Recently I read about the New Zealand cricketer Craig McMillan announcing his retirement at an age of 31, the age when players are often in their prime. Although he wasn't anywhere close to being a great player, he was certainly a good one, having played some good knocks in recent times. There was not much hue and dry, or fanfare and all, though there were some usual courtesies exchanged and all.
I was just wondering what if he had been an Indian player and done he same ?
In fact, first of all would he have taken a similar decision here, considering various stakeholders! Maybe, there would probably have been tons of news channel smelling something fishy, many fingers raised here and there and few extreme public reactions, and maybe politicians coming in to plead him to consider his retirement once again and return to game. Rest assured, the player who has retired might probably not have been let to live in peace ... at least for few days!
And the decision to retire might have an element of all these!
But why ?
One of the reasons could have been treatment of cricket like religion in this part of country and cricketers like gods (... or non-gods! ... depending upon how the team is performing). Or is there some other reason also ?
Maybe it is all too deep rooted. Probably we always want people to think about others while taking their decisions. While this may seem reasonable, it might often translate into people thinking ONLY about others and what people will say while taking decisions, an not what they themselves think of it.
Reason - They are expected to do so ... and not that they want to do so !
Of course, there could be other reason also like love for power or being a celebrity and the associated glamor ... or maybe they might not even think even of these things while taking such a decision.
I think, we often fail to realize that cricket (or being a celebrity or being at any position of status) is just a part of life ... and it is not the only thing in life. A person might find the idea of a celebrity leading a somewhat nondescript life in some non-metro part of the country as weird or indigestible ... but after all uski life hai ...usko pata hai how to live it !
I was just wondering what if he had been an Indian player and done he same ?
In fact, first of all would he have taken a similar decision here, considering various stakeholders! Maybe, there would probably have been tons of news channel smelling something fishy, many fingers raised here and there and few extreme public reactions, and maybe politicians coming in to plead him to consider his retirement once again and return to game. Rest assured, the player who has retired might probably not have been let to live in peace ... at least for few days!
And the decision to retire might have an element of all these!
But why ?
One of the reasons could have been treatment of cricket like religion in this part of country and cricketers like gods (... or non-gods! ... depending upon how the team is performing). Or is there some other reason also ?
Maybe it is all too deep rooted. Probably we always want people to think about others while taking their decisions. While this may seem reasonable, it might often translate into people thinking ONLY about others and what people will say while taking decisions, an not what they themselves think of it.
Reason - They are expected to do so ... and not that they want to do so !
Of course, there could be other reason also like love for power or being a celebrity and the associated glamor ... or maybe they might not even think even of these things while taking such a decision.
I think, we often fail to realize that cricket (or being a celebrity or being at any position of status) is just a part of life ... and it is not the only thing in life. A person might find the idea of a celebrity leading a somewhat nondescript life in some non-metro part of the country as weird or indigestible ... but after all uski life hai ...usko pata hai how to live it !
Yes,
ReplyDelete"Uski Life hain, use pata hain How to live it"
When will people understand this....
Wo to hai !!!
ReplyDeleteMaybe we have a tendency to find lives of others better ... probably in search of something 'spicy' to talk about or show off that we are really concerned !!
Yes....maybe...
ReplyDeleteOr maybe people feel that they are superior and have better understanding...Say they are mature ppl and thus have rights to give lessons to everybody and anybody on "How-To-Live-Life" :)