I was pondering all these days over writing a post on the Gentlmen of cricket, I really wanted to pen down the thoughts that had been in my mind for the last two months. But, I couldn't give any shape to the words in my mind. Until today. What happened today? Nothing drastic, nothing over the top, just a nice article I read on NDTV and the trigger was obvious, Sanga- the Gentleman.
The Article.
http://sports.ndtv.com/sri-lanka-vs-india-2015/news/247469-kumar-sangakkara-bids-emotional-farewell-says-family-helped-him-conquer-world?pfrom=home-people
I have been a fan of the Gentlemen of the game. As a kid, I was always in awe of the Dravid, the Kumble, the Stephen Fleming, the Gilchrist and many more..Oh yeah there were so many in those days. They were all legendary cricketers and of course I was an avid fan of their gameplay, but more than that I loved their conduct on and off the field. For me, they were the true icons and mascots of the game of cricket. Always shying away from controversies and always ignoring the tussles, yet they weren't coward or timid, they always chose to respond rather than react to what others around them had to say or do, only through their cricket. They never opened their mouths atleast in the event of a confrontation.
The 2008 India tour of Australia, famous for the Monkey-gate controversy, during the press-conference of the penultimate test, Anil Kumble, famously said one line, that just made the whole world stand up and salute. " Only one team played in the spirit of the game ". This line still reverberates in my mind.
They will always remain my heroes in the game of cricket. The way they carried themselves on and off the field added an element of awe to these legends. It brought another dimension to their persona. What Sampras was to tennis, these guys were to cricket. They were the nice guys of the game and yet, they did not finish last.
The in-numerous times Gilly walked off the field when he knew he was out, irrespective of whether the umpire raised his finger or not, has always made me stand up and applaud.
All said and done, where are the cricketers from the gentleman's school of cricket today?
They all seemed to be vanishing day by day. Today's cricketers pride themselves over their so-called aggression. For them, to celebrate is to blurt out swear words, for them, aggression is threatening the opposition with aggressive gestures and most of all, for the new bunch, modesty and humility are a sign of weakness. Today, cricket has become more about loud mouthing. The Cool Quotient today among cricketers is "An eye for an eye and a swear for a swear ". Sadly, the element of gentlmanlyness in the Gentleman's game has been lost.
One more of a hand-few Gentleman retired this past week. I might sound a little old school, but I do miss the Gentlemen in this gentleman's game. Yet, there is a small glimmer of hope that they will return sooner or later, since History is always known to repeat itself!
