If cricket is a religion in India, Sachin Tendulkar is undoubtedly the God of Indian cricket. And when God speaks the whole country is bound to listen. It sounds a bit clichéd. But it’s the reality. Since his arrival in Indian cricket the spotlight never seemed to have shifted from him. And every time it’s his performance on the field that has made the media run after him.
However with the passage of time, things have changed. But Sachin Tendulkar has managed to hit the headlines quite frequently. This time it’s his upcoming autobiographical book that has managed to grab the attentions of the country. Edited by Boria Majumdar, Playing it My Way is set to hit the market today. And the marketing is under way in full throttle.
In an autobiography, you expect the author to reveal the truth to highest possible extent. Perhaps he has done that too. And with less than a week to go before the release of the book, it couldn’t have been a better time for bringing up the most controversial matter that has affected Indian cricket over the last decade- the Greg Chappell episode. Sachin described Greg Chappell as “a ringmaster who imposed his ideas on the players without showing any signs of being concerned about whether they felt comfortable or not”. Regarding Chappell’s relation with the seniors, Sachin is scathing in his criticism against him. He is of the opinion that most of the seniors were happy to see the back of Greg Chappell. He has been most critical of Greg when he speaks about his proposal to Sachin himself days before the 2007 world cup that Sachin should snatch the captaincy from Rahul Dravid and that if Greg and Sachin can get the hot seats of Indian cricket they can rule supreme for a longer time than expected.
He has also spoken about Greg’s relationship with Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman. It’s good that Sachin has exposed Greg’s wrong-doings or whatever he has done, whether it’s wrong or right I am simply nobody to judge. But my question lies with the timing of telling all these controversial matters. Couldn’t have Sachin waited for the book to release and let the whole world know by itself! Or is it just the part of the promotional plans! I am raising this question because the Greg Chappell episode is over and what’s the use of digging into matters that are past during a time when Indian cricket is facing a critical phase. With the Mudgal Committee’s report waiting to be presented, the focus should have been on the present day. Also perhaps the BCCI has played an instrumental role in keeping the more serious matter away from the limelight. Is BCCI trying to protect N. Srinivasan from the common people’s attention? Because on a day when the Mudgal Committee presented its report to the Supreme Court, the media got busy with what Sachin Tendulkar has penned down regarding Greg Chappell.
Both got benefited for what happened yesterday. BCCI could shift the media’s attention away from N. Srinivasan on one hand. On the other, Sachin Tendulkar’s autobiography got enough attention from the cricket lovers with few days remaining before the release. But the thing is that Sachin does not need to do this for he is worshipped in India. And almost everyone in India listens to what he preaches. In fact many have already pre-ordered the book from various online shopping centres and many are waiting for its release. I being an ardent Sachin Tendulkar fan really got hurt as I came across the excerpts in various news channels and news portals. He is still the biggest idol in India that every Indian worships. He did not need to do all these for just publicizing the book. Or did he? Well it’s up to you all, who love Indian cricket and not Sachin Tendulkar only.
Tags: 50 shades of Grey autobiography India Cricket Playing it My Own Way Playing it my way Sachin Tendulkar Sachin Tendulkar Autobiography
