BOMBAY, 8 August 2003 — As if to prove that Sunil Gavaskar was pointing the accusing finger in the right direction, it is the Australians who have reacted adversely to his remarks on sledging. In his “Spirit of cricket” speech in London the other day.
Gavaskar referred to sledging (on-field use of abusive and insulting language, calculated to disturb or provoke a rival player) as an act that lowers the image of the game. Although he did not directly name any team or group of players, his use of the term “a champion side,” did not leave anyone in doubt as to whom he considered principally guilty of such acts.
The first to react was former Australian opener, Geoff Marsh, now coach of the Zimbabwe team. He justified sledging as a part of the “logistics in the right direction,” and even welcomed it.
This Marsh reaction was strange, as it came from a player who was by and large considered to be above any controversy. But the one from former fiery Aussie fast bowler Dennis Lillee was both expected and typical of the man, whose major ploy was the constant intimidation of batsmen at the crease. He was bound to say (of his old foe) “See who is talking.” But all he had, as a reaction, is an old incident where Gavaskar, as the Indian captain almost staged a walk-out when given out. If one can have the means of recalling from written word, or, better still, of watching the television re-run of the 1981 incident, one can clearly see the infamous part played by Lillee himself.
As it had transpired, Gavaskar was declared out lbw to one from Lillee which the batsman had definitely nicked on to his pads. What had provoked Gavaskar to ask his partner Chetan Chauhan to leave the ground with him was the demonstratively hostile posture struck by Lillee. The Aussie paceman used indecent language as he pointed to the dressing room and gave the “marching orders” to the Little Master.
As if being given out wrongly was not enough, Gavaskar had to bear a huge insult from a rival player. Once the umpire had raised his finger, the bowler had no business to ask the batsman to shove off (these are not the exact words, of course).
Lillee was neither the victim nor the target of Gavaskar’s over-reaction of staging a virtual walk-out. He was indeed the cause of it.
In later years, during an instructional series on television, Gavaskar referred to that unsavory incident and admitted how wrong he was. He told the youngsters to always abide by the umpire’s decision and not behave the way he had done, whatever the provocation.
Gavaskar used the right forum to touch upon a topic that people, as well as the administrators, have been shy of debating. The whole of the cricketing world knows that the Australians are also world champions of playing cricket with the mouth. The Chappell brothers, Ian and Greg, were quite the masters of the art of sledging. They and the Australian sides they led had no qualms of conscience using the nastiest remarks against rival players. Ian Chappell continues to justify this form of intimidation to obtain what is after all an unfair advantage in battle.
Of late the Australian brand of sledging has unfortunately taken racial hues. The Sri Lankans, while playing in Australia, have had as much hostile bowling to face as nasty remarks. They got away with calling Muttiah Muralitharan “a black cheat,” (obviously for his suspect bowling action) What is even more appalling is the double-standards that the ICC officials, as well as some field umpires, apply to such incidents. Remember what happened to half-a-dozen Indian players in South Africa, a couple of years ago, when match referee Mike Denness slapped a ban on them for excessive appealing. However, fast bowler Andre Nell got away after walking back from his bowling mark, halfway down the pitch, to use unmentionable abuse against Virender Sehwag.
In the end, it was Sehwag who was stood down for a Test match. Unless there is a fair balance between crime and punishment, these things will go on unchecked. That a cricketer of Sunil Gavaskar’s stature should speak out on the issue may, perhaps, set the conscience-keepers of international cricket thinking seriously about this menace.
