There has been a hue and cry over what is the justification of dropping the big two out of the big three of Indian cricket? I just completed reading of an article in one of leading cricketing website, where in Sourav Ganguly had expressed his dissatisfaction over being dropped from the country's ODI side. My question to Mr. Ganguly is what’s wrong in it? What makes you so invincible that you should not be dropped? After all Indian cricket team is not a government job where you can work till your retirement. I have all my due respect to Mr. Ganguly because of what he has transformed the Indian cricket team to. With the rumbles of match fixing lying all over Indian cricket, came this great Indian cricketer, who transformed the then ordinary Indian cricket to an almost second best team in the world in both form of the game, be it one dayers or test matches. The team’s attitude towards the game changed, and so had the Indian people’s attitude towards Indian cricket.

Coming back to Mr. Ganguly, his best days are over, I don’t say he is not one of the best player in the country right now, but he has to understand that there are others who needs a chance. Did he not come in the team at the expense of some other? He must realize that to include him in the team someone was removed. Generations come and go, and that is rule of nature. Charles Darwin had once said "Survival of the Fittest" and the cricket team is no exception to this. Ganguly’s (and other seniors) are not the fittest in the team, make no mistake, I don’t mean to doubt their ability even today, but yes, I would have to compare this in terms of the youngsters. Dhoni's young team might have no Dravid no Ganguly today, who are undoubtedly the best era Indian cricket has seen, but you got to give a chance to youngster, after all they are the future for Indian Cricket. It’s same like Sachin Tendulkar replacing the then old Ravi Shastri, who had a brilliant career. Imagine, had the Indian Cricket board gone to continue with greats like Shastri's and Gavaskar's at the expense of Tendulkar's and Ganguly's, we would not have been blessed to watch the great era of the Indian cricket.
No one can ignore that History repeats itself. One has to come and go, and bidding farewell is always a difficult task, but that’s a test of character. What is so difficult for the greats of Indian cricket to say, “Tomorrow will be my last match of my international career”? How many greats do we know in Indian cricket who has declared this statement? One? Two? None? Question for everyone!! And I am sure people will start searching at www.google.com to get the answer. Don't be surprised guys if you don’t find more than two out of more than 150 cricketers that Indian Cricket has seen in the last two or so decades. We, as Indian, need to realize that bidding farewell is the best, in the interest of everyone and for that regard, be it cricket or any other field. Don’t you think Mr. Gates would have wanted to continue Microsoft as long as he lives? Why do Narayan Murthy’ have to retire from Infosys, when it’s doing great guns, after all running Infosys does not require physical fitness as in cricket? It all goes to the bottom-line, "Survival of the Fittest", best goes and the better comes and becomes the best, that’s how the theory of revolution grows.

I don’t expect Ganguly, and for that regard, any of the present but old cricketing greats realizing the fact that they need to decide fast on their last day in office, and till they decide to do they will be getting such treatment from the cricket board, and in that regard any board, and they are left with no options than to give interviews asking " What do I need to do more?". I say “Ask Yourself!!”

Alas there was rest and so there was peace – these words might sound an end of the world war, or like US moving out of Baghdad, but its not so, I am talking about the great Indian Bhajji’s controversy. Ever since the Indian team was supposed to visit for the much hyped Down Under tour of Australia, we have witnessed unfolding of one of the most controversial era of International cricket. Symonds “a Monkey”, Bhajji “a racist” and what not? Come on guys!! We have called Symonds a monkey over millions of times more than what Bhajji might have called him, websites, TV, radios, blogs, fans and other sources have called Symonds a monkey after the controversial Sydney test.

Did Harbhajan really called Symonds a monkey? And what make us think that he had not, only because Sachin Tendulkar did not hear the word? Or is it because, the cash piled Indian Cricket board thinks that he did not say? Make no mistake, Harbhajan has been charged many times with different type of allegations and have been fined by the ICC. I am not saying that Harbhajan had said the word “Monkey”, but am trying to emphasis the point that he is not a Saint (I just read that he said Gilchrist is not a “Saint”) , in the very way he thinks that Gilchrist is not a saint. What Harbhajan said or what Symonds heard should have never come out of the cricket field. Was Ponting not capable enough to handle the matter on field than having to go to the match referee, just like a 5 year old kid going to his mom and says that his friend ate his lunch at school. Grow up guys, you represent the country, and not only cricket. Harbhajan calling Symonds a monkey, might have changed the general perception of the Australian nationals towards Indians. It won’t be a surprising fact, if one out of millions of Australian is now thinking that Indians are Racist. At the same time don’t get surprised that one out of 1.2 billion has started believing that Symonds actually is a monkey.

Are we all not descendent from monkey? At least I have read this in my early school days and this is what I have seen in all Media’s like Discoveries or History’s. What made Symonds so difficult to digest this small on-field slaughter to handle? “Slaughter” might be harsh a word that I have used, but it has almost implicated this, destroying the image of two countries in the world. Two great democratic countries, Indians believe Australians are liars, and the reverse party believes Indians are racist. Cricketing captain’s role are not limited only to represent the cricketing skills on field, with wins under their belt, but are also supposed to go off field behaviors’ bringing in harmony of the countrymen of the two nation involved. When did “Monkey” became more degrading word than “F*** your mom” which is used everyday in the cricketing field, which can be clearly heard or made out through the cricketers Lip reading. Don’t we hear from the stumps microphone the comments made on the batsman? Or has the ICC become selective deaf to hear what they want to and not hear what they don’t want to? Even if this matter was reported to ICC, they should have handled this more rationally, rather than going it off to media.

I saw Ricky Ponting lashed out by his own country media, only after he met his worst defeat at his home, by one of the youngest side of world cricket, whom he, Hayden and all his team mates, had given no chance of being successful in this tour. I still remember all the press conference given by the Australian team and its coach, where in they promise to slaughter the test match 4-0 and whitewash the ODI even badly, what happened next is history which no Australian wants to remember and no Indian wants to forget.

We need to remember that after all what matter is the game and at the same time what also matters is what the people of two cricketing nation thinks about each other. Australia is scheduled to tour India this October, and make no mistake to realize that the Australian team might have to face a Herculean task in India, not to beat the Indian team, but to tackle the Indian Public at any place they go, be it in the stadium or outside the stadium.

Team comes and go, matches comes and go, what is remembered is the result and the controversy that comes along with it, and the black saga that is surrounded with the controversy. History has not forgotten nor forgiven Chappell for his under arm bowling in the last bowl of the NZ inning, neither will historian let forget this Monkey episode, which has eroded the great indo-aussie tussle this summer.

Cricket is a gentleman’s game after-all, isn’t it??