Adulation on cricket field goes under the scanner

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After the controversial Vaseline statement, former England skipper Michael Vaughan rakes up another controversy. He says it’s not okay to idolise your favourite cricketer, especially when you’re up against him. This is what he conveyed to Ravi Bopara in his article in the Daily Telegraph, where he asked Bopara to stop idolising Sachin Tendulkar.
Vaughan writes, “Ravi is 26 now. He is a senior player. He has to realise he is not a kid and deliver. His biggest challenge will be playing on the same pitch as his hero, Sachin Tendulkar. He has always tried to model himself on Sachin. But now he is playing a Test match against him and is going to have to admit he can’t idolise the guy. He can’t stare at every move he makes and say ‘wow, look at Sachin’. As Test cricketers, you can’t worship an opponent. It is a battle.”
Vaughan’s view raises a pertinent question — whether admiring a sportsperson who is an opponent comes in the way of one’s performance in the game of cricket? Does sportsman spirit dent killer instict? We speak to cricket enthusiasts and find out. Online evangelist Prateek Shah says, “First Laxman and now Bopara, it seems that Vaughan has taken up the task of belittling all of cricket folk. For ages, greatest of cricketers have been known to admire and even publically appreciate their opponents in the spirit of the game. It in no way affects the match on field and in fact promotes the sport of cricket.”
“I think Michael Vaughan has gone senile,” says cricketer Atul Wassan, adding, “I used to idolise Sir Richard Hadlee and played my first game with him. An idol eggs you to perform better and give your best. These are stupid insinuations Vaughan is making, maybe because the English team has members from different parts of the world and it’s making them insecure.”
Entrepreneur Mohsin Madni, who’s played for the Under 19 as a fast bowler from Srinagar says, “On the field nobody idolises another player. Everybody does what he is meant to do. Cricket is what matters at the end of the day and one plays the game with dignity and pride.”
Admiring an opponent doesn’t mean you lose your edge on the field, feel many. Sachin, who is an iconic figure for millions of fans, idolises Sir Donald Bradman and till date is compared to him. Says Shanky, a cricket buff and student of event management, “Admiration can actually inspire a player to give his best. I am sure Sachin’s performance never wavered whenever he was compared to Bradman. And the same goes for MSD, Viru, and other batsmen who have grown up watching Tendulkar and are now playing alongside him, they all have a good record to show.”
However, advertising professional Khalid Nabi begs to differ. He says, “Ravi is playing for England, so he should stick to his side and concentrate on improving his technique in the match rather than idolise any other player. What Vaughan is saying isn’t completely wrong. He is a senior player and he’s only advising Bopara to focus on his game. No team would like their players to idolise somebody in the opponent’s team. So it’s not fair for us to scrutinise his comment since Vaughan has been a player himself and knows what happens in the field.”