Shabaash Bangladesh! Once Again

At the risk of being called an antinational renegade, I would say that my heart broke when, on the last ball of the match, Dinesh Karthik’s flat lofted shot barely sailed over the ropes. Why?

Undoubtedly, it is partly because Bangladeshi cricketers speak my language, because they look like me. Because, as they sang their national anthem before the match – most of them with palpable emotional involvement – they touched a chord deep within me. “Chirodin tomar akash, tomar batash, amar praane / Oma amar praane bajay banshi.” Because I could feel that eternal sky, that quivering breeze they sang about. In a way, that sky, that breeze are a part of my inalienable personal world and I don’t see any dichotomy between that identity and the identity of being an Indian. And between the two, my being a Bengali is more natural than my being an Indian. However, I must quickly add that I believe there’s nothing great about either, just as there is nothing wrong. They are just fine. The problem arises when some scoundrels hijack these identities to abuse and hurt “the other”.

Secondly, and I believe more importantly, supporting the underdog is a decent moral position irrespective of the language you speak or the anthem you stand up for. There is little doubt that the present crop of Bangladeshi cricketers are just about “there”, that they are the world champions in the making. But there is inevitably a time lag before the contender turns into a champion. We saw the Indian and Sri Lankan team go through this phase. When they almost defeated the champions but buckled at the last post.

And what a fabulous team Bangladeshis lost to! The Indian cricket team today is what Steve Wagh’s Australia used to be a few decades ago. Or Pele’s Brazil in football. They would lose an odd match all right, but even their B Team could defeat any other team with ease. Just as the present Indian team can win routinely even when the top four aren’t playing. Look at how Dinesh Karthik not only filled the enormously large boots of MSD, but in fact, bested the very best! Also, India has successfully built an assembly line that produces champion players almost every month. Look at Yazuvendra Chahal and Washington Sundar! Look at Shardul Thakur turning a certain six into a wicket. If he hadn’t caught Tamim Iqbal so brilliantly, who knows …? It can’t be easy to defeat these guys!

Therefore, the bottom line is: India are outstanding, the incontestable champions today, in all the formats of the game, despite their creditable defeat in test matches in South Africa. And … if you are fond of cricket, watch out for Bangladesh!

Monday, 19 March 2018