Us versus them

The Indian athlete is no longer a recluse. He is as demonstrative as Sushil Kumar, as assertive as Abhinav Bindra, a silent force such as Viswanathan Anand and a rebel like Jwala Gutta. True, India is not an Olympic giant, but there is reason to believe that it will become one in the long run.

It seems only their passion drives them to embrace an indoor sport in a cricket-crazy nation. Are we a one-sport society? It is a question that has confronted sports analysts for decades now. To take up a sport, which does not promise a secure future can be a daring step, especially if one is seeking a career in an unsung discipline. Yet, there is an encouraging rise in the number of children wanting to emulate a Sushil Kumar or a Saina Nehwal. The Indian sportsperson is beginning to show a pleasant departure from the established norms and practices.

Not too long ago, a member of the Indian contingent to the Olympic Games, Asian Games or Commonwealth Games would factor in time for shopping post event. Cut to the 2008 Olympic Games. Nehwal had unbelievably blown away an 11-3 lead in the deciding game of her quarterfinal to lose. She picked up her bag, walked to her coach P Gopichand and said, “Let’s catch the first flight out of Beijing. I want to train harder.” No wonder, four years later, Nehwal returned from London with a bronze medal.

“This change of attitude separates the present day players from most of their predecessors. Today, our players don’t go to competitions to participate, they compete. They aim for the podium,” says P Gopichand, who trains Nehwal and PV Sindhu, the teenager who won the country’s first World Championship bronze last year.

A lot of credit should go to the government as it has allocated more and more funds for the training and overseas exposure of our sportspersons. When Indians get to see the best compete at various levels, and get the opportunity to beat them, they stop being in awe of the World and Olympic champions.

But the establishment can often be hostile rather than supportive. Gutta took on the establishment and made her point at the peril of losing her place in the team. By antagonising the bigwigs in the Badminton Association of India (BAI) she engaged in a fierce court battle for her dignity. It was not a first in Indian sport but the widespread support she received showed that Indian sportspersons were ready to take on the federations. They were not going to be bullied by officials any more.

Gutta’s case is an exception that proves the rule. The BAI’s Disciplinary Committee recommended a life-ban for Gutta for her role in the delayed Indian Badminton League match at Bangalore. Jwala was the captain of the Delhi franchisee and raised objection after the Bangalore franchisee made a last-minute change in the playing squad. The continued discussions delayed the start of the televised match by half an hour.

Hell bent on ‘disciplining’ Gutta, BAI’s recommendations also stated that if she apologised to the BAI, its president could allow her to go scot-free. She was also kept out of the National squad, and worse, her entry was withdrawn from the Denmark Open. She promptly moved the court and got a favourable verdict that forced BAI to drop all the charges against her.

Badminton and tennis have seen rebellion at various times. Some of the top names in Indian tennis like multiple grand slam champion Mahesh Bhupathi, Commonwealth and the Asian Games gold medallist Somdev Devvarman and world number three doubles star Rohan Bopanna formed a players’ association last year to fight for their rights. The players demanded better facilities and remuneration. They succeeded in getting the national federation to accept most of their demands.

Footballers and hockey players too have aired strong resentment against the policies of their federations. In a sensational move, the squad at a hockey camp in Pune, preparing for the 2010 World Cup, went on strike, seeking respectable payment for their efforts on the field. Their demands were met partially. The footballers, in the run up to the 1982 Asian Games, had walked out of the camp on similar issues and returned following only the intervention of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Shockingly, Indian cricketers have adopted a policy of suffering in silence for fear of earning the wrath of the autocratic cricket board, a sad climb down from the heady days when six players, Kapil Dev, Ravi Shastri, Mohammad Azharuddin, Kiran More, Ajay Sharma and Dilip Vengsarkar, successfully challenged the Board’s decision to ban them for a year, for playing festival matches in the US in 1989.

In the mid ’70s Bishan Singh Bedi had protested and forced the Board to increase the match fee for Tests.

The key factor that separates the cricketers from the rest today is the ‘please-don’t-quote-me’ syndrome. Some of the most aggressive cricketers on the field are also the meekest off it. A hockey player or a tennis star would never be so timid.

(The writer is Deputy Editor (Sports) with The Hindu)

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