Cricket is no more the genteel game played on an idyllic green somewhere in the British empire. Professionalism and performance bonuses have lent the game a hard, competitive edge. Even by modern standards, the language in the
middle is said to be turning the air blue in the ongoing India-England series. The English, once famous for their stiff upper lips, have brought in language heard more in alehouses than at Lord’s. But by no means has the crude language been a one-way traffic.
Victorious Indian captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has tons of advice for the opposition on how not to get personal during these exchanges. He also slated the visitors for turning on each other, yelling like schoolboys in berating the mistakes of colleagues. The Englishmen defended themselves stoutly, saying the match referee hasn’t heard or read too much into all this, perhaps because of the poor quality of the FM pitch mike audio.
Regardless of where the blame lies for this vitriol, there is no going back to more placid times, not after the Australians set the ball rolling in modern cricket with what they called “sledging” (coming down like a sledgehammer on their opponents’ sensitivities). Their successful captain Steve Waugh, an avid fan of ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu and his “Art of War”, justified sledging as a tactic of mental disintegration of opponents. But there are no shrinking violets among the teams, and umpires might soon need earplugs! Where on earth is the gentleman’s game heading?