Another India-Pakistan cricket match, another win for India,
another celebration! Every time the two teams lock horns on the cricket field,
followers of the game from across the border hold their breath until the match
gets over. A lot of discussions (at public places, news studios, media
platforms) have become routine before and after the match between neighbors.
Joining these discussions are the cricket experts, irrespective of the number of matches they have played for the country. They see to it that the match is made a ‘virtual battleground’ between the two nations. The ‘experts’ from both the countries, who think they are the most intelligent brains in the game, leave no stone unturned to express as to how a particular player of their respective country is better as compared to his counterpart.
And this is not happening only today, we are witnessing this ‘rivalry’ for ages. Take for instance the comparison between Kapil-Imran, Miandad-Gavaskar- Inzamam-Sachin, Wasim/Waqar-Srinath/Prasad, Saqlain-Kumble/Harbhajan to recent players such as Saeed Ajmal-Ashwin, Ahmed Shahzad/Babar Azam-Virat Kohli/Rohit Sharma etc, the experts have been trying to overpower each other by raising some ‘interesting’ points and counter-points.
Not only India-Pakistan, but similar ‘rivalry’ is seen between England-Australia, West Indies-South Africa or Australia-New Zealand.
The question that comes to my mind is—Do we really need to compare the players? Why can’t we leave them and let them play their natural game? After all, someone has to win. So what’s the point in discussing the match even before the first ball is bowled. Analysing the match after can be understood, but why discuss the possibilities before.
The most ridiculous part lies when the experts create pairs of rival bowler-batsmen and discuss how they can bat or bowl to their rival in an attempt to gain an advantage over each other. The players themselves do not think on these lines and concentrate on the match, but these experts put an unnecessary burden on them by creating ‘virtual rivalry’ irrespective of the friendly equation these players share among each other.
And remember, these experts were players themselves at one time and had been subjects of similar discussions. They also must have faced the similar pressure as is being faced by the current lot. Are we taking any sort of revenge? We need to get over this habit and discuss pure cricket, particularly during pre and post-match shows.
My humble request to these experts is please spare the
players to perform on the field. Why are you deliberating over his performance
over the mike? This is a Gentleman’s Game and should remain like that. Infuse
the spirit of patriotism among players if you can. This will help them play
with killer instinct and bring rich laurels for their respective nation.
