If not for Anil Kumble's insistence he would not even have played down under in 2008 and a great talent would have ended up in oblivion.
In the meanwhile, another man reached the summit without making any noise.
2011, after just 3 knocks worth remembering in international Cricket , Yusuf Pathan has done This !
Confidence is when your actions speak for yourself. Arrogance is when words overtake your actions !
Blah blah Black sheep,
Can you play ball ?
Yes Sir, Yes Sir,
Better than them all !
One for the Leader,
One for the name,
And one for the big boy
Who lives high on fame !
I don't know if Yusuf Pathan really did all this blah blah. It is perfectly possible the wily interviewer has put those words into the mouth of Pathan. Not as proficient in English as his better equipped half brother, Yusuf has been given leading questions to do all this talk.
Rediff and many others in the E-media have always done this hyping that has only harmed Indian Cricket and nothing more. The question is, why do they do this ? Is someone really paying them to do this ?
I have read somewhere that Yusuf doesn't listen to many people and goes by his own judgment. He is believed to be close to a few people and will trust and do only according to what his core group thinks. That is fine. But if this ill-conceived sham of an interview was in accordance with his confidantes, then he should change his think tank for better.
Yusuf had told somewhere else that "I hit only those balls that are in my area". Well, most of the 'balls' in this piece of stinking journalism were basically way outside his area. He should have left them alone. Some of them were so wide and now he has been caught on the third-man boundary.
When arrogance shouts, performance is bound to go mute. Yusuf should shut up and let his bat do the talking. He still is one bad shot away from being dropped. Dhoni had kept him out favoring Vijay and Nohit Sharma soon after that epochal hundred against Kiwis. Dhoni can do it again to keep Raina and Yuvi in.
Hope our big man from humble origins doesn't get carried away by this big hype. This isn't the time to lose who could really be our triumph-card. He can indeed win matches from very difficult situations. But it looks better on field than on some hits-hungry portal.
Hope the Electronic Media leaves our Cricketers alone to play Cricket !
S-Pun Doctor
India do not have a Glenn McGrath yet to make 5-0 predictions. Till then, I guess the McGrath-wannabes should shut up for good!
ReplyDeleteLike you, I too hope that Yusuf does not let talks get ahead of performance...
The difference between McGrath and Pathan is simple.
ReplyDeleteMcGrath speaks for his team. That is a collective statement. It is possible he could be putting a huge burden on his team. But 11 Men to carry the burden is better than what Yusuf has done. Alone...
He is in fact insulting the others in the team. Saurabh Tiwari did a fine job to stay with Yusuf to see his team home.
Zaheer did the same vs Saffers. It was Yusuf who couldn't finish it off.
Very good point Govind. The most important component is team. I believe, Indian players need serious training in communication. That is the only thing that makes you understand difference between confidence and arrogance. I hope Yusuf is expressing former rather than latter. In today's India, though, the line between these two emotions is almost invisible. Perhaps, humility is now a sign of weakness? Sorry, but that is my impression after recent visit to my home town in Gujarat. Also, BCCI and all local cricket associations must start coaching potential players in communication skills and especially how to handle fame and public profile. That could make or break a good player. I suspect Irfan is a classic example of this; or he would have been the most important player in this Indian line up. Hopefully Yusuf will learn from his brother's experience. My two cents worth..
ReplyDeleteIrfan's case is a little different. He is not the kind of talker his elder sibling has turned out to be. Even he is as talented as Yusuf if not better.
ReplyDeleteBut Dhoni has some favorites and Pathans aren't among them. Yusuf had to bulldoze himself into the team. Else how can one explain Dhoni benching him soon after a stunning match winning performance and playing Murali Vijay and Nohit Sharma ?
Anyway, I too hope Pathan does lesser talking and more batting and bowling. Else Dhoni will go back to his favorites Nohit, Vijay and even Jogindar Sharma.