WHY???

Till today they were playing their ‘Game’ but nobody seemed to have bothered. Nobody seemed to have noticed, until this happened. They were found guilty for Spot Fixing in the sixth edition of the Indian Premier League. All of a sudden they have become a household name since past few days. There is a thin line between Fame and Defame and in their case it is the latter. They wouldn't have wanted it this way. No individual wants it this way but I always hold a strong belief that none of your sins goes unpunished and this episode has made my belief stronger.

When S. Shreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan are being probed by the Police, I, a common man have only one question to ask, WHY?

Shreesanth is better known for his temperamental cricket and has always had his tantrums on the field. To overcome this I understand he was practicing Yoga. He was also seen paying his homage to the Gods and Goddesses by visiting the various temples. As far as my knowledge goes, both Yoga and God have the potential to lead you towards enlightenment and in no way can corrupt your mind. Then what went wrong in Shreesanth’s way? And most importantly why did he let this happen to him? WHY?

Ajit Chandila, 29 year old lad from Haryana has hardly played any noteworthy Domestic cricket (till date). May be it was his good fortune that his coach Narendra Hirwani, discovering his talent had recommended his name to Rahul Dravid. Without any significant experience he was selected for Rajasthan Royals. Being so, the boy was on the dream run. But suddenly betraying his coach and backstabbing his captain, he ‘performed’ in an abysmal manner. WHY?

Ankeet Chavan comes from a well cultured middle class family. Wedding plans were on chart. Making his mark in cricket, he also wanted to pursue an MBA at a later stage of life. When he had such determined personal and professional goals, how did he go off the track? And again most importantly, WHY?

They say that IPL is more of a ‘PAISA’ League than a Premier League. And with the spot fixing incident this is proved yet again. An acrimonious manifestation of money exchanging hands!

When whistle blowers are demanding a ban on IPL, there are many who had loved this format. For a common man this was an entertainer where one saw one’s favourite stars battling against each other. And that was the very reason why handling the work pressure in the morning, when the share market was crashing, somewhere in Pakistan when Sarabjit was dying, Far away in the Northeast when China was entering, every evening this common man sought a refuge in the IPL. This was indeed a stress buster.

But this Spot Fixing Saga has blemished not only IPL but also cricket on the whole. That cricket, which is not a mere sport but a religion in the country called India.

Who gave them the right to play with the emotions of the billion people? And why did they do so? WHY?

Today, playing Cricket is a highly paid job. There are umpteen competitions where you can prove your mettle. And once you do that you are a star. Brands run after you for endorsements. IPL Franchisees pay high to ‘own’ you. Even after you retire, there is a plethora of news and sports channels which spread their red carpets for you.

Shreesanth, Chandila and Chavan three of them were (Yes, I have purposely used the past tense) in such a lucrative profession then WHY???

Life Ban or no ban at all but at some stage of life when they will be away from the limelight, away from the fans, all alone may be then they will have to answer it for themselves, WHY???