Finally Dhoni is on the verge of
getting what he deserves - disrepute and kick on the a** to be thrown out of
the Indian Cricket Team. This man has won all the trophies possible and along
with that has also achieved what the greats Like Sachin Dravid Sourav Laxman
Shrinath Yuvi Sehwag Zaheer Bhaji kumble and all others tried to eradicate -
MATCH FIXING. He has brought down the entire past generation of cricket to
shame. He has ruined the game at its face. Something that was a gentleman's
game now has become a game of money and glamour. It is said that Captain can make or break the voyage and in
or case Dhoni chose to do the latter. All thanks Dhoni & Co. no one now
trusts the calibre of the team when we win neither applauds the opposition when
we lose. At the back of our mind, the thought of the match being fixed
constantly plays.
In the year 2000 when some senior
players of the Indian cricket team were named in match fixing probe, the entire
country and the cricketing world was in a state of shock. It had quaked the
team to its roots. Coming out of the disarray seemed virtually impossible and
the future of the Indian cricket team was blurred. But as it is said ‘when
going gets tough, the tough gets going’. In an era when the team was on the threshold
of being written off, the world saw one of the best players ever to adorn the
blue jersey. Under the leadership of a very dynamic Sourav Ganguly, players
like Zaheer Khan, Harbhajan Singh, Virendra Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Mohammad Kaif
and many more nurtured. Such that Team India went on to become one of the best
teams playing international cricket. Some greats like Sachin, Dravid, Laxman,
kumble carried on to master the sport in a way that cricket fans would cherish
till the game survives.
Amidst all these the greatest
achievement by this team was that no one could point a finger at them. They were
what we call Men of Honour. No money
could ever purchase their dignity and dedication towards the sport and the
pride for their Motherland. Considering the fact that, it is the most followed sport
in India and thus making the presence of bookmakers inevitable. It cannot be
denied that these greats were approached with hefty sum of money but never was
there an instance when they succumbed to such temptation. May be that’s the
reason why some of these players are respected as Gods of Cricket.
Nonetheless history had to repeat
itself and as always such golden era was to be followed by a dark age. The generation
next, that got spoon fed and received everything served to them had to disrespect
the hard work and dedication put in by the past generation. Dhoni & Co. completely
got into glamorisation of the sport. They have all the achievable feathers in
their cap but unfortunately lost the respect of the cap in the bargain. Never
in the past has match fixing allegations been so obvious that it has been an
open secret. It is something that everybody knows but tends to forego. Sponsors
and bookmakers now have such a strong say in the team selection that the
selectors and team management’s role is gone with the wind. Cricket at times
seems better scripted and directed than movies that where written by Salim –
Javed. Ever heard of the saying -‘Truth is stranger than fiction’? Since time immemorial,
mankind believes that impromptu work can be more entertaining than something
that is thought out and planned. But incidentally these players have started to
believe otherwise.
Is this the end of a Golden Era
of Indian Cricket or just a phase that can be curbed down with proper action?
