International matches are hotly contested. It’s good to see balanced teams competing hard to win, but what bothers me is the overreaction to the outcome of the matches. The India Australia series, better known as the Border Gavaskar Trophy, has brought to light some issues that need to be urgently addressed. We are forgetting all the thoughts of playing for the glory of the sport and thoughts like “It is not victory or defeat that is important, but participation that is most important.” Is the current thinking of winning beneficial to sports or sportsmanship? It must be seriously thought about to protect the game.
When India lost to Australia last year, there were all kinds of reactions towards the Indian team, like the Tigers at home and the Leopards abroad. The press crosses its limits by exaggerating information and overreacting. This generates an opinion that creates an exaggeration that is difficult to handle. We forget that athletes like us are human beings who may not perform at the same level all the time and in all games. Is an athlete who is good one day suddenly painted as the worst the next day? It seems that the game is not played by human bodies, but by machines that have to launch the same product each time.
Now the Australians have lost four test matches in a row. When the Australians lost the second, the Australian press did not hesitate to say that their team is dead. This is the worst comment any press in the world can make. Why did you forget that Australians have consistently performed very well in the past? They have ruled world cricket along with the West Indies past side when Viv Richards, Clive Llyod, Gordon Greenidge, Holding, Marshal and Garner were there on their side. What does the Australian press expect of their boys and why is the Australian public not supporting their players by accepting that it is an integral part of the game? If the Indian press was wrong in the previous series, then the Australian press is also wrong now. They are both reducing their heroes to zero.
Professionalism has added to the problems of the players and the support staff. Everyone accepts nothing less than a victory. This affects team morale and bonding. Players also overreact at times. They worry too much about their egos. This leads to incidents like Shane Watson and his teammates leaving their teammates to fight their opponents alone. This can also be called childish behavior where certain words affect you so personally that you leave the team and return to Australia.
I appreciate the post-match statement by Indian captain Dhoni, where he refused to qualify his team’s victory as revenge. He was right that there is no room for revenge in sport. Here, former cricketers, press commentators, radio and television commentators, and news reporters all have an important role to play. They can make the game more contested and even more sporty. It is not wise to make unnecessary and avoidable comments about the performance of a player and the team. The public must realize that the players also cannot perform at the same level at all times. Be supportive and help them meet their expectations. Never publish the games as Ashes (series between England and Australia) and as a war to settle scores between the teams of India and Pakistan only to serve commercial interests. This way you do more damage than the money you collect. Money can count, but remember that you cannot assess the amount of damage it does. Let the sport be played in the right spirit.
I just wish and pray that we continue to enjoy the good games. We love going out to see hotly contested matches where winners and losers share a post-match drink.
