November 28: Hockey star Viren Rasquinha, who was dropped at the eleventh hour, has sought reasons behind this humiliation. As matter of fact and as a routine such dropping and resultant drafting of new talent entail some reasoning and explanation from the decision makers. Now that a player of his repute has demanded it, the nation deserves an answer.
Once the views of player and the policy makers are available, it is the for the public to make a view on the correctness of the decisions made, in the first place, on behalf of them. Sport is a public activity, organized on behalf of and in the name of a country and considerable public money is also spent to achieve various sporting targets. However, no reasoning was forthcoming in this case from right quarters till now.
Viren’s press statement is polished, sensible and pertinent. It quotes statistics to support his claim of being fit, eligible and thus qualified to be in the Doha bound Asian Games team. His claim of being wronged stand to scrutiny.
The big picture he seeks to paint is prestige of a player. Having represented the country for almost seven years, that too after volunteer to miss a prosperous academic career, why I have to go out of reckoning this way? As a player, as a star, Viren has every right to bring his sentiments to the public domain. He does that in style, with powerful arguments in his press statement. His press conference at Mumbai was even telecast live in one of the leading national television channels, proving that it is a public issue of importance.
So the question before the public is, prestige and honour of a player. By and large the Indian Hockey Federation has been insensitive to players’ sentiments. It never honourned a player who retires or take them into confidence before their career is decided. What is needed therefore, is a concern for the players and their sentiments whose youth IHF invests for its survival, and whose welfare is its constitutional obligation.
For an instance, Viren was dropped for this year’s Pakistan Test series. None, perhaps including Viren, made any issue of this. At least openly. Because, it was apparently known to everyone who mattered that this was coach Rajinder Singh Jr.’s decision. Any coach has a right to go by his choice and the sport event being not a serious one its also a right platform to test a raw talent and experiment.
But Asian Games is a different ball game altogether. It is a serious event, a target tournament. Results at Doha will have far reaching consequences on the course the National Game of us will court in the future. Despite a camp being held for about two months, why a last minute change of decision? The nation deserves an answer, whether Viren demands it or not.
Unfortunately, things have turned out such a way that his exclusion is made out as a battle of Coach versus Selectors. At least this is what a section of selectors want us to believe. This is not correct. Whether coach supported Viren in the meeting or Selectors sidelined him is beyond the point. The issue is honour of a leading player. Viren asks plainly what is wrong with me, why do you drop me after informing me of my selection? Therefore, send me back to Asian Games as the team list can be given to organizers even an hour before start of the game.
What the nation deserves is answers to the questions he has raised.
‘The issue concerns the collective responsibility of those who run the show and their casual approach and whimsical way of functioning. It has been done recklessly in so many times and is enacted once more. What’s new in this?’ We can’t just take such a cynical view and allow the things drift this way all the time.
Players are the face of sport. Public spare time and spend money to watch them play. For them nothing matters other than players. When a star player is seen to be ill-treated by authorities or someone like Dhanraj Pillay comes on television and cry, the public is hurt. They subconsciously shun such sports. How you treat your star is how much strong foundation you lay for the future of sport. Whenever each player is ill-treated, actual or contrived, it takes away a chunk of supporters from its fold. The impact of such collective sins are there for everyone to see: Exceptions apart, the hockey in India is played against empty stands.
This is exactly for the same reasons I join others to seek explanations for Viren’s last minute exclusion from the team. It hardly matters to me whether coach or selectors are behind this bizarre act. (This is not the issue at all. For record, coach Baskaran has openly accepted the team given to him. Dwelling further on Baskaran’s role, or lack of it, is only academic exercise unless he comes out with his version openly. He will do this only after his sack!).
Therefore, in the large interest of the game, the IHF should offer its explanations. Or, has the courage