A Common Fan’s Sports Diary

Dear Ricky,

As an Indian cricket fan, it gives me tremendous pleasure in writing to you now. I was pleased when you got berated in the home series by your own fans but at least you had the full-fledged support of Cricket Australia then. Now that the public is baying for your blood for being over –defensive and trying to save yourself a suspension at cost of the match and the series and your cricket board seems to have joined them with Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland asking you for an explanation, I am over the moon. Wonder how you are going to handle this now.

I am surprised that you and your team called the Indians defensive for their approach on Day 3 of the final test match. Didn’t you recognize the same stifling tactics that Australian sides have so successfully used ever since they got a bowler called Glenn McGrath? It started on the historic tour of the West Indies in 1994-95. Now you can’t take it just because you are on the receiving end. I guess that attitude is part of your DNA. You have to define the boundaries of sledging. You have a right to decide what kind of match-fixing is OK and what kind is not. And the same goes for your so-called gamesmanship. You guys pride yourself on playing cricket the hard way, right. So what is all the fuss about now? Guess sometimes it gets too hard for you.

We are looking forward to the 2008 edition

You guys (the likes of Adam Gilchrist ) have perfected the art of selling books. You always come up with some controversial nonsense to get the public intrigued. You seem to have done the same with your last memoirs. I was wondering what your next memoirs would be called- Now that you have added another feather in your captaincy cap. You became the first Aussies captain to lose the Ashes in 20 years and now you have become the first guy to lose a series by a two test margin in 25 years. That is quite a legacy you have there. You could call your next memoirs – A rare Australian captain – that would be fitting, considering your record and your popularity. Or you could call it – Losers and Cry-babies too

All the best for the upcoming Ashes. Last time you kept complaining about the substitute fielders. This time you have will have to lock horns with a real bully in Kevin Pietersen. I cant wait for the series to get started. It’s not everyday that you see ‘A rare Australian captain’ in action.

Enough has been written, said, discussed and debated about the umpiring, racism and sportsmanship witnessed in the second test at Sydney. For once, the entire media backing as well as the public support has been with India. Kudos to Peter Roebuck in the Australian media and Prem Panicker in India for leading the tirade against the ugly Aussies. Now, even Australian greats in other sports have come out openly to criticize Ricky Ponting and his men. Never before have I witnessed such a strong reaction to anything on or off the field. I thought of writing something but there wasn’t anything new to add and hence I resisted the temptation to add my two bit to what was slowly becoming a white noise. However, the likes of Navjot Singh Sidhu aren’t bothered about such social courtesies and he gave an exceptional display of jingoistic verbal diarrhoea on NDTV. He probably thinks he is the only educated Sardar ji around and has to speak for all the Sikhs in the world. More so, when a fellow Sardar has been held in the dock.

So why am I writing this? Well, I am doing so because I think I have a valid new point – something which has not been touched upon. Now, Iam reasonably confident in making this claim as I have been reading almost everything that I could find on the internet. Additionally, friends have been forwarding any interesting stuff they have come across. So the chances that my point is not ‘new’ is remote, unless it was made in a local daily in rural Meghalaya, India’s 100th social networking site or on the intranet of India’s one millionth software company.

My first point is in response to claims made by the likes of Mr Glenn McGrath about India arm-twisting the ICC on the back of their financial muscle. India has every right and every reason to do so. This is how the world works. This is what the advanced western nations do all the time. This is how the church spreads Christianity and the gulf countries spread Islam. And most importantly this is how the western nations killed Asian hockey – ending the domination of India and Pakistan. Bit by bit they have changed the rules of the game to tilt the scales in favour of the western nations. The Asians have tried to raise a hue and cry but their clamour has found no takers. The game is well funded in the west and the associations better endowed. The world body – the FIH is controlled and bankrolled by them and hence dances to their tune. So, why shouldn’t we do the same in a game where we control the finances? Cricket might have taken hockey’s spot as the most popular sport in the sub-continent but they have paid their due in some part by bringing the western nations to their knees. The revenge will be complete once companies like Percept can cancel all the image marketing contracts they have with Australian cricketers. Mr Mitchell Johnson once drove a plumbing truck to make ends meet. It will not come to that for Mr Ponting. But all the retirement plans they have been dreaming of, from the money they make out of India; an income which would have jumped post the IPL can now be relegated to a distant memory.

And now for a swipe at Mr Proctor. He claims to understand racism, coming from apartheid infected South Africa. A ton of bullshit!!!. Wasn’t he on the other side of the fence? Was he protesting on the streets when Nelson Mandela was sent to the Robben Island prison? Has he been a victim of racism? He was the captain of the last South African side before they were banned from international competition – a proud representative of a racist country, wearing the springbok logo on his conceited heart. He never had the courage to speak out against the opressionist regime; the way Tatenda Taibu did with great distinction. I think what he meant was that he knows how to practise racism.

Lastly, Iam worried about the record-books. England were winners by default when Mr Darrell Hair had a fit of madness against Pakistan. And now Australia lead 2-0 and have a great chance to go for a 17th consecutive victory with Perth looming. Their objective has been served. Mr Ponting will go into the record books. What can be done about this? Shouldn’t Wisden at least put an asterisk next to the 16th victory?