Rahul Dravid, one of Cricket's ablest batsmen, will now quit the game with the twinge of a longing, a niggle: the Wall will not be decorated by a World Cup winners' medal. Sachin Tendulkar, to the good fortune of Cricket lovers, will take guard against destiny one last time.
For the maestro's last symphony to be vivid, vibrant and, most importantly, victorious, the entire orchestra need to play their best tune. Team India, to their credit, are conscious of this imperative. Captain, Dhoni conveyed recently, at a casual and candid interaction with the press, that the team would love to win the cup for Sachin. When his comments should have found favor with the Indian fans, however, the motive has been questioned. The suggestion is that the team should seek success for the country, and not Tendulkar alone.
The dispute is deceptive and captious at best. Fastidiously speaking, a triumph at the tourney will only affect the Cricket fans of this country, and not all its citizens. So, should the World Cup enjoy such attention at all? Be sure to watch this mundane matter being dealt with on that prime-time tele-debate in the not too distant future!
Turning back to the question at hand, anyone - from India in particular, and the world in general - who has grown, or been, fond of Cricket over the past two decades would have been, at least sporadically, charmed by the Master Blaster. The mild mannered Mumbaikar has become the epitome of, and the epithet for, Cricket to many, and the sport's God for some. It would not be irrational to imagine most of Sachin's current teammates, a few years ago, standing before a mirror trying to mimic the dainty batsman's stance. In fact, it is quite possible that some of them took to the game inspired by the run-machine. As such, can any Cricket fan actually take exception to Dhoni's enunciation of their own heart's desire? Using the stammer to initiate a clamour is fine, but, can a controversy fuelled by hypocrisy be a TRP gold mine?
PS: Personally, I would have loved to see both Dravid and Sachin lift the Cup.
For the maestro's last symphony to be vivid, vibrant and, most importantly, victorious, the entire orchestra need to play their best tune. Team India, to their credit, are conscious of this imperative. Captain, Dhoni conveyed recently, at a casual and candid interaction with the press, that the team would love to win the cup for Sachin. When his comments should have found favor with the Indian fans, however, the motive has been questioned. The suggestion is that the team should seek success for the country, and not Tendulkar alone.
The dispute is deceptive and captious at best. Fastidiously speaking, a triumph at the tourney will only affect the Cricket fans of this country, and not all its citizens. So, should the World Cup enjoy such attention at all? Be sure to watch this mundane matter being dealt with on that prime-time tele-debate in the not too distant future!
Turning back to the question at hand, anyone - from India in particular, and the world in general - who has grown, or been, fond of Cricket over the past two decades would have been, at least sporadically, charmed by the Master Blaster. The mild mannered Mumbaikar has become the epitome of, and the epithet for, Cricket to many, and the sport's God for some. It would not be irrational to imagine most of Sachin's current teammates, a few years ago, standing before a mirror trying to mimic the dainty batsman's stance. In fact, it is quite possible that some of them took to the game inspired by the run-machine. As such, can any Cricket fan actually take exception to Dhoni's enunciation of their own heart's desire? Using the stammer to initiate a clamour is fine, but, can a controversy fuelled by hypocrisy be a TRP gold mine?
PS: Personally, I would have loved to see both Dravid and Sachin lift the Cup.
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