An uneasy truce

Remember the times when we as kids used to fight, a fight in which we used to give our all clawing away with our puny paws thinking you were just one knockout punch away from ending the bout when the fight used to be imperceptibly stopped by an over anxious teacher or parent. You very invariably made part of a begrudging handshake or a hug during which you pressed so hard hoping to show the other who was the boss. Even though the things ended amicably according to the ‘pokey nosed’ teacher or parent wit both engaging parties claiming moral victory most bystander somehow knew the real fight was just around the corner with this just being the lull before the real storm. One couldn’t help but come off with the same feeling as one watched the events unfold over the scene of Indian cricket earlier this week. As Greg Chappell (GC) and Saurav Ganguly (SG) squabbled like two schoolboys both claiming to be aggrieved parties in a war of egos that threatened to blow away the future of an already struggling Indian cricket team. I shall no be discussing the lead up to the turn of events as enough has been said and written about it already. However it would hurt to mention that this excess of media insight into the discussions of a dressing room is what had led to this scenario in the first place. The media was used a weapon of choice by both sides to gain new allies (read Harbhajan Singh and other team members and other former cricketers) and that eventually led to a showdown in this week’s BCCI’s review meeting. Now for a mute spectator and passionate Indian cricket follower and well wisher this was a highly anticipated event as it would decide the direction in which Indian cricket would be going because in the view of the evidence on display one of parties would be right and the other one wrong. It was more a question of deliberating who was right and who was wrong thus doing away with the wrong party. Therefore what eventually prevailed with the BCCI mediating on an uneasy truce between GC and SG saying that said the Board asked the coach and captain to work mutually and maintain a working relationship. The board added that after discussions with the two both agreed to do for the betterment of the game in India. Personally this was the worse thing that could have happened in the light of the situation. I personally was hoping that Ganguly would be sacked in the light of his recent record and lack of ability to maintain discipline asked by GC and either Sehwag or Dravid be appointed in his place. I would have even swallowed the other scenario in which GC was sacked and another search begun for a replacement coach so that SG and the new coach could begin afresh. But what happened was something that had not been imagined in my worst of nightmares with a compromise situation being worked out between the two parties. It is very hard to imagine that they ever will be able to work in a comfortable equation with each other considering the accusations they leveled against each other recently. Also considering their egos (and remember we are talking superstar egos here) they probably will never forgive each other for what has just happened. I can almost imagine the two wanting to jump for joy after the next big Indian victory and rushing towards each other. Then suddenly in the wake of a rush of bad memories their joy will be blocked out as they will just utter a few congratulatory notes and end with a civil handshake instead of a more spur of the moment joyous hug. And I as a bystander know that the real fight is probably just around the corner and this is just the lull before the real storm.