carried the stories of the new caps handed before the Gabba Test and how they snared the chances with both hands. Natarajan, is the son of a loom worker who had no money for luxuries, like cricket gear and shoes. For many years, Natarajan, who was asked to remain in Australia only as a net bowler, says he had to think a hundred times before investing in new shoes in his earlier life. His mother wept with joy when she saw him representing India, on TV, on that momentous day in Canberra. Siraj rose to become India’s new ball bowler, despite being born to a poor rickshaw driver. His father died and he couldn’t perform his last rites as he was in Australia on national duty. His rich neighbour, a retired Army man, throughout his local cricketing life, sponsored Washington Sundar, born to poor parents. His name was Washington. Sundar Senior had earlier selected the religious name Sri Nivasan for his first male son, but at the last moment changed his mind and named the baby ‘Washington’ as a tribute to his benefactor. Before his untimely death, he had mentioned that if he had another son he would name him Washington Junior. So much for the debt of gratitude. Navdeep Saini’s father was a government driver and could not afford expensive cricket coaching for his son. So Saini played exhibition matches with the tennis ball at Rs.300 a match to fund his dreams. These stories should inspire future generations of cricket players in our developing country.

A media blog reported that ‘All their failures, all their struggles, all their doubts and all their insecurities – all that was settled once and for all in this Test match’. Also there is something else. They not only sustained tremendous pressure, but also took hard knocks all over their bodies against ‘one of the best Australian attacks ever’. In doing so, they have made us realise that while a five-hour IPL match can create instant celebrities, Test Cricket, which stretches over five days, creates real heroes.

Coming back to those hard knocks and injuries they sustained, it is perplexing as to why the bouncer is not banned from the game yet. It’s no brainer to rid the sport of this menace. It is sickening to see medium built cricketers, especially from Asia, getting hit by the heavily built muscle men bowling at the rib cage and above, to intimidate and possibly kill the sportsmen. What one may ask is the sportsmanship of the world’s best bowler from Australia bouncing to the world’s worst batsman, other than to injure him or even kill him. Hope this will be eradicated from the game, and sooner the better. Penalizing the bowler ‘a posteriori’ is meaningless after the damage is done. All things these days are science driven, and why are the injuries bouncers’ cause an exception. This weapon, invented by the West, should be banned in international cricket. Anything that gives an unfair advantage to one side is, as per the famous aphorism goes, ‘ is not cricket’. Cricket is a competitive sport, no doubt, but we do not treat the opponents as enemies. It is only a game and not a war game.

In the same vein, it is time to put a stop to the racial and vulgar sledging mostly by the western cricketers, as was experienced by Ravi Ashwin in the recent series. We need not put up with excuses such as that ‘we need to grow up’, ‘do not be sissies’, etc. The time to grow up ‘to be vulgar’ is not necessary culturally, and/or morally anymore. We must have the guts to educate the world body that the time to abide by lessons of the Empire days is long gone past. If the umpires cannot stop the taunts, the players have a right to walk off the field than sacrifice their wicket. I cannot understand why the cricketing authorities, particularly the Asians, do not stand up to the antics of White Europeans in the playing field. No fieldsman has the right to torment any cricketer, no matter the complexion, to gain an unfair advantage. This is the 21st century and we should not be bowled over by our former colonial friends anymore. Once again such behaviour is also ‘not cricket’.