The IPL Sunday Roast #6

By Rahul Patil

The words cricket and fight rarely get used in the same sentence. Being a non-contact sport does help to keep tempers under control at most times. I use words like “rarely” and “most times” because in the 179-year history of international cricket there have been a few instances where the so called imaginary line between banter and abuse has been crossed. The ugly scenes we saw playing out on our TV screens after the RCB vs LSG game last Tuesday morning do not belong on a cricket field for sure. In this instance cricket was definitely the loser.

From the “Bodyline” series in 1932-33 to Lillie vs Miandad in 1981. From the West Indies tour of New Zealand in 1979-80 to The Harbhajan Singh vs Andrew Symonds “Monkeygate” incident in 2008. Things have sometimes got out of hand in a sport that is mostly peaceful.

Steve Waugh’s Australia proudly practiced the whole “mental disintegration” theory in the 90’s and early 2000’s and the stats might prove that it actually worked for them. I though come from a completely different school of thought. One where my coach used to say that the only thing that needs to talk on a cricket field are the bat and ball in your hand. “Let defeat hurt you, but channel that hurt to improve your performance in the next game. Be graceful when you win because a humble winner is a popular one too.” There is a reason why Federer is more loved than Nadal and Djokovic even though they have won more majors than him.

Virat has always been the poster boy of a new India. An India that is confident, an India that is not afraid to look at the world eye to eye. An India that wants to flex its muscles, an India that wants to lead and dominate.

Kohli wears his heart on his sleeve. There are no half measures with him. Everything is at 200%. The stance is aggressive, always itching to come forward. His running between the wickets could be the topic of a PHD thesis in itself. Always putting pressure on the fielders. The gum chewing, the bat twirling, the intensity in the eyes all scream “Look at me, I am here.” He is king Leonidas from 300 and Maximus from Gladiator which is why whenever he’s batting or fielding one HD camera is solely dedicated to capturing his emotions. Virat Kohli is the box office in a cricket uniform.

And Virat loves a contest. Most cricketers like to stay relaxed and calm as it helps them make good decisions. Kohli has openly said that an on field challenge helps to get the best out of himself. Aussies love him because they say he plays cricket ‘the Australian way.’ Hard on the field but leaves it at the boundary line. Having followed his career since his U-19 days I can confirm that he’s rarely the instigator but if you irk him with words or actions he will never ever forget either. Kohli will do everything in his capacity to win including pushing the boundaries of that imaginary line but he will also be the first one to shake your hand after the game and have a beer with you.

Kohli and Gautam Gambhir are both from Delhi. The capital city of the biggest democracy in the world. A city where politics is a part of everyday life. A city of 33 million. Nothing comes easy in Delhi. You have to fight for everything. For a seat on public transport, to a bed in a hospital. From admission to an educational institution to a place in a cricket team. Both Kohli and Gambhir are products of this city. Both don’t believe in giving an inch. There is a lot of history between them but one would hope that with time and maturity people learn to move on.

I don’t want to get into who started it and who said what. From what we saw on TV it looked like Kyle Mayers, Naveen-ul-Haq and Kohli were all involved in altercations during play. Umpires too play an important part in diffusing situations before they get out of hand. There is a lot at stake in the IPL and unless things are nipped in the bud it will only be a matter of time before they carry on beyond the boundary.

The bottom line is what happened was dreadful and should never repeat. There are kids watching and it is unacceptable that their stars behave this way. Match fee fines will never solve the problem. A ban from playing the next game will definitely work. The big question though is, do organizers have the resolve to police bad behavior?

Meanwhile Devon Conway is only 53 runs behind Du Plessis in the race to be the top run scorer of the tournament. Rain robbed Conway of an innings last week else he could have been sitting on the top of the pile.

The blackcaps are trailing 4-0 in the ODI series in Pakistan. We were competitive in the T20’s but the longer format is less forgiving of the gap between a full strength side and one that is missing 9 regular players. I know a potential 5-0 whitewash in an ODI world cup year sounds really bad but there are a lot of positives which will definitely help the blackcaps find the final pieces of the jigsaw puzzle.

The other big story is that the IPL is definitely playing its part in depleting India’s resources for the WTC final against Australia. KL Rahul being the latest casualty. Umesh Yadav and Jaidev Unadkat are nursing injuries too and with Rishabh Pant, Shreyas Iyer and Jasprit Bumrah being long term absentees India will be keeping their fingers crossed about any further injuries. The good news is that Pujara is scoring centuries for fun at Sussex, Kohli & Rahane are both in good nick, Jadeja and Ashwin are in form and Siraj and Shami are running in like the wind. I love the IPL but I do want India to lift the test championship mace.

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