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Greed is god

So, who wants to be a superstar?

Not me. And definitely NOT a superstar in the Indian cricket team. No way, Jose! That ain't for me. But why? Or as the Spaniards would say "Pero, porque???" Because sometimes, nowadays, what will all the 'tehelka' that has ensued, all the time, it's not much fun being an Indian cricketer. I mean, look what we expect of them.

We put them on a pedestal. We pull them down. We put them on a pedestal. We pull them down. We put them on a pedest…well, you get the drift. Then, we play musical chairs with them. We make them play as and when we feel like. Where we feel like. (Which is pretty much everyday.) And while we watch from the cool confines of our special cabins. Of course, they must not disappoint us. And they cannot be human. After all, they are so very, very, very rich. Speaking of which, if our heroes are so very well taken care off, why is it so easy for them to, as the South Africans would so coyly put it, fall prey to temptation?

Assume for a moment - and I am not making any accusations here. Please do not sue me. I repeat, this is only an assumption. The purpose of which being to initiate thoughts on what makes a 'match-fixer do what he does? Interesting question. (Therefore, the need for a few some interesting assumptions.)

As I was saying, assume for a moment, our prominent middle order batsman, ex-captain, vice-captain, wicket-keeper, manager…well, practically everyone important and senior enough has taken money to throw matches, why would they do that? They make so much from the game. The game has given them so much. We have given them so much. We have made them what they are. And gullible more millions love them for what they bring to the cricket field. (Nowadays, one wonders what?) There is so much at stake. (Is there?) Why would they give it all up for pathetic money? Gifts? Favours? (Maybe, it's none of that.)

Stupid questions' alert!

Is the India cap worth so little? Have we treated our cricketers so badly? Has the board no idea on how to pick, nurture and retain the best in the team? Why are the most crucial members/ex-members of the team the ones accused of fixing matches? Aren't these the men young players look to emulate? (The so-called senior players who can set the right example?) Indian cricket is in serious need of an overhaul.

- Thank you for sitting through a reminder of what is so obvious to all of us but something, of the many things that the powers-that-be don't seem to get -

Remember Jungle Book? The Disney animation classic with Mowgli, Balu the bear and the two vultures on the tree? The ones that sit around and keep asking each other… "So, what do you want to do?"

The other guy cackles, "I don't know. Let's sing and dance."

Vulture 1 groans in boredom and says…"Nawww, that's too stale."

And then they go back to sitting on the branch. Until…two seconds later…

Vulture 1 asks…"So, what do you want to do?

Sure enough, Vulture 2 replies…"I don't know. Let's sing and dance."

To which vulture 1 groaning in boredom says…(say it with me!!!) Nawww, that's too stale.

Point of this story?

We're back to the eternal question. Again, why did they do it?

We've pretty much established it couldn't be for the money. I mean how greedy can man get? (You'd be surprised.)

Perhaps one of the most basic emotions known to man. Meet greed.

It's amazing what greed can do. Besides everything else, greed has this incredibly mild-altering ability to trivialize wrongs. And to trivialize them to such an extent that they turn from heinous wrongs to minor wrongs to almost rights to I have no idea what you're talking about to everything you read and hear on the tape is a fabrication to I never met him but he should not have recorded our meeting to my voice is not my voice to I am not the man who declared all that income to I am not so rich. And a succession of lies, half-truths, mudslinging and name bashing that has taken place. All for something as basic as greed? Makes one wonder how Indian cricket manages to win anything?

Our teams are almost never picked solely on merit. We have no clue how to choose our leaders. We don't have the balls to right wrongs. And Indian cricket is a microsm of Indian society. Imagine how much we could achieve as a country, a people and a team if we chose our men well. (And that is not a sexist choice of words, just a limited vocabulary.)

So…why would anyone still sell their mother for money? (In cricket or outside.)

Avinash Subramanium