BCCI is more like an government recognised private body which manages cricket in India. The problem is, we tend to mix nationalism with the game, assuming those 11 playing on the field are the representatives of our country. In most cases, supporting Indian cricket team has almost become a yardstick of nationalism. And the players also believe that they are the torch bearers of Indian flag, just like the army, fighting on the border to protect our country. Mr. Virat Kohli’s recent outburst, where he advised a cricket fan to leave India for supporting overseas cricket teams like England and Australia, only proves that fact. This is utterly ridiculous to even think that cricketers are God and they lead a life like that of a saint.
Hardik Pandiya and KL Rahul didn’t say that they raped a few women or murdered a hundred. They were on a chat show on national television. All the duo said was, they are upfront about sex. Hardik said, he lost virginity at a young age and KL Rahul said, he was caught using condoms by his parents when he was only 18 years old. That’s all! Even Cristiano Ronaldo has slept with countless women. That’s an open secret and that has nothing to do with his sporting skill. The same is applicable for Pandiya and Rahul. They didn’t do something heinous like ball tampering or match fixing that they be treated like serious offenders.
Biswajit Manna 