Cricket
Vijay Bharadwaj On Cricket - Then and Now
Vijay Bharadwaj’s views on the transition of the game in the last ten years.
Vijay Bharadwaj
© [unknown]
He debuted 13 years ago in a match between touring India and South Africa in Nairobi. There was probably nothing remarkable about the match apart from the fact that a debutant from Karnataka was playing for the Indian side. Yes, Karnataka. The land of Javagal Srinath, Anil Kumble and Rahul Dravid.
Among the big names and amidst the largeness of the occasion, Vijay Bharadwaj strutted forward for his debut. Heaps of confidence and track records from Ranji Trophy to live upto, this lanky all-rounder knew the meaning of a dream come true. “It was a dream to play for the country. It was like the greatest reward you could get for the hard work that you put in.”
Surely, it must have meant a lot to walk in to a dressing room that had idols like Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly etc. What more, Vijay Bharadwaj had made an entry into the team after displacing former captain Mohd. Azharuddin. “It was really difficult. 11 players from the country are chosen to represent it. If you have to be one of them, you have to be talented enough to replace the best”.
Justifiably, Bharadwaj made no qualms about the skills he possessed as a cricketer. In his debut series, he was awarded the Man of The Series. The highest individual award one can win for a series.
The scene has changed now. In the milling crowd of aspirants who are slogging it out in the fields, mostly blinded by the moolah, it is difficult to spot genuine passion within the game. The money is easy, and is probably wrecking many careers. Would a veteran like Bharadwaj blame the shorter formats like the IPL for the change? “It’s a dicey situation. It used to be about quality earlier, now it is quantity. It is very important to realise how not to run after money.”
However, Vijay can’t deny that along with the scene, the demands of the game have changed. In a way, Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution now seems to be the thumb rule in Indian cricket. It is, in essence, the survival of the fittest. The frequency with which slam-bang cricket tournaments are being hosted and consumed; only the ones fit enough to strike are the ones who survive. In fact, many young cricketers side line dreams of playing of the country and are quite content to rake in the 15 minutes of fame.
In light of the above, what then becomes the role of a former cricketer who is now a professional coach for Ranji Trophy? Vijay Bharadwaj has clearly chalked out his role in the game “My role is to mentally prepare cricketers to battle it out for the top spot. I do not give physical coaching about techniques and skills. I help enthusiasts pick the correct path and develop a strong attitude to succeed. Money and fame is a by-product in Cricket. I teach cricketers how to keep it that way.”
In a country that swears by Cricket, scepticism is probably something one would never be able to alienate from the game. But thankfully, along with it comes a silver lining. Vijay recounts prospects of Indian Cricket tilting towards the positive everytime he talks about a packed Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore for an Ind-Aus test match. He believes that the brute passion for the game that created demi gods out of athletes is not something that will fade soon. There are tournaments like the Red Bull Campus Cricket which is an earnest attempt to give wings to the dreams of young cricketers.
“RBCC has impressed me immensely. In our days, college cricket was more of a hobby that students would indulge in. It was seldom seen as a platform to launch oneself among the big names. But tournaments like RBCC have proven how age is no bar if you are talented and determined to perform.”
Vijay Bharadwaj’s presence at the RBCC matches are a regular feature now. The Karnataka selector makes sure he always has his hawk-eyes set on the action on the field. Young stars K L Rahul and Jaskaran Sohi are according to Bharadwaj, best bets to make it to the national team in the near future.
It is heartening to see young talent that is driven purely by the passion for the sport. It is more heartening to learn that they’ve found a mentor who lives by the same rules.