War of words

Sir — It seems that Sunil Gavaskar has begun a slanging match against the Australians. Unfortunately for him, the spat was both unwarranted and bizarre (“Sunny strikes back in vengeance”, Mar 14). Gavaskar claims that the Australians are unpopular as world champions because of their behaviour on the field. Gavaskar is right in saying that on-field behaviour matters a lot in cricket. But this is not the reason why the other teams are critical of the world champions. The Australian captain, Ricky Ponting, has given a better explanation for this. He said that a team that has dominated the world of cricket for as long as Australia cannot have too many supporters. In fact, Ponting has also reminded the Little Master of the bad example that he had set on a tour down under; Gavaskar had dragged his batting partner, Chetan Chauhan, off the pitch over a leg-before-wicket decision he did not agree with.

Moreover, Gavaskar has not done the right thing by citing the tragic death of David Hookes, a former Australian cricketer, in a bar brawl. He surely knows that Indian cricketers have not been exemplary themselves. For instance, the former cricketer, Navjyot Singh Sidhu, has been convicted in a case of murder, a crime that he committed during his playing days. Perhaps, Gavaskar should have levelled charges against the Australians only after putting his own house in order.

Yours faithfully,
Susanta Ghosh, Calcutta

Sir — Ricky Ponting should have exercised restraint while rebutting Sunil Gavaskar’s accusations. He forgot that Gavaskar belongs to a rare breed of cricketers who do not mince their words. Gavaskar merely stated a truth known to cricket- lovers across the world. Indians have not yet forgotten the humiliating treatment meted out to Sharad Pawar, the president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India, by the Australians recently. Nor can it be denied that the Aussies are masters of sledging. Therefore, Ponting should have accepted Gavaskar’s criticism instead of waging a war of words with him. After all, for all the success of the Australian team, Ponting cannot reduce Gavaskar’s stature in cricket’s hall of fame.

Yours faithfully,
Arvind K. Pandey, Allahabad

Sir — Sunil Gavaskar’s comments on the behaviour of Australian cricketers, on and off the field, appear to be justified after a careful study of major cricketing events over the last one year. Ricky Ponting’s defence of his team is nothing but a weak attempt to protect the reputation of his team, which is no stranger to controversy. The incident at the Wankhede Stadium last year, when the Australian players shoved Sharad Pawar out of their way for a close-up photograph, was watched by the entire cricketing world. Ponting should appreciate the point made by Gavaskar and mend his team’s ways. Cricket must remain a gentleman’s game without any room for rudeness.

Yours faithfully,
R. Sekar, Nalco Nagar, Orissa

Sir — Ricky Ponting’s angry retort against the observations made by Sunil Gavaskar does not do justice to the image of a man who captains the world’s best cricketing side. As for the Australians’ reputation, any internet search engine will fetch ample examples of their misbehaviour. If the exchange between Gavaskar and the Australian skipper is just another mind-game, they should be firmly told that such games serve no purpose except lowering their popularity. If the Australians play their cricket hard, so does everybody else these days. Ponting and his team cannot be blamed for their antics. What Ponting and his mates must do now is try and defend their title instead of getting involved in needless arguments.

Yours faithfully,
Amita Behera, Ranchi

Sir — With Ricky Ponting reacting to Sunil Gavaskar’s remarks, it does not look like there will be an end to this story yet. Ponting believes that the Australians are the best in the cricketing business. Unfortunately, there has been a dip in his team’s form of late. The South Africans have dislodged the Aussies from the top-slot in the ICC rankings. Ponting, for his part, should show more respect to Gavaskar and concentrate on recovering lost ground.

Yours faithfully,
T.R. Anand, Calcutta

Sir — The quarrel between Ricky Ponting and Sunil Gavaskar would force the media to keep the controversy alive. Some people may be infuriated at Ponting’s apparent lack of respect for one of the all-time-greats. However, one is tempted to side with Ponting in his attempt at defending his own turf.

In this context, it will be worthwhile to recollect how Ian Chappell had once accused Sourav Ganguly of failing to create the perfect atmosphere in the dressing-room. Ganguly had answered that it was utterly impossible for an ‘outsider’ to understand the mood in the Indian dressing room. This only goes to show that captains do not like other people to comment on their teams.

Gavaskar, therefore, has allowed himself to be caught up in something that was entirely avoidable. It is apparent that for stalwarts like him, it is getting increasingly difficult to accept the fact that the ‘gentleman’s game’ has long ceased to be so. Today’s harshly competitive and result-oriented nature of cricket is too much for him to bear. As for Ponting’s observation that the Indians are ‘poor travellers’, it would be pleasing to see the Men in Blue beat the Aussies and prove him wrong in the World Cup. Till then, the cricketing world will continue to agree with him.

Yours faithfully,
A. Chakrabarty, Calcutta