the elusive arjuna

sadhuji

One more game gifted away. A Team that was struggling at 35 for 6 is allowed to score 215 runs thanks to the unparalleled captaincy of the most successful captain of all times and by the wonderful bowling tactics of the turbaned one who returned figures of 55 for zero!! When it comes to our Team, we totter at 48 for 8 till our tail-enders try to perform miracles. They very nearly succeeded but, our opposition Captain had other ideas – he knew just when to ring in the changes. He ensures that we do not deviate from our norms – of defeat, defeat and defeat.

Many are shocked that this year’s list of Arjuna awards does not include any cricketer even though cricket has become a passion for us and we have got used to seeing non-performers endorse a wide range of products. One of the TV channels conducted a poll and, it transpires that 76% agree with the decision of the organizers. Considering the continuous failures and innumerable excuses put forward to justify the gradual decline in the standards of the game, it is a wonder that a couple of names were proposed.
Arjuna is one of the Pandavas immortalised in the Mahabharata. We, as Indians, respect the teachings of this epic because, in it are enshrined tales of love, hate, devotion and courage. It encompasses each and every aspect of life and, even though clones have surfaced from time to time, they have been miserable flops. Arjuna is an important character in the Mahabharata, he is a warrior to the core and, when war is declared, he hesitates in the battlefield of Kurukshetra. Lord Krishna, as his chariot driver, then delivers his famous sermon.

The reason for naming the awards for excellence in sports as the Arjuna awards stems from the fact that Arjuna, when he went to the Swyambar sabha, had to string the bow and shoot an arrow to pierce the eye of the fish. The fish was hidden behind a disc that had holes along its periphery. While the fish was stationary, the disc was rotating! It was an extremely difficult task to perform but, Arjuna accomplished the near impossible since he concentrated on his task of taking aim and hitting the target. He had the eye of the fish in his sight. It was all about the oneness of purpose, the single mindedness of achieving the near impossible, of dedication to outshine others.

Therefore, our bowlers should have their sights on the stumps behind the batsman, our batsmen on gaps in the field to steal singles and twos (and, refrain from thrashing opposition bowlers from the word ‘go’), and our fielders on the ball. In short, our cricketers have to prove that they still have it in them, they must strive hard to prove to the world that the word ‘chokers’ has been really and truly banished from their dictionary.

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mooning over a moon journey

Paagla Dashu

and your point is?

sadhuji

when will chokers stop choking?

as it is, the number of sponsors has dwindled - today's ongoing game is proof enough. the big guns failed to fire once again and it is left to dhoni and yuvaraj to salvage some thing and reach as total of 226.

in the opinion of gavaskar, 240 would be a competitive score. (he said this when the game was in its 40th over!!)

Paagla Dashu

The number of sponsors will never dwindle - as long as majority of cricket fans are interested in watching Cricket as a game - and not a pursuit in which their favourite team must win.

Look, I am not going to ask you (or other critics like you) if and how many games of competitive cricket you have played and what level - because as Indians it is our birth right (probably ahead of freedom) to make expert comments on cricket and cricketers. I would rather ask you three simple questions.....

1. India were 44/8 after 14 overs in the game against NZ - yet the score moved up to 162 after 37 overs before the next wicket fell. That must be conclusive proof that the NZ captain's captaincy was terrible?

(Or was it becuase in the real game of cricket, thats played out in the middle rather than in front of a computer, strike bowlers are limited resources and they get tired after bowling 7/8 overs and also as the match progresses the pitch tends to lose its bite - besides the simple fact taht can be ignored that the opponents also can fight back?)

2. Name an Indian cricketer - past or present (or future) who has a more successful track record as a captain?

3. How many articles have you written praising the Indian cricket team when they have been successful let alone encouraging them in times of struggle?

I am not even going to ask what you would credit last night's success to.....I know the answer would be that the opposition was weak. I really pity anyone who plays any form of sport for India - if they lose they are viallains, if they win then the credit for their success is undermined by all of us.

What really makes me sad and angry about this attitude of many of my fellow countrymen is this inexplicable inability to tolerate anybody who is too successful. We like success but then if the guy (or a team) becomes successful then we almost start to envy and resent their success. There are numerous examples of this phenomenon in recent times when a person has become successful and has been idolised by us and then suddenly this phenomenon has raised its ugly head. We have started to be jealous of their success and started to look for every opportunity to drag them down....Shah Rukh Khan, Sachin Tendulkar, Saurav Ganguly.....the list goes on and on. On being told that a certain person had been going around spreading malicious rumours and maligning him, Vidyasagar had said, " But, I cannot remember having ever done anything to help him".....ruthlessly summarising this tendency we have to drag down the very people who have helped us or have made us proud. Many Indians are exceptions of course but the disappointment is how few their numbers are even amongst people of your calibre.

Chappell made probably the most telling comment after the game yesterday, when standing by his players he said.."Sitting outside perhaps it is not easy to understand how difficult the wicket was in the centre." (Read more)

And oh, by the way, Arjuna is not awarded to the same person twice (if I am not mistaken) - most of the deserving candidates in the current team has already won the award.....in fact many of them have already won the highest awards in the field and quite deservingly so, regardless of what arm-chair critics might think.

sadhuji

in last evening's game, there were hardly two sponsors .....the credit for posting a reasonably good score against nz goes to the two rookies .... last night's success is obviously due to the inexperienced team members of zim..... jealousy is for people from the same profesion, unfortunately i am no cricketer nor a cine actor, i am an ordinary person who loves to call a spade a spade..... and, this is exactly the point - our cricketers are the most complacent ones with easy acess to all the good things of life and bent upon creating records at the cost of the game.

let us be honest - do the present supporters really feel that the existing team can deliver the results in 2007? is it not high time to induct new players and groom them to face the challenges of the future?

the old timers have already created enough records, let them make way for the next generation.

interesting observations of others -
http://www1.cricket.indiatimes.com/q...id-1214316.cms

Paagla Dashu

We Indians are jealous of anyone who is too successful in our eyes - worse if the person happens to be another Indian.

I am not claiming to be an exception either.