A Gentleman's game!

 

When Pujara and Murali Vijay reached their centuries in the recent Test match at Hyderabad, what impressed me most was the manner in which they reacted after reaching the milestone. A sheepish, self-effacing grin, raising of the bat in acknowledgement of the cheer from the crowd – that was all the celebration.

I had also seen a New Zealand batsman – I think the name is Williamson – who looked almost apologetic for scoring a hundred and gracefully accepted the cheer from the crowd and recently Ingram of South Africa impressed me with his very pleasant demeanour on reaching a hundred. All these achievements looked bigger because they made them look like it is routine business! And no histrionics - show of anger, jumping up etc.,

I was impressed because I have seen some Indian batsmen showing anger on attaining this – what are they angry about and at whom is the anger directed? Is it not a moment to be happy and be proud of? I remember the legendary Sunil Gavaskar, commenting on these lines when some Indian batsman (safer for me not to name him!) reached his hundred runs.

This led me to reflect on the game of cricket as was played say about three decades back and now – yes, I admit those days it was a leisurely game and nowadays it is a fierce game – because there is more ‘moolah’ in the game than before and you have to be consistently performing to be in the reckoning. But does it licence you to gnash your teeth in anger? How many of you will believe it when I say that there was a rest day after three days of Test cricket and the play resumed on the fourth day! Really a game of leisure for pleasure!

Cricket was (please note the past tense) a gentleman’s game – if a bowler bowled a very good ball and the batsman had difficulty in playing it, there was a slight nod of the head from the batsman  in appreciation  and acknowledgement of the bowler’s effort; if a batsman score a hundred, even the opposition applauded it; if a batsman played a caressing  cover drive or elegantly glanced the ball off his legs or deliciously square cut a ball, it was appreciated by the fielding side. Do you see such things these days? I am afraid not!

Neville Cardus, that great critic of the game, would turn in his grave if he ever had to watch the matches these days. He wrote about cricket as a gentleman's game. It was sheer poetry to read his reviews on the game and every good effort of the players on the field came in for rightful applause from his pen.

How did this change happen? The Australians were the first to reject the idea of appreciating the opponents’ prowess and achievements? The youngsters in the team were actively encouraged not to admire the technique, exquisiteness of batsman-ship or the guiles of the bowlers. For them opponents meant just that and no applause please!

Of course there have been some legends of cricket like Dr. W.G.Grace who carried their charisma to levels unthinkable today. I recollect a story – rather two stories.

The first is – WCG came to open the innings and was bowled first ball; he promptly said ‘that was a good trial ball’, now let’s get on with the game!’. And everybody obeyed!

The second story goes like this. WCG was given out lbw ( to the uninitiated, this means ‘leg before the wicket’); When an umpire gave him out lbw before he had scored any run, he told the umpire, ‘young man, the crowd has come to see me bat, not how you umpire’ and continued to bat. Such was his personality that the opposition could not rebut him.

I also recall the quote a by a Japanese General during the World War II in the film ‘The Bridge on the river Kwai” starring Sir Alec Guinesse. In one scene, the Japanese General slaps the British General Sir Alec and says ‘ This is war not a game of cricket’, clearly defining the game as that of gentlemen.

Can we consider today’s cricket as gentlemen’s game – you see ugly scenes of one up-man-ship, heckling and what not!  

Can such things happen these days (I admit WCG was not right). But that was the spirit of the game. A game played for pleasure and not for public demonstration of one’s anger etc.!

Can we get back to those days? I wonder!