'The Lankan and Pakistani bowlers haven't caused our players as
much damage as Prabhakar has'
Prem Panicker in Bangalore
"Of course Manoj Prabhakar did not reveal the name of the Indian
player who supposedly tried to bribe him," says a senior member of the
Indian cricket team, when I tell him about a news item in Rediff On The NeT about the former Indian all-rounder before the Justice Chandrachud commission. "That is because no such thing ever happened!"
Could it be, I persist, because Prabhakar thinks it is pointless?
After all, it is only his word against the other player's, there is no
proof, so naming a player could only cause bitterness and bad blood
within the side?
The player concerned -- and here I must mention that while several of
them discussed the issues of betting and bribery, not one of them was
prepared to go on record, stating that the Board of Control for Cricket in India has instructed them not to -- was unimpressed with that logic.
"If that is the case, then why did Prabhakar make the accusation in
the first place? Did he not know at that time that it was his word
against the other player's? Or did that thought, that he had no proof,
occur to him only yesterday? Look, if you say Prabhakar might not
have wanted to name names, without proof, because he did not want to
create unnecessary bitterness, then I'll ask you a question -- what has
he done NOW? By saying 'one Indian player tried to bribe me', he has
cast suspicion on every single one of us -- is that supposed to help
the cause of Indian cricket?"
Point taken, I concede. The player, very obviously incensed, is by no
means at the end of his argument, though. "The other day, before the
camp began, I was shopping for something in a supermarket near my
home. And from somewhere behind me, someone yelled out, 'Arre, usko
kya hai, he has betting ka maal, he can buy anything he wants!' After doing my best for the side whenever I have been picked to play, did I
deserve to hear that from people in my own hometown? I'll tell you
what, the Lankan and Pakistani bowlers haven't caused our players as
much damage as Prabhakar has...."
It all goes down to the question of team morale, and the impact of
recent events on it.
"It is very stupid, you know, to constantly carry such stories without
any proof," says Madan Lal. "I am not saying that if there is a
problem it must not be investigated and the guilty punished. What I am
saying is that accusing without proof only damages team morale and
does not accomplish anything else."
The question begs itself: Is the morale of the team affected?
"Yes, definitely," says Madan Lal. "See, a country like Sri Lanka,
when their players were accused by the Australian media
of cheating and ball tampering, stood by the team
and supported them. Here, look at what is happening, the accusations
are coming from the Indian media, and are getting support from Indian fans. So how do you expect the boys to feel?"
In his tenure as manager, has he ever seen or heard anything to make
him even remotely suspicious? "No. I care for Indian cricket and if I
had ever come across something like that, during my playing days or
now that I am team manager, I would have at once brought it to the
attention of the Board," avers Madan Lal. "I would definitely not have
waited till I was sacked as coach or something like that and then
talked about it!"
The dig -- at Prabhakar's delayed crisis of conscience -- is obvious.
And the Indian coach underlines it when he adds, "Accusing without
proof is irresponsible, it causes great damage, and anybody who does
that cannot then say that he has the best interests of the game and
country at heart."
So how precisely have the allegations impacted on the team players?
Over the last three days, I spent on an average six hours with the
players as they went through their paces at the Chinnaswamy stadium.
And in course of conversations with individual players, kept bringing
up the subject.
At the end of it all, one thing I can say for sure -- everyone I spoke
to reacts with a mixture of anger, and heartburn.
For the senior players, the problem appeared to be the weight of
unsubstantiated suspicion. "By referring to 'a senior Indian player',
Prabhakar has needlessly put all of us under the spotlight," points
out one player who has been, on and off, with the Indian side
throughout this decade. "Whether I have done anything wrong or not
doesn't seem to matter to anybody -- they, the fans and the media,
suspect all of us. See, it is like this. If I get injured a day before a game and drop out of the playing eleven, people begin to wonder is it because I was bribed. Can you understand how heavily this kind of thing can weigh on a player's mind?"
"Anyone who has played cricket at any level," argues another senior
member of the squad, "knows how easy it is, especially if you have
just come in to bat in a pressure situation, say the end overs, to
misjudge a ball, to play a false stroke. On the one hand your eye is
not set, on the other you are expected to score from ball one, so
mistakes can be made. You read the length or line a fraction wrong,
and instead of runs, what you got is a catch. And you are out cheap.
"Earlier, if that happened, people would say hard luck. Today, if I
get out cheaply, and I am walking back to the pavilion, I keep
wondering whether people are thinking I threw away my wicket because I
was being bribed. When you go to play, your mind should be on the game
and nothing else -- but that kind of concentration has become
impossible today... this whole thing weighs on our mind all the time.
And yes, speaking for myself, it is definitely beginning to affect my
game.."
If that is the case with the seniors, what then of the rising stars,
the ones who have made their bones in the previous season? Surely
they, like Caesar's wife, are above suspicion?
"Well, maybe our names have not been mentioned in that context so we
are not directly under pressure," admits one of the brightest talents
in the younger brigade. "But look, we are just starting out, we look
to our seniors for guidance and if their morale is affected, then it
does tell on us as well. And besides, senior players are crucial
especially when the average age of the side is so young. So if their
minds are not fully on the game, if their performance is hampered
because of external factors, it is going to make a big difference to
the rest of us."
Maybe true. Then again, I wonder out loud, isn't that what
professionalism is all about? Aren't you supposed to be able to leave
all else behind and just focus on what you have to do?
"Well, we are human beings. And knowing that our fans today view us with
suspicion does affect our minds," argues one of the top young batsmen
in the side.
But it is coach Madan Lal who puts the thing in perspective when he
butts in: "If you are accused of taking money for writing good things
about a person, will you be able to function properly after that? You
tell me that!"
I wonder?
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