As suspected, the Justice Rajendra Mal Lodha Committee report punishing
two franchises and their officials for their notoriety in the Indian
Premier League (IPL) had been the lead stories on front pages of the
newspapers and also the main topic of discussion on television, leaving
behind the great on-court achievements of Leander Paes and Sania Mirza
over the last weekend at Wimbledon.
The two items continued
to hog column inches and prime time television in the same proportion
the whole week. As Indian cricket board president Jagmohan Dalmiya kept
talking to key officials connected with the IPL, Sania did one better by
getting legendary Martina Navratilova to Hyderabad to visit her tennis
academy and talk about the greatness of her and Paes.
Dalmiya
specially invited former board president Shashank Manohar for his vital
inputs on the IPL crisis besides confabulating with its chairman Rajeev
Shukla even as some politicians and fans started expressing their
unhappiness over the two-year suspension imposed on Chennai Super Kings
(CSK) and Rajasthan Royals (RR), terming the punishment too harsh,
though only.
The committee also punished Gurunath Meiyappan,
team principal of CSK, and Raj Kundra, part owner of RR, by banning the
two for life from board’s cricket activities. That maverick Subramanian
Swamy, in what he says speaking on behalf of the "nationalist Tamilians"
wants the committee to review the "excessively harsh" punishment.
Shukla
added his bit by saying that the IPL will be of eight teams and hinted
at the possibility of the board fielding the two suspended sides under
its banner. Few thought of this angle and it clearly points to a
rapprochement between the former CSK boss and the Dalmiya regime or the
chief protagonists in the clique. If approved by the IPL Governing
Council and its parent body the Indian board, the move will bring CSK
and RR back into the fold once they serve out their suspension.
The
board itself may go in appeal against the two-year suspension and ask
for some other penalty so that the players do not unduly suffer. The
problem the Governing Council is facing is if two other teams are
brought in and the players of CSK and RR are distributed among them how
will CSK and RR get back their star players two years down the road.
Players
like Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Suresh Raina, Dwayne Bravo, Ravichandran
Ashwin and Ravas would never have left CSK in normal circumstances and
likewise Shane Watson, Steven Smith, James Faulkner, Ajinkya Rahane,
Stuart Binny and Dhawal Kulkarni may never leave RR as long as Rahul
Dravid is their mentor.
As for our tennis stalwarts, quite a few
commentators still grudgingly concede Sania’s rise in stature even if
they readily accept Paes’s greatness. Some unfairly state that Sania
could win the Wimbledon mixed doubles title only because of the
protective wing of Martina Hingis. What the critics do not seem to have
noticed is that Hingis at 34 waited for 17 years for her fourth title at
Wimbledon. It is no fluke, Saina is World No.1 in doubles and Hingis No
2. Even those who partnered her in the last few years vouch for the
Indian's tenacity and never-say-die spirit.
In Paes' case, it is
now an accepted fact that any player partnering him can hope to win a
title. At 42, the Indian seem to hone his skills with each passing
tournament. For someone who has played with hundred partners in the
doubles, he is still an epitome of fitness at 42.
Navratilova
summed up the match-winning qualities of Paes and Saina. "Leander and
Sania, they are always trying hard. That in itself wins a lot of
matches. Without that you cannot win. She feels few people have the kind
of consistency the two have and what’s more they try hard. And Paes and
Hingis could not have found better partners.
Navratilova paid a
terrific compliment to Saina saying the two would have made a good team
as well. "She makes a heck out of the ball. She knows where to put the
ball, she is always very positive, no matter what. You can't tell her
she is winning or losing by looking at her face. Because, she is always
trying." Can there be a better praise for Sania?
(Veturi Srivatsa is a senior journalist. The views expressed are personal. He can be contacted at [email protected])
