TELEVISTA
Week of cricket
Amita Malik

A few events on the small screen have evoked as strong emotions as the retirement of Anil Kumble from Test cricket. Whether he was carried on the shoulders of his colleagues or whether he stood with his family on the cricket ground, with his little daughter in his arms, one didn’t have to be a cricket buff to feel the deep emotions aroused by the sudden announcement of Kumble quitting the Test scene. As the highlights of his career were flashed on the small screen, one relived the best moments of this extraordinary cricketer’s extraordinary career.

There he was once again, a bandage around his head and face because of a broken jaw, and going on to take Lara’s wicket. Then he was back at Ferozeshah Kotla, the ground from where he retired, taking all 10 wickets of Pakistan in one innings. Using the term in its best, and not clich`E9d sense, here was a patriotic Indian, giving his best for his country. As he himself put it, giving, always, his 100 per cent. After all, no one can give more. Kumble was rightly and deservedly given the top treatment normally given to VVIP politicians when they retired. The treatment was given spontaneously, without any advance planning. Because so sudden was the announcement of his retirement, that one was caught unawares, and therefore, reacted instinctively.

Both his colleagues and his fans referred to his qualities of modesty, integrity and courage. One could not ask for more. It was not necessary for a message to be flashed on the ground: Please do not leave before the end of the ceremony. The standing ovation given by spectators to Kumble was so spontaneous and natural that the reminder seemed almost unnecessary, if not positively rude.

Kumble’s admirers did not need reminders.

But in the middle of all this joy, there is always a spanner in the works and always it is the Australians who put it there. The suspicion is not unfounded that the Australians always target players who pose a threat to them. First it was Bhajji and now it is Gautam Gambhir. The suspicion is growing that Australians, realising that their hitherto unchallenged position is being challenged by the Indians, target their biggest challengers. This is followed by the suspicion that the element of racism that arises is because the enquiry is always conducted by a white man and always goes against the Indians.

Also, being flashed on the screen is the tragic story of an innocent student being shot by cops in Haryana. The policemen mistook him to be a notorious gangster. The trigger-happy police operate like this all over India. The chief minister has said the killing was "incidental" and not planned and, as usual, has offered cash compensation. Increasingly, ordinary people are becoming very cynical about the ease with which politicians and others try to wriggle out of deliberate and accidental murders by immediately offering cash compensation, as if that is adequate compensation for the relatives of a man murdered unnecessarily. After all, cash does not bring a human being back to life. No wonder many people feel it is adding insult to injury. This was evident in reactions from people on the small screen.