Imagine coming back from a long, tough, and hard day at work.
Don't we all have days when we ourselves are disappointed that we could not do as well as we normally do?
Don't we already feel low about our competence and productivity on that day?
Does that mean we have become disloyal or unscrupulous?
Imagine being the subject of stupid jokes or lengthy gossips about your beloved - by one and all, just because that person happened to come by, watching you or if you happened to call/talk to that person in the middle of an already terrible, avoidable day.
Imagine your integrity, commitment and passion towards your job being questioned because of this one day?
That too, by people who do not even know a fraction of what all challenges your job requires, and what all efforts you put in, despite the lack of performance/desired results?
Imagine all this being done to you and your family/loved ones - being subjected to judgements being passed, by anyone and everyone, non-stop, in full public glare, across social networks, television debates, tea-time idle gossip sessions.
Perhaps this is just the kind of emotion that is running through our cricketers who would have failed yes, but who - if you could care to give the the benefit of doubt - could also have wanted and tried to win as much as (if not more than) anyone else would have wanted to.
Ofcourse, since the result did not turn out as expected, there must have been mistakes.
But to blame them to lack of commitment, intention, passion, other priorities, affairs - without any credible proof?
How fair is that?
Yes, so we gave it back, we came a cropper in the match against Australia, bowled timidly, batted tamely, could not defend our crown, okay.
Of course, it hurts.
But there are a couple of things that rankle more than the loss itself:
1. The Media's Uncalled-for Hysteria and Baseless Outrage
2. The Incessant and Nauseating Bashing of a Couple
Both these events, highly deplorable and unprofessional, came about only and only because we lost.
Yes, we understand the angst.
Yes, as true-blue (in more ways than one) fans, we have the right to demand that our cricket stars perform to their very best.
But no, we have no right - no one ever can have - the right to dismiss their performance as lacking in intensity, and/or worse, even lacking the will to win!
Have we not beaten any such (in fact, even better) teams comprehensively ourselves too?
Did we (or their media) then question our vanquished team's motives?
Did we (or that team's media) then cast aspersions on their sincerity or commitment?
To attribute our loss to ulterior motives and sinister behind-the-scenes conspiracies without even a shred of evidence, is downright despicable.
I do not say that we are living in Satyug.
I understand that there could well be the odd black sheep somewhere.
However, to pass a judgement without understanding or empathizing with the subjects themselves, is completely irresponsible.
To attribute a bad performance, howsoever pathetic it may be, to lack of motives, is absolutely abominable, to say the least.
Right from the day we lost, Times Now, a famous/infamous news channel, with an even more famous/infamous host, notorious for his verbal soliloquy, ran a disparaging news campaign: #ShamedInSydney
To all those who say are-yaar-ye-to-easy-(shot/catch)-thi...paise-khaye-hain, sincerity/commitment/intensity hi nahin hai, I have only one submission:
Ok, I can't say for anyone else, but surely, I can say for myself, right?
They say, before we judge anyone else, the best way to understand a situation is to try and put yourself too, in that same situation.
All I can say is that I have played my share of competitive cricket and I don't care if anyone would like to believe this or not, but at least I surely know in my heart of hearts about myself, that I have played it with passion and integrity all my life.
Yet, of course, I have dropped the easiest-looking catches at times.
I have also played such shots in some situations, which I would not have played, had it not been for the match situation (with a run-rate going out of control or due to a belatedly-realized misplaced confidence in my ability to pull it off).
However, mind you, none of this was due to any irresponsibility or lack of will to win/commitment/passion/sincerity.
I have not necessarily showed/displayed emotion or intensity when I did not feel any less intense/passionate/emotional.
My only point is, before we jump to conclusions about the sincerity and commitment of a cricketer, let us not
jump the gun.
Let us try to understand that even a sincere attempt can look horrible if it does not come off.
Why should an incorrectly chosen shot-selection be panned as selling one's soul or not the player not wanting to win?
Yes, we are hurt when we see such a shot, but (if you could believe that a cricketer need not have done so deliberately), pray, tell me, wouldn't the cricketer in question himself be hurting more than anyone else about his dismissal or poor-performance?
Wouldn't he himself be feeling low - without having to be told and reminded through often the choicest of abuses or sarcasm - when we behave the way we do?
I ask of you - what exactly is (more) shameful?
Our team losing to a better team on a given day?
Or us, fans, losing our senses, passing judgements on the sincerity, character, passion, commitment, and integrity of our team - without knowing any better?
Just put hand on your heart and ask yourself.
If I could share, let me tell you what is more shameful.
No, losing is not shameful - not even when losing badly, if we tried our best - to a better team on the day.
What is shameful is our insensitive, crass, and instantly judgemental reaction.
What is shameful is our inability to separate reason from emotion and pull down someone's integrity, so easily and publicly.
What is shameful is to see that people who have never held a cricket bat, go on to question the commitment of a team, just because the captain did not cry as much to their liking, after we lost.
What is shameful is that we pass judgements on a couple - especially on a lady who is out there cheering for her love, the way any other better half would - just because she happens to be a celebrity and a lady who has openly admitted her commitment status - just because it seems easy for us to make them our favorite target.
How easy it is for us to send jokes, one-liners, sarcasms, even give our own spin to what happened and what all they were doing before the match by our know-all 'experts'.
ALL THIS is what is indeed shameful.
Congratulations, Team Australia - not just for getting the World Cup back and playing top cricket, but lucky you, in also getting fans who would not indulge in passing judgements about your (and/or even your better half's) character on the basis of your win/loss.
Any and every team - including Team India - deserves better too.
We keep asking our team to get better all the time.
Fair enough.
Perhaps, it's a good moment to reflect and ask, whether Team India too, deserves its fans (and media) behaving better than this.
