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Action reaction

Dawn of a new year. I refuse to say the 'm' word. Not that I can't spell it, come on, even a child can. In fact, informed sources tell me, it's not dawned yet, the new 'm'. So, why complicate matters, huh? How about I wish all of you all the best for the coming year, and seal it with a promise, that I'll never ever crib again.

Silence for a bit.

How about I rephrase that? I wish all of you all the best for the coming year, and seal it with a promise, that I'll never ever crib again, if I have no reason to. How was that?

I'm thinking I'm as safe as safe can be. Given life in general, and cricket in particular, I'll be doing this for sometime, huh? Hope that pleases at least some of you? Go on, stand up. Be counted. Somebody? Anybody?!! (I did tell you guys that Geoffrey inspires me completely?)

Damn. And I thought I was ok.

But, unlike the rest of my team, I don't let one (make that ten!) bad result get me down. How do they do it? I almost padded up the other day. And said to Paaji, "let me at 'em. I'm not scared of Lee. I wasn't even scared of Akhtar." I mean, they're pretty much the same, right? Oh, sorry. They say that Akhtar has a problem with his action, he chucks or some such. Lee's cool. I say so too. Lee's good. Fast. Furious. And Akhtar, he's all those things, but, that action? That's, what's the word they use, suspect. Nonetheless. The boy will be back. Faster. And very very furious! That should be fun.

Now, what's not fun is Mr Sledgehammer Madugalle. Heck, not just him, but all of them guardians of (im)proper behaviour on the field. You bring the hammer down on one guy, who admittedly did a jig or two, when he got his man. And then the other men, who've been doing this for years, make that decades, now, well for them the verdict rings quite differently. A quiet word of (pre)caution to avoid controversy over not having taken any action, is rather different from an assertive measure to rectify a situation. Especially since that word also came through because the object of the said controversy is the world's best batsman. My captain, who should quit being the gentleman he is, and let the 'neutral' referees, umpires and what have yous, know exactly what he thinks of them.

At least, somebody should, if its not befitting that the captain does. But no, unlike our counterparts in the sub-continent, we're friendly, amiable and very amenable to reason. Excellent. Applause. Who from? Not from me for sure.

Tell me. Doesn't it get to you, too?

But that's not about the cricket. This was about off the field games. On the field too, such games are played. However, in the action that we actually witness, admittedly we fall short. Very, very short. Not another word, at the risk of repeating myself.

Barring this.

"The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves": Don't balk. Even I can quote a bit of Shakespeare (with a little help from a friend, but then that's what friends are for!), but do you understand what I'm trying to say? So, we have suffered at the hands of misfortune on occasions, where the only man who could make a difference got bad calls. Also, those on the other greener pastures, got away with very, very fortunate calls.

Given. Conceded and accepted. These are uncontrollable factors, therefore not given to resolution.

So if we worry about what fortune and luck can do, then we're left uncertain and dependent.

On the other hand, if we look within ourselves, and ask questions, we'll find some answers. And that would help initiate the process where we may still come up with not just the one winner, but a whole nation full of them.

Amen.

The Spare Crib/Abhilasha Khaitan