Monday, October 18th, 2004
What a difference a day makes
In the winter of 2000, I was locked in a discussion with uber agent Mark Masscarenhas about what ails Indian cricket. The match fixing controversy had cast a cloud over the game and Masscarenhas, with player rights, telecast rights, a cricket magazine and a cricket website, had a lot riding on cricket. I asked Mark what he thought it would take for Indian cricket to emerge from its worst crisis.
“We have to start winning,†Mark replied. “Winning is the only way to lay these ghosts to rest.†During last year’s World Cup, Mark’s words kept coming back to me. India started disastrously in South Africa and there was an angry backlash back at home. Cricket fans went on the rampage and even targeted their ire at some cricketers’ homes.
Then, the tide turned and India eventually emerged runner up. The winning run continued into Australia and Pakistan this year. The ghosts of match fixing were a distant memory. Mark was right. Winning does change everything.
Unfortunately, so does losing. After a run of bad performances in Holland and two tournaments in England, India hit rock bottom with its defeat against Australia in the ongoing home series.
To digress a little, the ruling alliance at the centre seemed infallible, but in May this year, the Congress and its allies created one of the biggest upsets in the history of Indian polls (and opinion polls, I may add).
No one gave the new Government much time and when assembly elections took place in Maharashtra last week, it was considered a litmus test not only for the State government but also for the ruling alliance at the centre.
It didn’t help that Sharad Pawar lost the BCCI elections on the eve of the assembly elections. Jagmohan Dalmiya used his casting vote and showed Pawar down very publicly and very emphatically.
Yesterday, as the election results began to trickle in from different parts of Maharashtra, the Indian cricket team began to turn the tables on Australia. By sundown, Sharad Pawar was set for another innings in power and the Indian cricket team seemed to be in within sniffing distance of victory.
Just last week, there were questions about Pawar’s health, his hold over Maharashtra was considered tenuous and there were suggestions that he should retire. On the cricket front, people were gunning for Sehwag’s head and baying for the captain’s blood.
In cricket and in politics, it takes only a day for things to change. Maybe that’s why it’s hard to tell cricket from politics.