Jan 24, 2003 12:40 AM
3986 Views
(Updated Aug 12, 2004 02:17 PM)
My knowledge of Azhar goes as far back as does my knowledge of the game! That he had been labeled the golden boy of indian cricket would be more of an apt description, rather than an honour! In a team which was lacking freshness and agility, Azhar stormed in and reset the standards for indian cricket! It would be fool-hardy to try to dissect this man's career, coz it's already been done and will no doubt be subject to scrutiny time and again!
what then is perhaps of interest is the commitment of the man, and it was exactly the reason for which he was disgracefully shunted! And an inquiry which started off with prabhakar's allegations against kapil dev, ended up with the exit of Azhar and Jadeja! It is interesting here to note that the exact findings of the commission, on the basis of which these two were expelled, had not been made public! It is equally curious as to how could two men hatch conspiracies to make the entire team lose! ya, you can bat instead of field, and maybe shuffle the bowlers in a funny way! But as far as my memory goes, apart from just a couple of occasions when the experts' opinions were divided, mind you, divided, not against him, there were no such instances!
If srinath, prasad and kumble decided to bowl like millionaires, you wouldn't blame the captain, would you?
And when you admit Azhar's record has been best and still claim he 'sold' the country, in other words you imply that india should never lose a match under Azhar! He was a talented bloke, not a miracle worker! And if the performances of India under some other guys are to be contrasted with Azhar, you will probably need to refer the dictionary for the meaning of the word 'sold'!
It was to Azhar's credit that he allowed Tendulkar, ganguly, dravid, Jadeja and many youngsters bat higher up in the order! It was under Azhar's captaincy that these guys were able to establish themselves! To then claim that Azhar sabotaged the careers of any of these makes as much sense as saying 'yywuzygfwug'!
His batting personified style and elegance! His fielding reset the standards for his countrymen and inspired diving blokes all over the world! His tenure as captain was one of the most fruitful for indian cricket!
He played with pride and dignity for his country! The whole nation has failed to acknowledge him for his contributions to the game! Atleast now let him live in peace!
