Line & Length
R Mohan
Bhajji ban might help Indian cricket
May 01, 2008
Not even an Indian cricketer who may one day find himself on a Forbes list can scoff at a handy sum like Rs 2.5 crore. The cricket establishment well knows that hitting a player in the pocket is where it really hurts. Harbhajan Singh loses a lot more than a hefty pay cheque.
A psychiatrist digging into his life may come up with a theory on how some childhood deprivation may have left its scars on Bhajji. There is always the thought that he is somehow a child in a man's world even though he is said to have grown up fast because he had to shoulder the family responsibility on the death of his father when he was young.
The sardar of spin, who has been known to be a feisty competitor before the day he stepped on to the international stage, had hardened his attitude towards opponents so much he was bound to get himself into trouble from which there could be no easy escape. In his first series in the big league he had shown his attitude when he walked into Ponting's path after having taken his wicket.
The poor batsman, already bemused by a young spinner who was giving the ball a challenging air without fearing the reputation of the batsman, was wending his way back to the Sharjah pavilion when Bhajji invited him to a tackle by giving Punter the shoulder charge.
The match referee was wise enough to fine the youngster while scotching any suggestion that the batsman was at fault by walking into the bowler.
In the intervening years a lot of evidence had piled up against the offie. The New Zealand judge who had refused to ban him while admonishing him for his run-in with Andrew Symonds in the Sydney Test early this year made it known after the trial and the sentencing that the ICC had not put up for his perusal some of the records of its crime and punishment ledger. Otherwise, Bhajji would have copped a ban Down Under.
The most disappointing part of all the drama surrounding Bhajji is that he has let so many people down.
The nation ran a huge SMS campaign by which 'monkey' got transliterated into Hindi swear words so that the racial slur would be taken out of the equation.
The millions who saw the issue then as one of national prestige must be left wondering whether they had been led up the garden path by a cricketer with more than spinning talent.
An Indian cricketer assaulting another is not that uncommon. Down the ages, Indian dressing rooms have seen quite a few bust-ups. It is a players' code, cricket's version of the law of Omerta, that sees to it what happens within the locker room tends to stay there. Quite a few famous names have been known to get ready for a duel or a boxing match at an insult or a challenge from a fellow cricketer.
Where Bhajji overstepped was to enact this 'slapgate' in public. But then he was always the cheeky sort who would keep the whole team bus waiting while he sauntered in late after ensuring all his luggage was on board.
He was the leader of the rebels at the crunch when Greg Chappell was taking on Sourav Ganguly. He is said to have had a similar run-in with former coach John Wright, the friendly Kiwi.
If the Bhajji ban serves as a seminal event that will lead to a maturity of Indian cricket then it may even have served a purpose. Indian cricket may have had a grudge to nurse regarding double standards in ICC match referees dishing out punishments vis a vis comparable provocative behaviour by other teams that were ignored.
When an Indian slaps an Indian, or punches him a la WWE to quote the aggrieved party, what it exposes is the behaviour of some Indian cricketers is far from exemplary. One leading exponent of the art of displaying anger in public has been pilloried.
The others better watch out.
There is no hiding behind a so-called need to adopt an attitude to reflect a growing national strength. As Indians we have always prided ourselves in being able to prove that nice guys can also finish first.
Republished with permission from The Asian Age
A psychiatrist digging into his life may come up with a theory on how some childhood deprivation may have left its scars on Bhajji. There is always the thought that he is somehow a child in a man's world even though he is said to have grown up fast because he had to shoulder the family responsibility on the death of his father when he was young.
The sardar of spin, who has been known to be a feisty competitor before the day he stepped on to the international stage, had hardened his attitude towards opponents so much he was bound to get himself into trouble from which there could be no easy escape. In his first series in the big league he had shown his attitude when he walked into Ponting's path after having taken his wicket.
The poor batsman, already bemused by a young spinner who was giving the ball a challenging air without fearing the reputation of the batsman, was wending his way back to the Sharjah pavilion when Bhajji invited him to a tackle by giving Punter the shoulder charge.
The match referee was wise enough to fine the youngster while scotching any suggestion that the batsman was at fault by walking into the bowler.
In the intervening years a lot of evidence had piled up against the offie. The New Zealand judge who had refused to ban him while admonishing him for his run-in with Andrew Symonds in the Sydney Test early this year made it known after the trial and the sentencing that the ICC had not put up for his perusal some of the records of its crime and punishment ledger. Otherwise, Bhajji would have copped a ban Down Under.
The most disappointing part of all the drama surrounding Bhajji is that he has let so many people down.
The nation ran a huge SMS campaign by which 'monkey' got transliterated into Hindi swear words so that the racial slur would be taken out of the equation.
The millions who saw the issue then as one of national prestige must be left wondering whether they had been led up the garden path by a cricketer with more than spinning talent.
An Indian cricketer assaulting another is not that uncommon. Down the ages, Indian dressing rooms have seen quite a few bust-ups. It is a players' code, cricket's version of the law of Omerta, that sees to it what happens within the locker room tends to stay there. Quite a few famous names have been known to get ready for a duel or a boxing match at an insult or a challenge from a fellow cricketer.
Where Bhajji overstepped was to enact this 'slapgate' in public. But then he was always the cheeky sort who would keep the whole team bus waiting while he sauntered in late after ensuring all his luggage was on board.
He was the leader of the rebels at the crunch when Greg Chappell was taking on Sourav Ganguly. He is said to have had a similar run-in with former coach John Wright, the friendly Kiwi.
If the Bhajji ban serves as a seminal event that will lead to a maturity of Indian cricket then it may even have served a purpose. Indian cricket may have had a grudge to nurse regarding double standards in ICC match referees dishing out punishments vis a vis comparable provocative behaviour by other teams that were ignored.
When an Indian slaps an Indian, or punches him a la WWE to quote the aggrieved party, what it exposes is the behaviour of some Indian cricketers is far from exemplary. One leading exponent of the art of displaying anger in public has been pilloried.
The others better watch out.
There is no hiding behind a so-called need to adopt an attitude to reflect a growing national strength. As Indians we have always prided ourselves in being able to prove that nice guys can also finish first.
Republished with permission from The Asian Age
