VICTORIOUS TEAM INDIA
A thousand congratulations to Team India for winning the most coveted prize in Cricket , The World Cup 2011. The myth that only the Western teams dominated by all the White Skinners can dictate terms to others in Cricket was destroyed beyond reparation. Also the other belief that Cricket is the sport of Lords and Maharajas turned out to be an illusion.
Cricket is no more the sport of the privileged Lords and Maharajas, now it is the sport of players coming from ordinary back ground also. After the dismissal of Nawab of Pataudi as Cricket captain of India in the late sixties the Maharaja influence on cricket in India was totally destroyed. In India Cricket was considered as the sport of the privileged Indians coming from elite background but this is now proved to be nothing but a big hoax since so many cricketers representing India in this edition were just commoners. Thanks to their skill in this sport, they became celebrities and demi gods in India. Within a night they became millionaires among them Dhoni the intelligent and lucky captain coming from ordinary family background becoming richer than the other players. In Bombay itself in particular and in Maharastra in general there are innumerable Tendulkars in waiting but they, unlike Tendulkar in the beginning, have no godfathers to push them higher due to lot of discriminatory factors existing in India.
As in other sports the Indian Cricket World Cup winning team gained on all fronts and deservingly they should because they all brought honour to their nation and nationals. The awards in cash and honours at official and non official levels were great indeed. When Brazil won the soccer World Cup for the third time in 1970, every player was gifted with one luxury house in appreciation of their achievement in acquiring highest honour for Brazil in World soccer. In 1976 when Kuwait won the Gulf Cup in soccer, each Kuwaiti player was given a luxury bungalow by Kuwait. Like this there are so many instances where the sports persons were given handsome prizes and awards for bringing sporting laurels to their respective countries.
ITALY V/S NORTH KOREA IN 1966 world cup
No doubt one has to admire the sports for creating positive outcome in the victories as it happened now in India following India’s victory but one has to condemn also the negative effects sports create in the defeats. When Italy lost miserably in the soccer World Cup in 1966 even losing in the preliminary round to the new comer and minnows North Korea, its players on their return to Rome Airport were pelted with rotten eggs and tomatoes. When the most magnificent Brazilian soccer team lost to Paulo Rossi’s Italy in the pre-quarter final in 1982 World Cup, its brilliant Manager Tele Santana was deeply hurt when his house back at home in Brazil was pelted with stones by the soccer crazy Brazilians thereby giving cardiac problems to Tele Santana. When Columbia lost a few years back in the World Cup against USA, after returning home one of their team members, defender Escobar who scored a self goal mistakenly against his own team was shot dead. In late sixties when Indian Cricket team under the captaincy of Ajit Wadekar suffered the most humiliating defeat in England in the Test series, Wadekar’s house in India was stoned by the Indian miscreants. Recently 4 years back Dhoni’s house was broken by Cricket crazy Indians when India lost in the World Cup tournament. But ironically, the same India is adoring Dhoni now like a God. It is nothing but Roses and Roses for Dhoni now but earlier 4 years back for the same defeated Dhoni it was nothing but Stones and pelting of stones on his under construction house.
Very few people in the world are ready to accept the defeat sportingly. Very few people in the world accept the defeat by accepting the reality, that is the superiority of the opponents and competitors. In 1970 Brazil under Pele had exceptionally talented and gifted players, experts say such a team never came before in this world nor will come again easily. In the final Brazil defeated the then mighty Italy led by their gigantic skipper Giovani Facheti. The score line too was not small but very big 4-1. However, when the defeated Italian team returned to Italy and landed at Rome Airport, they were greeted with flowers and garlands with big Banners and Posters saying ‘Welcome our heroes – the Football Champions of the world”. They were called Champions of the world because they admitted that after unbeatable Brazil, Italy is the best in the world. And the reality was that the Brazilian team of that tournament was really great and no football power on this planet could shake them.
DHONI'S HOUSE
In the just concluded Cricket World Cup, in the semi final, Pakistan under Afridi lost to India but when the Pakistani team landed in Pakistan they were welcomed as heroes and real Ambassadors of their country. Afridi even confessed the warmth he and his team received in India and finally shouting angrily to the Pakistani reporters posing anti-India questions said: “Why do you treat India and Indians as our enemies??” further adding that “we went there to play Cricket and we played sportingly and lost sportingly to the superior team”. In the preliminary match between Brazil and reigning Champions England in 1970 football World Cup which was considered the Match of the Tournament, English skipper Bobby Moore after losing the match by 0-1, said “Brazil were the deserving winners”. Bobby Moore was not only the great hearted captain of England but a great hearted human bing.
COLUMBIAN FOOTBALLER THE LATE ESCOBAR
Many people were surprised to see the two Prime Ministers of two countries India and Pakistan watching the Cricket semi-final in Mohali. I admire Pakistani Premier Gillani to be so broad minded in attending this encounter. Elsewhere such top dignitaries also attend great events and finals. The 1982 World Cup soccer final in Spain was attended by the heads of both the finalists, Germany and Italy; President Sandro Pertoni of Italy and Chancellor Smidth of Germany. And I still remember seeing how the Italian president jumping from his seat like a spring after every goal Italy scored while his German counterpart was silently watching the whole scene.
A. Veronica Fernands,
Kuwait.
