It isn’t easy to look at sports in a detached way when talking about the Indian subcontinent. It is even more difficult when China enters the picture — the complex geopolitical realities of the entire region make it imperative that sports has been,and will be,more a tool of further national interests than an occasion to celebrate excellence on the field.
But there can’t be rules without exceptions. And if the complications of politics in the region are the rule,then Chinese cricket is the exception. With its huge population and untapped potential as a market for the game,China has been the target of serious developmental projects from the International and the Asian Cricket Councils. It won’t perhaps be easy for a layman to grasp the fact that a fruitful,non-controversial collaboration between India,China,Pakistan and Bangladesh is not only possible but also making great progress,but that’s what seems to be happening in India’s east.
It’s not just about a group of professionals from varied nationalities coming together. As Miandad puts it,being a professional means rising above the issues of “my team,my country,my players. It’s all about giving your best to the team you are responsible for.” It’s about the power of sports to overcome the physical barriers of geography.
Pakistan,India and Bangladesh working together to develop something in China — that is the stuff of western fantasies,and a reality in cricket.
It is also a measure of the way things work in China. A Pakistani as India’s national coach? Highly unlikely. An Indian to coach Pakistan in any sport? Ho hum — though Sanjay Sawant may well be the trendsetter there,after being appointed by the Pakistan snooker federation. But,despite all the tension,Chinese cricket has managed to put together a team of the best available personnel. “The Chinese do not aim at being in the top five; they target being the best and go for it with single-minded devotion. They can do anything,because they do one thing at a time,master it,then move on,” Miandad says,and is seconded by Maben,Rashid and Islam.
It is this going-all-out that has seen China’s aggressive rise in the world economy hierarchy. It was this determination that saw them leapfrog USA into top spot at the Beijing Olympics medal tally. It is this tenacity in sticking to the goals till they are achieved that has seen them coming up as a serious threat to India’s software industry,with English replacing Mandarin as the language of choice for both the public and the authorities in recent times as they look to consolidate their position in the region. And it will be this very quality that India needs to learn from — not only in setting goals but also on the any-which-way policy of achieving them.
Cricket is often considered a religion in India and Pakistan. But religion thrives on unquestioned faith. China,in contrast,has decided to see it as purely a sport they have to master,and that calls for assessing,analysing,dissecting and detailing the minutest aspects of the game.
It won’t be a surprise,then,to hear a polite ‘thank you’ as they pass the other cricketing powers,very soon.
