LIFE in the public domain is no bed of roses. It is one thing to aim for one’s spot in the sun, but to sustain it and maintain its decorum is an entirely different, and rather difficult, proposition. Every word, every move, every decision and sometime every thought comes under scrutiny. It is no wonder that we witness a tragic fall from grace every now and then. Sourav Ganguly’s recent actions and words have only added his name to this unauspicious list. That for some reason senior Indian board officials allowed a confidential e-mail to be leaked out to the media meant there were quite a few embarrassed faces than just Sourav.
Ever since their tour to Pakistan a couple of years ago, the Indians have failed to sustain their form which saw them rising in stature on the international stage. They had humbled Australia at home and performed with much credit even when they themselves went Down Under. Their performance in England and Pakistan was also impressive. Pakistan return tour to India marked the slide that has gripped the Indians; their recent wins in Zimbabwe not counting for much in view of the almost non-existent opposition in the shape of Zimbabwe. Such a lengthy slide does take its toll on the players and Team India has come crashing down both physically, mentally and morally.
Over the years, I have often emphasized in these columns the need for all concerned to avoid the temptation of thinking and talking in public. These are things that need to be confined to the board rooms and the dressing rooms. What goes behind the scenes shall remain behind the scenes, because any leakage causes tremendous pressure on all sides. This is a totally avoidable pressure that affects the most those who are not directly involved in this spat or that. What Ganguly and Greg Chappell discussed between them, for instance, has affected the rest of the party which will naturally feel divided, Harbhajan Singh being just a case in point.
While it is pretty easy to blame the media for stepping beyond their domain and cook up a story apparently out of nothing, the fact remains that someone from among the parties concerned have to play a mischief for the media to spread the word. No leakage; no stories. For instance, had there been no one to leak the e-mail written by Chappell to the Indian board, how could have it been so played up by newspapers? There was no way.
It was a mail written by individual which was sent only to Ranbir Singh Mahendra, the head of the Board for Control of Cricket in India. And, since it was an electronic mail, there was no other individual involved in the transaction. It has to be someone very close to Mr Mahendra who must have passed it on to the media. There have been suggestions that the BCCI might have done it to keep the spotlight away from its own wranglings which resulted in the postponement of key elections.
With the board elections causing a lot of bad blood, and with its captain and coach of the national team having just been tied in an uneasy knot, Indian cricket seems to be in total disarray and it will take something heroic on someone’s part to take it out of the morass in a hurry. By the looks of it, Indian cricket will take a reasonably long time to wriggle out of it.
LIFE in the public domain is no bed of roses. It is one thing to aim for one’s spot in the sun, but to sustain it and maintain its decorum is an entirely different, and rather difficult, proposition. Every word, every move, every decision and sometime every thought comes under scrutiny. It is no wonder that we witness a tragic fall from grace every now and then. Sourav Ganguly’s recent actions and words have only added his name to this unauspicious list. That for some reason senior Indian board officials allowed a confidential e-mail to be leaked out to the media meant there were quite a few embarrassed faces than just Sourav.
Over the years, I have often emphasized in these columns the need for all concerned to avoid the temptation of thinking and talking in public. These are things that need to be confined to the board rooms and the dressing rooms. What goes behind the scenes shall remain behind the scenes, because any leakage causes tremendous pressure on all sides. This is a totally avoidable pressure that affects the most those who are not directly involved in this spat or that. What Ganguly and Greg Chappell discussed between them, for instance, has affected the rest of the party which will naturally feel divided, Harbhajan Singh being just a case in point.
