Anindya Dutta 🇮🇳

My grandfather Sumant Misra in @Cric_Writer’s book ‘Advantage India - The Story of Indian Tennis’. Had never seen this photo before :)

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@surjitbhalla @surmenon @sabeer @JohnBrittas @ranjona @abaruah64 @cricketwallah @Cric_Writer @talksports45 Nationalism, religion and sport Should World Cup trophies be offered to the gods? Binoo K. John Whereever the Indian World cup team travelled in India in the past month, a temple visit became a must. Most members of the team have been photographed going in and out of temples, even the Padmanabhaswamy temple in Trivandrum where India played New Zealand prior to the World Cup. Suryakumar Yadav who is a good captain full of cheer and a good word for the boys, leads the way and it can be said that he is the inspiration for temple visits during tour and just before a match. So it is no surprise that the World Cup T20 was also presented to the gods after the Indian victory. This has sparked a controversy naturally and Kirti Azad cricketer turned politician asked whether Sanju Samson and Mohammed Siraj would be allowed to take the cup to their respective places of worship and also that all religions should be treated equally There is no law banning the taking of a trophy to a place of worship though it hasn’t been done before. There can be no doubt that Suryakumar and coach Gautam Gambhir has infused a new religiosity into the team which earlier captains did not. The two some along with Jay Shah were present when the World Cup trophy was taken to the Ahmedabad Hanuman temple. The Coach has to permit the trophy to be taken to the temple. Rohit Sharma,M.S. Dhoni , Virat Kohli and others before them had a better understanding of the nuances that keep together an Indian team and knew that the coating of nationalism, more than religion would hold the team together and move it forward. This new infusion of religiosity has spread to non-Hindus in the team as well . This is why Sanju Samson sunk to his knees and drew the cross after India defeated England, something which he has not done before in his long career in the Indian team. Here Sanju came close to being sanctioned. The ICC code of conduct says: “ Gestures & Celebrations: Religious gestures (e.g., kneeling, prayer signs, or chants) are reviewed case by case. If deemed excessive or provocative, they may attract penalties.” It is clear that Sanju escaped sanction because he was an Indian player and ICC president is Jay Shah. However after the finals Arshdeep Singh was docked 15% of his match fees for throwing the ball at a Kiwi batsman in a fit of aggression. A winning team can set its own goals for sure. But starting religious practises is not a good idea at all. The selection of the Indian cricket team has remained a fully secular activity and everyone has got their share. Mohammed Azharuddin led India for .. Tests with no one raising any complaints for his performance and captaincy. Women cricket team member Jemima Rodrigues also made a religious statement during a recent prize giving ceremony in the stadium, something which no other player had done rather vividly. All these are not good signs. All sports bodies also have worked to keep religion out of sport during play and inside the stadium. Football players of Europe had the habit of pulling off the jersey to show off ‘Jesus Save’ signs painted on their vests. This too has been banned. But players make the sign of the cross, or other religious signs during play which is not objected to and no rule bans such intensely private moments of communing with the gods. The FIFA Rule 4 in football bans all such statements: Jerseys must not display political, religious, or personal slogans/statements. So there is a conscious effort to prevent the slow-creep of religion into sport. The Indian team hasn’t crossed the border yet but taking the trophy to be submitted to any god is not the ideal thing to do and an aggressive religious postering. The trophy for the Australian Open tennis is taken to all parts of Australia as a nationalistic gesture but not taken to any religious place. So also the Olympic flame which travels through the world but not taken inside places of worship for any sort of blessings which may accrue. Sport is closely linked with nationalism and the national flag is waved all over the stadium during India matches . But not many English flags are waved during their home matches. In football leagues across Europe only Club flags and scarfs are waved. But winners of athletic events in Olympics, wrap themselves in national flags , while taking a lap of honour. It is assumed that the victory is for the country and not for personal gain. But flags or symbols of any religion are not allowed to be waved during such celebrations inside the stadium, though athletes always point to the heavens. The question that arises is : does the medal or trophy belong to the winner, the country or to the gods? But no athlete who has flopped in all the Olympics he or she has participated has blamed any god for the debacle. This line between nationalism, religion and sport is now getting blurred in Indian cricket due to the encouragement of Gambhir and captain Suryakumar, who can often be seen with a tilak even inside stadiums. What happens if a muslim player comes with a chaddar to the stadium? All this must be snuffed out for sure, and the Indian cricket team must adhere strictly to the ICC code of conduct. END

In this piece I look at India’s #T20WorldCup win in the context of where the team has come from, where they are, and in white ball #cricket how they compare to the magnificent Australian ODI team of the 90’s and Noughties. indianlink.com.au/motera-massacr…