Head n Shoulders

A couple of decades ago just like any other kid in the neighbourhood , i found myself engrossed in a sporting event of which India were co-hosts,the World Cup of Cricket.At this hour,i find myself no less passionate about cricket as another World Cup is in progress.The game has evolved (a popular cliche) over the years and for a person who has always been a fanatical follower of the game , it evokes a mixed response within while being retrospective(which is something that i don't usually do).Of course,colourful jerseys,floodlights and white cricket ball were in vogue way back then too,thanks to Kerry Packer and his revolutionary innovations.But these days it has become mandatory for the cricket teams to have the services of a video analyst,trainer,physio,bowling/fielding coach,psychologist etc,things which were unheard of in the '80s.The introduction of powerplays and closer the boundaries ensure that the today's batsmen score more runs than their predecessors despite the higher standards of fielding that most teams(among which India has no presence) can boast of ,eventually leading to their making and breaking of records, though there aren't many records set by the greats of yesteryears left to be broken.As i said at the beginning,i'm not totally against all these changes considering the way everything has changed around us in a span of twenty years.What intrigues me is the change in some other seemingly trivial things.The change in behaviour pattern of the players in general and the famous 'huddle' in particular.As i watched the members Indian cricket team competing in this year's world cup,of which they have found an easy exit after the preliminary stages,form a circle of themselves at the beginning of their matches or after the dismissal of rival batsmen,my mind raced back to the last world cup where a morally thrashed Indian team,after its horrendous defeat to an Australian side in the first round,decided to avail the services of a psychologist,ironically an Australian,named Sandy Gordon,who along with many of his tips on elevating mental strength,advised the team to form a huddle of themselves.Soon it became the trademark of the team and went on to be emulated by some other teams as well.While the question of whether the huddle served as a tool for success or not is debatable, India went on to win all the remaining matches on its way to the final only to find themselves void of any answers to an imposing total that Australia had put up.
Personally i didn't like the huddle then and i don't like it even now.I think,even with all the changes that we know about,cricket is still not every Joe's cup of tea.Of course there's nothing wrong in celebrating the fall of a rival wicket,but is it necessary for the team to stoop down to such a menial level so that each player has to put his arms around his team mates so as to form a circle of themselves with their heads bowed,shoulders hunched and some mantra being repeated?Doesn't it remind us of those local cheerleaders,girls who are adept at forming circles or pyramids of themselves accompanied by irritatingly high pitched shrieks?Do cricketers really need to do that?My answer is no.Cricket,unlike football or basketball,is a skill based sport and there has to be certain amount of arrogance surrounding the individuals playing cricket that would set them apart them from those playing contact sports.
At present there is bunch of good cricketers around the world but i cant help but wonder that why we don't have a current crop players with the kind of charisma that players like Viv Richards,Ian Botham,Kapil Dev or Imran Khan had so effortlessly possessed.Maybe its easier for these present lot to bow their heads and get into a huddle than trying to get into the shoes of those dinosaurs (surely they are an extinct species!). Whatever the case is,the sooner the Indian team,and those who had followed suit,gets rid of this demeaning process,the better,Let them realise that jumping around in circles is for cheerleaders.Let them not relegate themselves to the level forming a circle of themselves at the start of match.A game plan is something that should be agreed upon while the players are still in the dressing room.Let cricketers walk out into the field with their heads high.

PS:Though it has nothing to do with behaviour,this little bit of trivia might seem an indication of the change in character.Every member of the 1983 world cup winning squad of India,with the exception of Sunil Gavaskar,wore a mustache and excluding a lone sardar all members of '07 squad have clean shaven faces!