Sports and Professionalism

Sport is a great way to build character and spirit. To watch Roger and Nadal who are great rivals conduct themselves the way they did after Roger lost to Nadal in the recently concluded Australian Open was a privilege and an example. The match was great but watching these two great sportspersons who have tremendous respect for each other is equally satisfying. When we talk of sports we have to mention about cricket and we mention about cricket we have to mention about Gavaskar, Kapil and Sachin. Gavaskar played against some of the strongest teams in the world and some of the all time greats, as far as fast bowling is concerned. He was the opening batsman from India who was perhaps the weakest team as far as fast bowling was concerned. We in India were used to being treated badly and it was kind of taken for granted that we were racially inferior to the teams from developed part of the world. I really admire Gavaskar for having the courage to stand up and call a spade a spade. He not only considered himself and other Indians equal to others but also proved it with his performance. Then came Kapil Dev at a time when India was accustomed to introduce spin bowling at the earliest. The only known pace bowler perhaps was Karsan Ghavri. It was assumed that India has no other option but to completely depend on spin bowling. The credit for changing that perception not only of others but also of ourselves goes to Kapil. Managing a change of culture or mindset is never an easy exercise. To perform extremely well is one thing but to fundamentally change long held perceptions is definitely more difficult. The current Indian cricket owes a lot to Kapil for their success in fast bowling. The success in the 1983 world cup was of course the icing on the cake. Just imagine the arrogance of West Indian team at that time and it was so heartening to see Kapil and his team beat those guys in a game that they had ruled for more than a decade. That perhaps was a turning point from the perspective of possibilities and self-confidence. Then it was Sachin the epitome of sportsmanship, excellence, and character. Enough has been written about his records, but is truly amazing is his attitude and love for this game. The way he has conducted himself despite so many highs and lows including all the injuries is really a lesson not only to sportspersons but also all professionals irrespective of the fields that they might have chosen. Just look at his conduct in the ongoing one-day series in Srilanka where he has been given out by the umpires in three consecutive matches. It is another matter that India has won all the three matches. One wonders what happened to the idea of neutral umpires. Look at the psychological impact Sachin has not only on the opposition team but also their umpires. This, of course, is not the first time with Sachin nor is it going to be the last. In fact, the number of times he has been unfairly given out will be a record in itself. Lot of other aspiring cricketers will be proud to play as many test matches as the number of times Sachin has been dismissed by the umpires rather then by the bowlers. The achievements of these sportspersons against all odds without loosing focus are worth emulating irrespective of our chosen field of profession.