The manner in which the BCCI has come out in defence of Virendra Sehwag’s over his shoulder injury controversy in the wake of ongoing T20 World Cup 2009 does not auger well for the cricket administration in the country.
Sehwag, who had been off the colour during the IPL 2009 held in South Africa a month ago, has been in the news for the wrong reasons, ever since Nitin Naik of Times of India broke the story over the rift between Nabab of Najafgarh and Indian Cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
However, even as the news broke out, hardly any one had inkling about the possible reason or reasons of the rift. Even as Dhoni made his entire team to parade in front of the world media on the following day after the TOI broke the story, to show as if everything was hunky dory in the team, no one was willing to buy the peace in the team. Even after Dhoni’s media briefing hardly any one had a slightest clue about the cause of the discord between the two.
But it is the Indian cricket manager Gary Kirsten has come out openly and has now revealed that it was the shoulder injury of Virendra Sehwag that was the ‘source of discomfort and disquiet’ in the whole team. Now with Sehwag himself admitting that he was suffering it even before the conclusion of the IPL in South Africa, he did not declare himself unfit, as he was under a genuine impression that his soar shoulder would heal in few day’s time.
But that was not to be. Even after missing the practice games against Pakistan and the tournament openers against Bangladesh and the one more game against Ireland, it’s now confirmed that Sehwag is heading back to India.
Here, the moot question arises, why the BCCI did not make the fitness test mandatory after the conclusion of IPL and before the team departed for England for the second T20 World Cup, no matter hardly a week was left in between.
It may be appreciated that the professional teams like Aussies, South Africa, the hosts England are absolutely fitness fanatic and do not take any slightest chance of accommodating a player who is not 100 % fit.
Even after the conclusion of Australia’s five ODIs series against Pakistan at a neutral venue of Abu Dhabi in UAE, the players like Shane Watson and Mike Hussy had to loose their place in the respective sides in the IPL teams, as they were not fully fit. Had they passed the buck over injuries and got their injuries precipitated, that might have proved costly to the Kangaroos in England, as they have to taken England for the ‘Ashes’ series after the conclusion of the second edition of T20 World Cup.
But as is our wont’ we Indians who crave for ‘short cut and cheaper methods’ for the higher monetary gains are finally made to pay finally a price by losing Sehwag’s place in the team, even though the make shift opener Rohit Sharma has been doing an exceedingly good job in the company of Sehwag’s Delhi partner Gautam Gambhir.
Indian media has heavily reacted over the whole issue and is trying to crucify Mahendra Singh Dhoni for the wrong reasons. How he can blamed, if Sehwag had dishonestly hidden his injury from the team.
If some is to be blamed, it’s the BCCI, which has virtually made the cricket as ‘money spinning game’. Now its Media Advisor Rajeev Shukla has come out in defence of Virendra Sehwag, by down playing the whole issue, the image of Indian team in general and the cricket administration in particular has taken huge beating!
There can’t be any compromise over the fitness aspect of the player, or else it will result in premature end to some one’s career, who in his zest to retain his place in the side might adopt dubious and cheaper means to declare himself fit.
Sehwag’s issue is the case in the point!
