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Journalism of Courage
Till Australians are finally allowed to participate in the Asian Games,it is safe to say that crickets rather new podium at the event will be crowded with teams from the subcontinent. So its been at this debut of the Twenty20 format,with Bangladesh taking gold. But look who walked off with silver after Fridays final,and have given cricket its map of a larger South Asia: Afghanistan. In a stunning upset on Thursday,the Afghan team beat favourites Pakistan,who ultimately took bronze. Pakistan,like other leading South Asian teams,may stress that they fielded a second-rung squad,given the ICC calendar commitments of the national team,but theres no diminishing the romance of the underdogs.However,the podium finish does demand answers of Indias cricket board. The BCCI refused to entertain the possibility of sending a team to Guangzhou,citing the international calendar. Its an argument rubbished by other teams in the fray at the Asian Games,and there is enough suspicion that the decision drew from a resistance to the anti-doping whereabouts clause. Whether that be the case or not,the board owes a more responsive explanation to these questions. Why did they not field an India A side,or even an under-21 side? How does this disdain for a possible Asian Games medal square with the larger campaign to have T20 included as an Olympic sport? What about a responsibility to the Indian womens team,which too did not get a chance to participate? And what is the BCCIs take on the whereabouts issue? Someone must explain why Indian cricket has been cast in this unsporting light.
