Score-cards, Statistics and Sachin Tendulkar’s autobiography

Sachin Tendulkar is one of the most written about, and the 486-page title “Sachin Tendulkar: Playing it my way - My Autobiography is all about how many runs he scored, the landmarks reached, how he hauled the bowlers, the injuries, how unlucky he was due to some umpiring decisions….  Feedback by now would have enlightened the cricketer that writing is an altogether different format, as the bulk of the book is a perfunctory recall of matches, prima facie has no grip or the punch. If you  believe the icon  pursued the game with impeccable passion, the life story had to be equally riveting.

The “Childhood” chapter makes a joyful read in an otherwise dozy and prosaic printed pages bound together.  The sulking child getting the bicycle he wanted from his parents by adopting  adamant pranks, …having scored 24 runs and ‘acceded’ with a reporter to make it  30 to abet his name appearing in print … all appeared to blend the reader with reality, though the bond was short-lived.

After reading his debut against Pakistan, the rest of the matches sounded more like running –commentary.  “In the Final at Wankhade on November 6 (1996), I scored 67 in our modest 220, with Jadeja adding 43, and it was all down to Anil Kumble, who took four wickets as we bowled the South Africans out for 185….”.  You are hacked when you turn page after page with something of this sort moving at a listless pace.

For youngsters, the  memoir could motivate how hard-work is key to success, amid series of injuries suffered.  A broken finger, fractured toe, tennis elbow, groin problems...  “The injection, which was pretty painful, was the first of a hundred or more cortisone injections over the course of my career”, said the cricketer of records, the excruciating details about the injury-ridden career reflecting his unflinching focus.

The normally restrained Sachin shows his other dimensions …

Greg Chappel,  Ian Chappel, Kapil Dev,   Rahul Dravid’s  declaration at Multan, how taking losses so personally that affected Sachin’s captaincy…  BCCI held in high esteem  and on administration … Shhhh…. 

Sachin will always be hated for not standing by Saurav Ganguly when ‘Dada’ spoke against Coach Greg Chappel.  All the news that Chappel came to India to destroy Indian cricket or with some motive is a far-fetched logic, as we are only too familiar that most Indian cricketers don’t retire on their own, but compelled to do so.  While some of Rahul Dravid’s  gem of the innings hardly gets noticed, the autobiographer was generous in devoting three full pages ranting about the ‘controversial’ declaration, which  provides fodder for those who say Sachin plays for numbers.   His fascination for statistics is, nevertheless, more obvious in his writing. 

The master also blasted Ian Chappel for criticising his form and urging him to hang the boots. Back in 2007, Ian Chappel had written that Sachin should look at the mirror to query himself if he is good enough to continue playing cricket. “I showed him the size of the mirror in 2008 when we toured Australia.  He should have realised that the man he is asking to stand in front of the mirror has played more cricket than him”, Sachin settled through his memoir.

While the tidbits of how he faced a particular tactic by a fast bowler, attacking Shane Warne, mastering Dale Steyn, the mind games played and strategies adopted to outthink the opposition … makes up interesting reading, he doesn’t reason why his attacking instincts subdued in the later side of his career and the thread that accompanied it. 

He talks about his love for cars, but  silent on the red Ferrari issue.  His relationship within his family, with his team mates, his love for food, besides very few anecdotes are broadly the highlights. There is an overdose of Anjali’s sacrifices,  and repetitions galore in an otherwise first-person chronology of his career.  The finer points of his batting technique might interest the keen followers of the game and the pictures studded can be a collector’s delight.  His ‘stint’ as a Member of Rajya Sabha does not find any marked mention.

More score cards, less substance

The bulky book is woefully thin on many intimate moments as much as the title also seriously suffers from poor narrative pacing.  Incidents like his encounters with Glenn McGrath, his IAF captain’s status, MSD’s leadership ability, 1999 World Cup disaster, …. failed to find space under the maestro’s pen, the holistic silence on “match-fixing” the most startling. Even if it is conceded that he had little knowledge of the corrupt activities of some his own team-mates, it is deplorable that he doesn’t have an opinion on it either.

If Sachin preferred to keep mum on international players, at the least, he could have shared his deeper thoughts on his relationship with his own team mates and the  dressing room aura, tone and mood. Probably, is it because nobody expects a person who has steered of any controversy during his playing tenure, to create one at this stage.  An exclusive chapter deals with the way pressure built up on him due to the evading milestone of the 100^th 100.  He vividly remembers his hero Sir Viv Richards for the inspiration to continue when the trying times of retirement contemplation haunted him.

Bits and pieces

• Arjun Tendulkar doesn’t like his father to be criticised.  When a school friend blamed Sachin for India losing, ‘Arjun punched the boy and told him not to say anything bad about his father again”.

• A foodie, Sachin learned how to use “lettuce leaves to construct a wall so that the size of the bowl which was normally two to three inches tall increased to five or six inches.  We would then fill it with as much salad as wanted”.

• “I was hurt when BCCI sacked me as a captain”.

• Kapil Dev’s thought process was limited to leaving the running of the team to the captain, and hence he did not involve himself in strategic discussions that would help on the field”.

• “Every time I look back at the footage of my first century, I realise that celebrating was not something that came naturally to me”.

• Sachin reveals how an IPL team owner lets his priest decide which players leave the hotel rooms first on match days, while another has dressing rooms arranged in Feng Shui style.

• The batting hero shares that one day a stomach-upset prompted him to play with tissues inside his underwear.  Destpite (t)issues, he went on to score a patient 97 against S/Lanka.  (I hope no hardcore Sachin fans start worshipping those ‘fragrant’ tissues!).

Last word on the Co-author

Boria Majumdar failed to ferret out the best out of the life story. The what, where and when have been accorded the priority over the why and how. The ghosted autobiography read more like a flawed document, failing to escort the reader.  The historian should have enlisted the  services of a good sub-editor and trimmed the book-size to at least half, if not less.

 “Amazon” ensured their quality delivery, but Sachin …

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Cricket: Where is the gentleman?

We all know Kieron  Pollard is an aggressive all-rounder, a big-hitting middle-order batsman.  What we also found on Tuesday (06/05/2014) was that Pollard can use the bat for purposes other than cricket.  Aussies are notorious for sledging.  What really transpired?  What were the words used by Mitchell Starc?  Was there any racial slant? Probably, one has to wait for an investigation.  Will it be fair? 

Whatever, the most ugly spectacle and Pollard’s reaction is censurable.  Match Referee Andy Pycroft’s decision to fine 75% and 50% of the match fee on Pollard and  Starc respectively makes a blatant mockery of punishment instead of slapping a match ban on the two, if not more, for their on-field misadventure, as it is only well known that there is always someone ready to sponsor any misdeed.  The fine is akin to “pay something and get away”, rather, get ready to commit the next one, nay a bigger one.  After all, money facilitates buying and selling.  And that’s what is IPL is all about. 

Cricketer was earlier known as gentleman.  Today, however, he is known by different synonyms like sledger, fixer, thug, bully, crook, cheat …… 

Although named the “Gentleman’s game”, cricket’s reputation is frequently tarnished by smaller and larger incidents, that seriously threatened the integrity of the game.  Even street cricket shows better sportsmanship.When you nick it, you wait for the umpire to give a decision.  But when you nick it to first slip and you still wait.  Stuart Broad nicked the ball and was caught by the Australian Michael Clarke, but not by the umpire.  Broad didn’t walk off since the umpire did not see, but the rest of the world did.

English stars after their victorious Ashes series celebrated their victory by getting drunk on the Oval pitch and urinated on the wicket.  The players include Kevin Pieterson, Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson who reportedly relieved themselves amid their team-mates cheering them on.  Most uncivilised behaviour by the English cricketers, where other great cricketers used to kiss the earth after creating records.  The same ground that gives them the pride and privilege to earn , it is shameful of them to indulge in such acts. It is depressing that Englishmen known for their value to tradition and culture should stoop to this abysmal perversion.

Apology or "fine" does not take away the disgrace and shame inflicted on the fair game.  It shows what respect they have for the sport they have opted to play. 

The intimidating environment on the field is becoming the key component in unsettling the opponent.  Andrew Symonds vs. Harbhajan Singh in the “monkey-gate episode” provided the ultimate disgust.  Sreesanth has set an example of an Indian cricketer who has gone well beyond the spirit of cricket both in terms of attitude and integrity.  Closely observe,  in most commentators’ views, “sledging” is  just about okay.  At times, we have to believe that Australians don’t just play to win, but more to play to defeat the opposition.

There is no doubt that some of these cricketers are world-class, but their “win-at-all-costs”  attitude lets them, and the game down.

The integrity of the game is already blotted by various events like bodyline bowling, underarm bowling, match-fixing, spot-fixing,  ball-tampering  ….  to name a few unfair ingredients.  Cricket has become business, after IPL.  It has provided a platform for money-laundering. We are in serious doubt if the matches we watch are fake games.

The pity nowadays is that those we think are heroes have been reduced to players we may scorn, notwithstanding their records as there will always be an element of doubt how they achieved their feats.  The  ‘money’  factor has made most participants strive for “performance” at any cost.  How  the owners of the teams react to the ugly behavior of their team players?  If administration is in the hands of businessmen and politicians, what else can you expect to deliver?  Money, ego and power alone control the game.  Do you need a better example than the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)?

Why not umpires be empowered to insist that players who sledge are removed from close-fielding positions if they exceed the acceptable levels, in the same way as a bowler who runs down the pitch can be removed from the attack?  This reminds, why did the match-referee not bring a charge of unsporting behaviour when Andrew Symonds in a match against India in 2008 for not walking when he boasted that he was well aware that he edged the ball?  Again, Murali Karthick in one of the IPL editions confessed that he edged the ball, but did not walk.  Players of this sort have set disgraceful examples to all youngsters following them. 

There was also the occasional other side.  G.R. Vishwanath recalled an Australian batsman (I don’t remember the name) when he thought that the umpire made an incorrect decision.  Let us revive the names of Garfield Sobers, Frank Worrel, Don Broadman, Courtney Walsh ….

There is no place for abusing and bullying.  It is high time the ICC  come out of its spineless state and handout some bans.  Perhaps, time to have more technology involved and have more scrutiny on the players.  Time to show that cricket is not a sport for bullies, but for gentleman.  Wishful thinking?

We would love to watch good cricket – Bat vs. Ball.  Asking for a little too much?

Read:
http://kmurthy608.blogspot.in/2012/08/book-mark-rahul-dravid-timeless-steel.html

Celebrities are social leaders!

Are we to congratulate Mr. Sharukh  Khan for being the proud franchisee winning owner of Kolkatta Knight Riders in the recently concluded IPL Edition-5 or to reject him for exhibiting his outburst and indulging in misbehaviour in public?  It is even more surprising to see Mr. Khan in such a state, as generally he is known for his people-friendly mannerisms and who is invariably familiar of carrying himself in an exuberant manner in public.

We live in a world where boorish behavior is captured and amplified, particularly when the boors are our heroes and celebrities. Then they issue an apology and all is forgotten.  Is this new?  All this would be just media noise if these people weren’t  such role-models to our children/youth. You can endlessly perpetuate the sensational element behind such episodes. Media are happy, their channels are busy with continuous assignments, people have free entertainment (if not a movie, a sort of reality show!).

Do you embrace them, talk about them and invite debate? Or just ignore and move on? After all, the next news will be ever ready.  In fact when this news broke, people started slowly forgetting the RCB Player Luke Pomersbach and the American lady episode. Celebrities make news, good, bad or ugly. If the news is bad or ugly, the readership and viewership immensely and instantly multiplies.

When celebrities fall short, more when it comes to the stature of Mr. Khan, it affects nearly a whole generation of youth.  If only had Mr. Khan come forward to immediately tender an open apology to the authorities taking ownership of the  incident, not only the controversy would have instantly ended, he would have earned tons of love and goodwill of millions of fans and fellow country-men.  Make no mistake. King Khan is an icon to reckon with. People are likely to imitate the behavior which they associate with success or successful people.

For instance, half the kids who start smoking do so because they see it in movies. Make an announcement that you are bidding adieu to smoking! See the impact it would make on your fan-following!

We are also witness to a great deal of celebrities who have put huge amount of time, money and resources into charity work.  Bill Gates,  Azim Premji,  Rakesh Jhunjhunwala …  always come to mind instantly when it comes to positive celebrity.

 “With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility”.