With the T20 World Cup beginning in less than 45 days, India, like the other elite teams, has begun dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s. With most of the team locked and loaded, the race is on to identify the other players on the plane to Australia. The ongoing Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates is an exercise in identifying those players. It’s a big audition for the likes of K L Rahul, coming off a layoff. Axar Patel, the left-arm spinner, is another man who might receive a call-up considering Ravindra Jadeja’s place in the side is a question mark following injury concerns.
That the team now has a new way of approaching the power-play overs—evident since the debacle at last year’s World Cup—being wedded to that approach against the best bowlers in a series with context was going to be the first real challenge. Against Pakistan on Sunday, that was one of the big pluses. Former skipper Virat Kohli was among the runs too. With the team set to play a minimum of two more matches, it will be interesting to see if the likes of Patel own the stage to give the selectors a welcome headache.
Speaking of the India-Pakistan encounter, something predictable played itself following Arshdeep Singh’s dropped catch. The ugly side of the game reared its head. These things happen in sports, but it doesn’t give any right to ‘fans’ to unload on a young man. Granted, emotions can run high, but one must not get carried away, irrespective of the result. A lost match is a lot of things, but it is not a greeting to abuse the young bowler.
Of course, this thing isn’t just limited to Indian ‘fans’. We saw similar scenes playing out on social media after three young English players missed penalties at last year’s Euro finals against Italy. They were racially abused, and one of the player’s mural was defaced as hate overran the streets. It’s time the authorities step in to police the comments players receive online. It’s a sacred place of work, and you would not want that place to become a toxic cesspool of anger and hatred. As it is, the life of a sportsperson is very short, and the pressure to perform is immense. They can do without loons and anonymous social media bigots using the platform to spread toxicity.