The Randiv-Sehwag incident has become quite a controversy. Sri Lankan bowler Suraj Randiv bowled a no-ball to Virender Sehwag when one run was needed to win. This resulted in a six but robbed Viru who was batting at 99, of his century. Prima facie, Randiv’s act does seem intentional, but let us not pass judgement on that. What this incident reminds us is that winning is not only important, it has become the only thing that matters; and if you are losing you need to make sure that your opponent is at least robbed of his glory.
The actions of sportspersons, sports lovers, sports bodies and even governments of countries have proved time and again that winning is vital, and it is not necessary that one plays in a straightforward manner. They say, “If winning is not everything why do we keep score?” Of course one plays to win, but winning by breaking the rules, or more cleverly, winning by bending the rules without actually breaking them is just not done. What is important is “not that you won or lost but how you played the game”.
The Sri Lanka incident reminds one of the 1981 incident when Greg Chappell instructed his brother Trevor to bowl under-arm for the last ball in a match against New Zealand to prevent a six. This kind of bowling was within the laws of the game but considered to be unsportsmanlike. The rules have changed since.
Maradona’s ‘Hand of God’ is part of folklore. In the 1986 FIFA World Cup, Maradona hit a goal against the United Kingdom which he first said was partly ‘Hand of God’ but later conceded that it was deliberately hit with his hand. This goal should not have been condoned. Argentina went on to win the cup that year.
Why is that ‘win’ so important? Is ego the reason or pressure or maybe even compulsion? Maybe our sense of self-worth is so low that we can’t take a defeat, we lack the maturity to take a loss in our stride. There may be pressure from team members, supporters which makes a win at any cost desirable. In countries like China, the state expects top-notch performances from its players in international events like the Olympics. This also used to happen in the erstwhile Soviet Union.It is no surprise that players resort to tactics like using performance enhancement drugs to win.
This discussion also brings to mind one of the banes of cricket-sledging, the art of which is mastered by the Australians. Verbally abuse the batsmen, unnerve them, incite them to play a loose shot and their wickets and the game is yours. What a horrid means to use for a victory!
Children learn from their family; their parents’ obsession with winning makes the child realize early in life that breaking rules (without getting caught) are shortcuts to success in sports as well as in other fields. They will learn to achieve but at the cost of ethics, morality and fair play. Lying, cheating and bullying are passé in the quest for victory.
Author: Pratibha Shenoy (Bengaluru)
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