terra firma

IPL Hangama and TA cries foul

As a rule, I had decided never to write about cricket on my blog. Then I deviated from my rules to celebrate the retirement of Anil Kumble, one of the few gentlemen cricketers in the world. I deviate again now, not to celebrate IPL (Indian Premier League), but to express incredulity at their audacity at moving the games to South Africa from India, in the wake of the inability of the Indian Government to provide police for security as they would be busy with the small matter of running the general elections in India over 6-7 weeks in 6 phases.

The reason I mention this is that I want to also talk about Tennis Australia (TA) crying foul about going to the peaceful south Indian city of Chennai for the Davis Cup world group matches against India. The reason quoted being that India is a ‘dangrous’ place to go to, as ‘even’ the IPL moved to SA! Excuse me?! Even during the bird flu scare, Aussies were flying to all parts of the world, after the London bomb blasts, the cricket team continued playing in the Ashes. And, comparing a Davis Cup tie lasting 3 days to a 6 week tamasha involving transporting 10, 000 personnel, equipment, accommodating these chaps, feeding them, and looking after the spectators running into millions is downright narcissitic and grandiose to the nth degree.

Good on ITF for standing firm and calling the TA bluff. TA is hoping (and quoting precedence) to get off lightly and hope to play in next years Davis Cup world group. 

On a different level, cricket and tennis are two sports where the would-have-been could-have-been imperialists like UK and Australia controlled things until money power started playing havoc with their control of these games and the emergence of BCCI in the horizon definitely would have given them a heart burn. Eventually, it is all a matter of control and who blinks first. (Not that I am great fan of the BCCI money pawar driven brinkmanship at the drop of a hat).

On another note, I was plesantly surprised to read the first ever blog/commentary by a lady on cricket. Tishani Doshi has an impressive CV and although her cricket commentaries are not write-ups extraordinaire (No offense meant – I have read better and give-her-a-break, she has just started), I would eagerly await her first book – The Pleasure Seekers (Bloomsbury). It does sound like an exotic mix – award winning poet, dancer and cricket writer!