Tags:
Journalism of Courage
It has been a week when cricketers with a past got some clarity about their future. Herschelle Gibbs finally got over with the questioning he had been avoiding for long to remove that big question mark over his presence in India. Mohammad Azharuddin, to his pleasant surprise, found himself on the list of former captains to be felicitated by the BCCI. And Ajay Jadeja found out that he still has a loyal fan base willing to send countless SMS to keep him in a television dance contest.
It might have been a coincidence but all this happened during a tournament that has seen the ICC indulge in an exhaustive PR exercise to restore the spirit of the game 8212; after Hair8217;s 8216;scratch and win8217; allegations on Pakistan and the subsequent drama. There are two ways of looking at this Rogues8217; Gallery to Hall of Fame transfer of the tainted cricketers. One can call it a vain attempt to take out the dirt from under the carpet and frame it on the wall or a case of showing a willingness to forgive and forget in days of a raging debate over presidential pardons.
One of the first coloured players to represent post-apartheid South Africa, Gibbs was seen as an instinctive batsman who lived on the edge but was always seen as a captain8217;s Man Friday. His first captain happened to be Hansie Cronje 8212; the inspirational leader who could do no wrong on the field. In a team of veterans, the young and impressionable Gibbs was the baby of the team when the shady calls and obnoxious but tempting offers came his way.
It was this episode in an otherwise illustrious career that saw Gibbs opting out of the two India tours. But this time the event 8212; Champions Trophy 8212; was too big to miss. One of his last ODI knocks 8212; 175 in that record 434 run chase against Australia 8212; showed that South Africa would be playing with one hand tied behind its back in case Gibbs didn8217;t make the South African trip. Such was Gibbs8217;s desperation to play the Champions Trophy that he was willing to take the risk of landing in a 8220;smelly Indian lock-up8221; 8212; those were the words used by his father when he was asked the reason for his son missing the last Indian tour. Even the glare of the world media that is gathered in India right now didn8217;t scare Gibbs away.
Unlike the game on the field where a single mistake brings an end to a batsman8217;s innings, off-the-field things have been different. It8217;s not just Gibbs, even the world8217;s highest wicket-taker Shane Warne has confessed to the Australian board about his careless whispers to bookies but they have given him a second chance. Gibbs himself has been guilty of being lenient enough to give away the 8216;most famous second chance8217; in the history of the game. His butter fingers saw Steve Waugh take the cake during the 1999 World Cup.
The hurt among fans for being taken for a ride during the match-fixing era still lingers. Every batting collapse or a tight finish still raises doubts. The paranoia was unfounded but there is still not enough reason to hold out hope. Azhar has been punished for those few years of indiscretion but he deserves at least a small memento for being one of the greatest Indian captains. Jadeja, once seen as the next Indian captain, saw his cricketing career curtailed but he still deserves a few broken hearts for being ejected out of a telly game show.
To return to Gibbs, Indian fans deserve a chance to see a 175 8212; 142 balls, 21215;4, 7215;6 8212; kind of knock live. But on Monday Gibbs has an appointment with an ex-cop 8212; Kiwi pace spearhead Shane Bond once worked for New Zealand police. In case he answers the questions Bond poses him, his interaction with the Delhi Police will become a thing of the past.
