No Country for Greedy Men?

Follow @Vishal1686

Ask any kid in or around Shivaji Park, Azad Maidan or the Oval Ground about what his dream is and he will reply without a second’s delay, “I want to be a part of the Indian cricket team”. That’s how it has been for years if not decades, but the question is will the answer remain the same over the coming years?

With the T20 format introduced by the introducers the game, the contours of the game and pay scales are changing rather rapidly. The latest developments being the tiff between Chris Gayle and the WICB aggravating, second being one of the most bizarre retirements from the finest format of the game by Malinga and third being senior Indian cricketers like Tendulkar, Zaheer, Sehwag and Dhoni playing for clubs in the IPL but not representing their country for the ODIs in the Caribbean.

Initially, it was only a misunderstanding between the WICB and Gayle but as soon as the former landed in the subcontinent, the relationship has been getting worse as quickly as Gayle has been hitting sixes in the IPL. Gayle definitely seems to be more relaxed with RCB than with his nation’s side as he’s been smiling (which is a rare sight), giving high fives and he himself has said he is feeling very comfortable with the team. Dwayne Bravo who joined the defending champions much later recently said that he didn't have any difficulty in gelling with the team (CSK). Will this ignorance by the cricket board lead to preference towards the money laundering entertainment event?

Malinga’s retirement from Test on the other hand was nothing less than out of the blue. He announced his retirement in the middle of the squabble between the Sri Lankan board and the players who were playing in IPL who wanted to stay longer and skip the practice games before their English tour. I firmly believe that IPL was one of the main reasons he retired because if his knee injury was so serious, he could have easily retired from T20s including IPL and played occasionally in the ODIs to make himself fully available for Tests. Or choose between ODIs and Tests depending on his personal preference after retiring from IPL which takes place when cricketers around the world rest or play county in England. But sadly, players nowadays have the option of going for money and not caring enough about their country.

And then came the announcement of Gambhir leading the LOI team for the Caribbean tour starting on June 4. No doubt it is another salivating opportunity for youngsters but why are we ignoring the fact that all the seniors have chosen to skip the ODIs? Do we not want to see them win matches for our country rather than some club which is busier in hiring and firing cheerleaders and inviting Bollywood celebs for the matches?

If I had my ways, I would have reprimanded Sehwag for being so nonchalant about his injury. The shoulder injury occurred during the Tests in December during South African tour which made him miss the ODIs so that he could be in shape (so to say) for the World Cup. Credit goes to him for playing the World Cup even when his shoulder had not healed completely and we lifted the cup, didn’t we? But shouldn’t he have gone for an operation immediately after the celebrations instead of worsening it in the IPL and missing the entire Caribbean tour? On being asked about his shoulder in a press conference just before his last game for the Delhi Daredevils, he said, “I will continue to play with it as long as it doesn't hurt”. And some sweet reminders, Sehwag missed the T20 World Cups in England in 2009 and in West Indies last year because he picked up injuries in the IPL.

If you are a regular follower of Indian cricket, you will know that Zaheer has not been 100% fit for long now which is evident in his run-ups and while he is fielding in the deep. Shouldn’t he also have given rest to his tired legs to be fresh for the Caribbean and England tour?

Our man with the midas touch, Dhoni complained a few months before the World Cup that the team’s schedule was too hectic. But the same man did not go to his hometown Ranchi after playing the World Cup finals in Mumbai because he had to fly to Chennai to join his team Chennai Super Kings. Any logic behind that? I fail to understand why he didn’t take a break as the money could not have made him greedy since he is the highest paid cricketer in the country and maybe in the world.

What I cannot understand even more is that why is Sachin Tendulkar playing match after match in the IPL? He skipped most of the ODIs in 2010 to keep himself fit for the World Cup and to concentrate on Tests. Now that the Cup is in his cabinet (not literally), why does he need to play all the IPL matches? Which part of his body has he not injured in the last 21 and a half years while playing for his country? By how much will the IPL increase his bank balance, 0.1% or 1%? He himself says in almost all his interviews that playing and winning for the country gives him more satisfaction than anything else. Any dots to be connected here?

We can only hope and pray now that the trend doesn’t change because of the moolah and that upcoming cricketers whether in India or abroad still dream of playing for their country.