You all remember the moment… India vs Pakistan at Lord’s. We were getting our backsides handed back to us when all of a sudden a young colt stepped up and announced his arrival. Amidst the debris, a man was still standing alone and letting the whole world know that as long as he was around, all hope was not yet.
Then, the unthinkable happened. A horrible mix-up. One that was unfathomable under the circumstances and which felt like a final nail in the already almost buried coffin. By now, you’ve realised that we’re talking about the Hardik Pandya run-out during the doomed Champions Trophy Final between India and Pakistan at the Oval.
Players are mature, we need to learn:
However, what followed was a tirade of abuse and negativity towards Ravindra Jadeja – The man who, yes, was responsible for getting Pandya out by not sacrificing his wicket. However, at the same time, it was just unfortunate that Jadeja was the one involved in the whole incident. There were so many people who talked about getting Jadeja out of the team and that the whole loss was his entirely his fault. Bear in mind that this was just a game and Jadeja had just become a father a few days prior.
For him to have received such unnecessary backlash was unjustified and would have surely had a negative impact on his psyche. It shows that the Indian cricket team’s players are always under so much scrutiny and pressure and such incidents are makings of the fans and not the players themselves.
Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja have moved on, we should too:
In India’s second ODI against the Australians, Pandya bowled a well-directed short one to their captain Steve Smith who skied it towards mid-wicket. Jadeja, India’s best fielder, came running and despite initially misjudging the height, he took a brilliant catch to make amends. Pandya, over the moon, rushed towards the player and gave him a huge bear hug.
This just shows that these players do not hold grudges and are always looking out for each other no matter what. There are still people who feel that Jadeja must never be forgiven and such a mentality is just absurd and downright despicable.
We should learn to support our team through thick and thin and understand that at the end of the day, it is just a game. Hope this mentality changes soon and Indian cricket fans go back to being considered smart and lovable again.
By Rohit Nair
