When terror raped cricket !

Almost thirteen years go, on 17th March 1996, this very ground played host to Sri Lanka's finest sporting moment - when Arjuna Ranatunga proudly lifted the Wills World Cup trophy given to him by the late Pakistan Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Little did they know that thirteen years later, outside that very Gaddafi Stadium would they be subject to the same fate as her, with twelve to fourteen terrorists nakedly brandishing their Kalashnikovs, hurling rocket launchers and hand grenades at the team bus on its way from the hotel to the ground. This was probably the day cricket was shamed, brought to its knees by the wrath of terrorists who with an absolute disregard for anything distinctly human, fired at the visiting Sri Lankans. At first, it deserves a condemnation in the harshest, rather strongest possible language and one hopes that the perpetrators of this dastardly act are brought to justice. Sounds like a formal Government statement, but I just can't help it.

It was about the wee hours of the morning when a friend called from India, and a former Sri Lankan player kind enough to keep in touch with me, sent me a text about the attack. It literally woke me up and I couldn't but feel shocked, for I have made friends and acquaintances within the Sri Lankan team over the years. Some of my closest cricketing contacts are within the 16-member squad and to see them in such a state was disgusting, unfortunate and indigestible. But, therein lay a crude reminder of Pakistan's free-fall into chaos, its deterioration into a failed state and indeed one which could potentially affect the larger sub-continent. If Mumbai's seige on 26/11 was not reminder enough to Zardari & Co, here it is. And as the day prolonged and my interactions with people connected with Sri Lanka cricket got going, I realized that this was more than an symbolic attack on cricketers, who among many others were there to show their solidarity with the people of Pakistan amidst tour boycotts and cancellations. 

Why would a Sri Lankan team be attacked at the first place, I began to ask myself as the Pakistani media began its share of India-bashing and got into its usual, "non-state actors are behind it" and "one cannot rule out an international hand" type denial mode, as it did post-26/11. Was there a touch of symbolism behind attacking a team which hails from a country that has been crippled by terror itself ? Or, was it a blatant act of terror by the group (you know who I'm referring to) seeking a larger international visibility after signing a peace deal with the Pakistan government in the Swat valley not so long ago ? Or, going by recent events of instability, I ask, if the political vacuum in Punjab province, created an ideal environment for an attack of such brazen nature ? Having read and followed the post-9/11 situation in Pakistan through various books, talks and documentaries, I can't rule such possibilities out. But, what this attack did was it shamed cricket more than anything ever before and indeed splashed a bigger black mark over Pakistan and its future.

While India pulled out from what would have been a Pakistan vs India series due to diplomatic pressure from New Delhi, Sri Lanka tried to play the good Samaritan, only to be backstabbed by the ones it tried to help. When I spoke to Arjuna Ranatunga yesterday afternoon, who ironically took the first step by proposing to help out Pakistan, all he told me was, "Well, we were promised and assured of full security by the Pakistani authorities." In hindsight, both he and Mr. Lokuge would admit that this tour was hastily arranged, without a proper security delegation from Sri Lanka Cricket or the Government visiting the country to examine the arrangements there. Every country visiting or planning to visit Pakistan in the recent past has done that, and so as a matter of protocol, Sri Lanka should have followed suit. Instead, they fell for the sugar-coated promises made by the PCB and decided to go without a recce or a preparation and sadly, their innocent cricketers fell victims. Sad, but true. And going by India's warning to Sri Lanka in December against touring Pakistan (something seen as a proof of RAW involvement by some of my Sri Lankan friends and some security experts in Pakistan), they should have taken it seriously and at least, sent people across to see if things were fine enough to play cricket. They didn't and we all know what happened.

The events of Tuesday has not only ensured Pakistan's further isolation by the cricketing community, but has also put the World Cup under considerable doubt, as much of the post-mortem revealed. Yes, it is time for Pakistan to wake up to realities within its own sovereign territory and indeed as every terror attack does, gives them an opportunity to set things right. Even with regular regime changes in that country (be it uniformed, civilian or whatever they call "democracy"), the mindset has remained the same. Pakistanis, who are as passionate about the game as any of the Indians I know, do not deserve this at all. Yet, with so much at stake, both the PCB and the Government fumbled and failed, resulting in an unprecedented first-time-ever attack on cricketers.

As the day draws to a close, those images of the terrorists on a free-run outside the Gaddafi Stadium just refuses to fade away, for it stripped cricket off everything it stood for - a binding force that kept the region together, a sport that brought people together, as the romantics would add. It was a day, the sport would have never lived to see and witness with its very players being in the midst of it. Cricket was indeed raped on 3rd March 2009.

Of Tendulkar, Manchester United and destiny...

The Guardian's Mike Selvey calls it Karma. I choose to call it destiny. India's 6-wicket win over England in Chennai was inevitable, or to simply put it - was meant to be. At this juncture, let me also bring in the Champions League final between Manchester United and Chelsea in May 2008. Just as John Terry was destined to miss his chance from the spot, another United great, who embodies everything the club stands for, Ryan Giggs, was meant to score the winner. Bring that scenario into what happened on Monday, the 15th of December where it was Sachin Tendulkar, whom the British junta refer to as the "Mumbai Man", who took his team past the line in chasing 387. Perhaps those two examples put sport into perspective.

People may ask me why I choose to relate these two events, of different sport - simply because they stand for something significant. Manchester United, simply had to win the Champions League after having to put up with a disaster of their own, the one in Munich in 1958, where the club lost 8 players and 3 members of the staff. If that was tragedy enough, Mumbai and indeed, India had to bear something worse. Incommensurable in numbers, it was a blatant disregard for humanity, life and pretty much the law of the land when terrorists held the city on gunpoint. And where does the ten percent of the healing touch come from ? I guess, sport. It was a telling moment when Sir Bobby Charlton, a survivor of the Munich crash walked up on behalf of Manchester United, to collect the medal at Moscow as it was when Sachin Tendulkar, scored perhaps his most significant hundred and that leap of joy - did mean something for someone from the city, sitting through the chills of London.

Of course, as much as we continue to romanticize the Tendulkar innings, three others were played in the background while the soundtrack hit the higher notes. Virender Sehwag who, in consensus, gave India the chance to make their own destiny and shape up a special end to the contest. At his usual, cold-blooded and no-nonsense best, Sehwag is quite literally the best batsman in the world. And, on Sunday - that was the case. He nullified two of England's potential fifth-day threats with absolute disregard for them and that played out perfectly, come Monday. If not for Sehwag, as Dhoni rightly pointed out, India would have been defending the game, something they've not known to be successful at. So, to bring in Manchester United again, this was something like the header Ronaldo scored to put them ahead in Moscow. An important moment, a massive platform as indeed a curtain-raiser for something special at the finale. Gautam Gambhir and Yuvraj Singh, recent graduates into Test cricket played two knocks which, given the occasion might just slip into the background, but were no less invaluable than the ones played by Tendulkar and Sehwag. In context, they played their part too.

Tendulkar's innings on Day 5 was special in many regards. Andrew Flintoff was steaming in with the intensity last seen in the Ashes 2005 and Tendulkar's initial moments were indeed human, with barely any feet movement and some loose plays and misses. But once the square drive came out of the Tendulkar shot factory and not to forget that intentional upper-cut off Anderson, everything suddenly seemed so normal. Indeed, the ghosts of the venue - almost 10 years ago would have popped up in his mind during the course of the innings, but he seemed determined to bury to tag of "the best hundred ever seen in a losing cause for India" and write a new chapter into his love-affair with the MAC Stadium in Chennai. There was a method to his batting, a hunger which has been in question time and again, and a determination to see the team through, if only losing to Pakistan by 12 runs in 1999 was reminder enough. And what a moment it was, when of all the shots in his repertoire, Tendulkar brought out the paddle, or as the Poms call it the "nurdle" to settle the issue - for him, Mumbai and India. A moment to savour. That's when my mind pops back to Moscow, when Ryan Giggs, of all the people, in his 759th game for Manchester United, in the tightest of situations had the nerves to put it past the diving Petr Cech. That was the goal, like Tendulkar's boundary, that mattered in the end.

And, for someone who passionately supports Manchester United week in and week out and occasionally chooses to back India in cricket, the very thought of destiny being a factor was to an extent scary. Chelsea did not deserve to lose the game at Moscow, nor did England in Chennai. But thats when there's a 12th man in destiny. To put it simply, I quote our great manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, as he so rightly and effectively stated after the Moscow triumph, "We had a cause which was very important. People with causes are difficult to battle against and I think fate was playing its part." Ferguson said. Fate and Tendulkar played their part in Chennai too.

Go Go Ganguly !

Okay. Bengal these days, just needs an issue to simmer. A day after the Singur issue was supposedly "resolved" through compromise, another issue involving a citizen of that state has emerged. Sourav Ganguly's imminent axing from the Rest of India squad for the Irani Trophy has taken everyone by storm. Not really. Facts are simple. Like his previous ejection from the Indian set up, when the Greg Chappell episode brewed up, it was on merit (or the lack of it in this case) and of course non-performance.

With a meager average of 16 and 29 against Sri Lanka and Australia respectively, Ganguly's case at the hands of the selectors became weaker. Not to forget, Dilip Vengsarkar, the Chairman of Selectors' made a statement of intent (not what Mark Hughes said about Manchester City and its takeover) when he announced that some of the one-day starlets were ready for Test cricket. But, I shudder to ask myself this question over and over again. Why don't Indian cricketers know by themselves that their time's up ? I mean this is just not restricted to Ganguly for that matter, Rahul Dravid had an opportunity to let himself go, when he  denounced his Indian captaincy in England last year. Why ? Why do our players want to be perennially playing cricket ? Why don't they realize that enough is enough ? Or is it just the I-am-not-retiring-Kick-me-out-if-you-want phenomenon ?

For all that I am sitting and writing here about Ganguly, I think he's given Indian cricket fans everything to cheer about. His batsmanship is something anyone would pay to watch, but when the bat and the pad doesn't come close enough, is there a message ? When the bat just does enough to knick a delivery you would leave otherwise, is there a message ? Perhaps there is. That was the message Niranjan Shah read out today.

What this in effect does, is puts the other veterans into the observation center. Sachin Tendulkar's regular presence in the sick-bay is doing no good to the Indian team, nor is it doing anything to himself. For that matter, whenever he is struggling for form, he tries to conjure up an injury just to shy away from the action - this again is not undermining his contribution to Indian cricket, whatever it has been - but just an attempt to bring it out. Why is Tendulkar not under the microscope ? Why should he be exempted from examination or scrutiny ? He shouldn't. But thats the case with darlings of the establishment. They're often admonished of all sins, granted all immunity from observation, there is ! Why ? If Indian cricket needed a recent example, Michael Vaughan's one is there for everyone to see. His statement of "If I am not scoring runs for the team, I have no business to stay in there", tells something, doesn't it ? The gap between the bat and the pad which Dale Steyn exploited. The same shots that he played early on, which a free-flowing Vaughan otherwise resisted from chasing, led to events after the third Test there. Thats the model we need to follow.

Thats England, the same old argument, and this is Indian cricket. But if Indian cricket needs to evolve from its own rotten cocoon, it better take some hard decisions. Else, lets say doomsday approaches soon !