India's loss at the T20 World Cup has not just the BCCI but the entire cricket-crazy nation up in arms. iSporter and sports psychologist, Dr. Chaitanya Sridhar wonders if this reaction is justified at all.
The question currently making rounds after India’s dismal performance in T20 is 'Whether Club Cricket has taken over playing for the Country'? I still feel its 'Indian Cricket- Country and Club and not Club over Country!' Yes, T20 was a dampener especially for an Indian fan and India’s performance was disappointing to say the least with three straight defeats. But are we justified in saying money has taken over playing for the Country? Aren’t we being harsh and over-critical of the team as usual?
Honestly, it wasn’t much of a surprise that India underperformed. What more can you expect from a bunch of physically and mentally drained out players? Forty-five days of intense IPL cricket is not a cake-walk. Adam Gilchrist’s comment after losing to Chennai in the semi-finals was a warning bell. It was fatigue- mentally we were tired and physically too. Similar sentiments were echoed by the Indian Cricket Coach Gary Kirsten, (though a tad too late). One can argue they’re professional players and fitness levels need to be high but what about the ‘mental fatigue’ involved in high-profile games, be it IPL or T20?
We’ve heard it umpteen number of times that 'cricket is a mental game'; a lot of energy is consumed in thinking, planning, implementing and analyzing and that too 'on your feet'. Decisions ought to be made at the spur of the moment. Of course, there were tactical blunders but that is beyond my preview. We (non-sports personnel) go on breaks to 'unwind', so that we rejuvenate and can start afresh. This 'unwinding' is very much needed for the players due to the nature of the game, so that the '24/7 cricket thought' gets a break.
Professional players will understand the importance of 'training, load and rest'. How many days did our players have to recope? Shouldn’t the cricket authorities do a lot more thinking about these aspects? Even when the Coach had raised concerns about IPL schedules, it was conveniently ignored. IPL is a huge platform but the timing of the event just prior to T20 was grossly miscalculated. So who’s giving precedence to Club over Country- Players or Administration?
Dhoni’s quote after losing to Sri-Lanka succinctly explains the highly stressful nature of the format IPL is not just about cricket, it’s the traveling, late-night matches and the parties take a toll. A player needs to respect his body and take rest. Without proper rest even the mighty Australian team faced five straight defeats just before the World Cup of 2007. Either key players should have been rested or the IPL timing ought to have been worked out more carefully. Also, if players are not fit or in form, they should be dropped. You cannot hold the Captain solely responsible and expect him to succeed with an inept team. Doesn’t the BCCI need to think about the kind of team they selected?
Besides, every failure of the team is linked to the 'commercial aspect' or the big bucks players receive. What’s wrong with it? Professional sport requires money to attract it as a career, and not just as a hobby. Moreover, a cricketer has a 'shelf-life of 10-15 years maximum'; this is when he has to earn whatever he can. Once they’re not in glory, we forget them. Don’t we want to succeed in life and earn more? Why should we have a problem if cricketers are paid well? And, players off-field activities should not be anyone else’s concern, that too when the news is unconfirmed. Besides, everyone has a certain threshold and will explode after that level is crossed. Fans need to be reasonable and not get personal about players.
Pride in playing for the Country any day outscores money, at least for most players. We are not justified in saying players don’t care about the Country. Dhoni was the man who led a young India to victory in the first T20. Also, a player’s career is at stake if he doesn’t perform and he will not receive financial assistance either. We need to remember that it goes hand-in-hand. Besides, no player will want to go and lose a match. If we as fans are disappointed, players’ disappointment will be many-fold. We need to accept the fact that Cricket involves big money, yet that does not reduce players’ passion/commitment for the game or pride in playing for the Country.
Sadly, all and sundry in the country have a say in the matter but not the players as they are banned from doing so by the BCCI. Also, the Coach’s lashing out at the players at this juncture seems unprofessional. In addition, every person conveniently passes on the blame to another, especially to the Captain. Former player Anshuman Gaekwad, rightly pointed that it is a team game and you cannot solely hold the Captain responsible for the loss.
While, constructive criticism can do wonders, negative criticism can wreck a player/person. Success and failure is part and parcel of sport and life; the T20 World Cup loss is not the end of the world or of cricket! To belittle the team because of three dismal performances in not justified, especially the hostility shown to them and sometimes to their families. What kind of fan-fare is this!
It was heartening to see Sachin and Ganguly come out in support of the team and also requesting the nation to do the same. The BCCI needs to get their act together and deal with this issue by adopting a solution-focused approach. Whether that happens or not, let’s shift our attention to the ‘Women in Blue’ who are doing a commendable job!
Dr. Chaitanya Sridhar is a sports psychologist by profession and practices out of Bengaluru.
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Saurabh Joshi
said:
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... Doctor Sridhar, That is an amazing article. very well and rightly written. I completely agree with your thoughts but Just have two points to make 1. I dont think coach was that wrong in lashing out at players. Fitness is one thing a south african has it in his genes. and am sure that a quiet guy like him would be frustrated to come out in the manner he did 2. Beleive me loss never bothered me. Just the attitude of the players while they were on the field was a concern.....the body language was so loose... how much so ever tired there is when you are out to play for the country atleast the body language should have been positive.. which was clearly missing..... |
Chaitanya Sridhar
said:
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... Thanks Saurabh. Glad you agree. Regarding the points you've raised: 1. Your right the Coach must have been really upset to lash out at the Players but was this the time to do so especially since the entire Country is on war against these Players? It would have been in the best interest of everyone had he raised his concerns (in a similar manner) much earlier using media which is forever waiting to gain access to such information. 2. Totally agree on this one. A good attitude and fight is what we all wanted to see, which was missing in many of the players. I particularly recall the manner in which some of the younger players refused to heed to the Captain or Senior players advice only to be punished. Thanks for your comments and input. Appreciate it. |
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