Line & Length
R Mohan
Aussies hate Harby, Indians love their Bhajji
March 13, 2008
Ubiquitous Harbhajan, affectionately shortened to Bhajji or Harby, is becoming quite like Michael Jackson, revealed Mahendra Singh Dhoni. The skipper would have us believe that if his favourite spinner is not being hounded by the media 24x7, cricket authorities are training their guns on the printed word to pick up his trail of indiscreet utterances.
Harby's barbs have become famous or notorious depending on the point of view. Whereas once the cricket world seemed bothered by his bowling action, which was analysed threadbare before one version was cleared, it is now looking at his arm actions when he is fielding too. Or, at least the Australian media, was trying its best to catch Harby in an offending gesture.
The spunky Bhajji may well be a character out of the Baroque age. He has the same sense of flamboyant theatre. There is an artist in him not only when he has the ball is in his hands and he is tempting the batsman to spank his flighted deliveries outside the stadium. He has that impish sense of devilry that is always ready to come out and add pep to art.
There is no doubting the fact that sometimes he does tend to get carried away. He is the fighter eternally looking for a reason to rant against something, a rebel with a cause as it were.
Here in India, we understand him, sympathise with his cause because we know his background. The early death of his dad left his shoulders sagging with the responsibility of providing for the family and finding grooms for his sisters while coping with the vicissitudes of cricket.
The fighting spirit in him is apparent. Harby is not the type to shy away from a contest, although he tends to be tedious in his personal definition of cricket as a contact sport by often coming in close proximity to his adversaries, particularly those he picks a pangaa (quarrel) with. When very young, he barged into a departing Ponting in Sharjah, thus beginning many visits to the carpet in the match referee's room.
Bhajji has a prominent place in the crime & punishment register maintained by the ICC, certainly in the more recent one that has not had any data rubbed off its hard disk memory. It is not as if he is not aware of his record. He must also consider himself considerably fortunate to escape the long arm of justice in the latest round when the Kiwi judge did not have sufficient data to have to bring the big stick out.
But that is Bhajji for you - the irrepressible spirit, the feisty Sardar who will not duck a challenge, the theatrical cricketer who did several somersaults on getting his rabbit (Ponting) once again.
Not many would have stood up the barrage of abuse on and off the field and the criticism in the newspapers and come back unaffected from Down Under as the gutsy guy from Jalandhar has.
Greater men have been known to crack under the intense media scrutiny that is a trademark of Australian newspapers that reflect a society that swings from hedonistic to holier-thanthou pomposity depending on what time of day it is.
The classic refrain of a barracker telling Douglas Jardine not to chase away Australian flies since they were the only ones who would come anywhere near the England captain is worth recalling when bringing out Oz attitude.
No one pretends that Harbhajan is the innocent victim of several conspiracies. He has been hauled over the coals by sportsmen who have been inured to baiting opponents but hardly accustomed to getting some of their own back. Harby is about the only one who could countenance such a course of action as to stand up to the Aussies who are the farthest removed from many mealy-mouthed Indian cricketers.
There may be a sneaking suspicion that Harby, on coming north, did make some of his explosive, off the cuff comments on the Aussies. A timely denial may have saved the day for him as well as the BCCI, which obviously has to take the side of the denier rather than the newspaper reporter.
Harby stands absolved again. From here he must watch his step, and obviously his mouth, rather carefully. He should know by now that it is a cricketer's art that must have the last laugh, like his taking a hand in the dismissals in an over of a couple of his tormentors in Symonds and Hayden in the finals.
There is no need to be deferential. Nor is there any necessity to be confrontational. The wish is a Bhajji steeled in the fire will be a hard competitor but a fair one who will not bait opponents or react to the crowd.
Let the ball talk should be the motto.
Republished with permission from The Asian Age
Harby's barbs have become famous or notorious depending on the point of view. Whereas once the cricket world seemed bothered by his bowling action, which was analysed threadbare before one version was cleared, it is now looking at his arm actions when he is fielding too. Or, at least the Australian media, was trying its best to catch Harby in an offending gesture.
The spunky Bhajji may well be a character out of the Baroque age. He has the same sense of flamboyant theatre. There is an artist in him not only when he has the ball is in his hands and he is tempting the batsman to spank his flighted deliveries outside the stadium. He has that impish sense of devilry that is always ready to come out and add pep to art.
There is no doubting the fact that sometimes he does tend to get carried away. He is the fighter eternally looking for a reason to rant against something, a rebel with a cause as it were.
Here in India, we understand him, sympathise with his cause because we know his background. The early death of his dad left his shoulders sagging with the responsibility of providing for the family and finding grooms for his sisters while coping with the vicissitudes of cricket.
The fighting spirit in him is apparent. Harby is not the type to shy away from a contest, although he tends to be tedious in his personal definition of cricket as a contact sport by often coming in close proximity to his adversaries, particularly those he picks a pangaa (quarrel) with. When very young, he barged into a departing Ponting in Sharjah, thus beginning many visits to the carpet in the match referee's room.
Bhajji has a prominent place in the crime & punishment register maintained by the ICC, certainly in the more recent one that has not had any data rubbed off its hard disk memory. It is not as if he is not aware of his record. He must also consider himself considerably fortunate to escape the long arm of justice in the latest round when the Kiwi judge did not have sufficient data to have to bring the big stick out.
But that is Bhajji for you - the irrepressible spirit, the feisty Sardar who will not duck a challenge, the theatrical cricketer who did several somersaults on getting his rabbit (Ponting) once again.
Not many would have stood up the barrage of abuse on and off the field and the criticism in the newspapers and come back unaffected from Down Under as the gutsy guy from Jalandhar has.
Greater men have been known to crack under the intense media scrutiny that is a trademark of Australian newspapers that reflect a society that swings from hedonistic to holier-thanthou pomposity depending on what time of day it is.
The classic refrain of a barracker telling Douglas Jardine not to chase away Australian flies since they were the only ones who would come anywhere near the England captain is worth recalling when bringing out Oz attitude.
No one pretends that Harbhajan is the innocent victim of several conspiracies. He has been hauled over the coals by sportsmen who have been inured to baiting opponents but hardly accustomed to getting some of their own back. Harby is about the only one who could countenance such a course of action as to stand up to the Aussies who are the farthest removed from many mealy-mouthed Indian cricketers.
There may be a sneaking suspicion that Harby, on coming north, did make some of his explosive, off the cuff comments on the Aussies. A timely denial may have saved the day for him as well as the BCCI, which obviously has to take the side of the denier rather than the newspaper reporter.
Harby stands absolved again. From here he must watch his step, and obviously his mouth, rather carefully. He should know by now that it is a cricketer's art that must have the last laugh, like his taking a hand in the dismissals in an over of a couple of his tormentors in Symonds and Hayden in the finals.
There is no need to be deferential. Nor is there any necessity to be confrontational. The wish is a Bhajji steeled in the fire will be a hard competitor but a fair one who will not bait opponents or react to the crowd.
Let the ball talk should be the motto.
Republished with permission from The Asian Age
