Cool down, Sunny Bhai!!!

For some days now, some of the most respected names in the cricket, both past and the present, have been involved in a sledge fest that is sadly becoming more stimulating than the ongoing world cup. On the one side is Sunil Gavaskar, who is busy calling Australians names and on the other side, we have the present and the former Australian players who are acting as if they are determined to prove every accusations Sunny made against them!

Sunil Gavaskar is known to make such comments. Few years ago, he made comments about England team being boring which instigated then captain of England Nasser Hussein and Coach Duncan Fletcher to come up with perfectly boring replies. He then called for action against a former South African batsman and current commentator for having allegedly made racist remarks against India. If you look at Sunny’s glorious cricketing career, you will find instances where he has fought oppressions and bullying by the foreign players and the media. Sunil Manohar Gavaskar always speaks his mind.

Is he paying a price for that?

I don’t think so. While in the past I always appreciated Gavaskar’s open mindedness and honesty, his remarks on the late Australian cricketer David Hookes was totally uncalled for. While his remarks on the Australian behavior was spot on, dragging the name of a deceased cricketer into the controversy and hinting that he almost deserved his death due to his bad behavior does not suit the stature of Gavaskar.

Probably in the course of all these accusations and counter-accusations, Sunny took it personally and started reacting emotionally to the whole issue. In the process, he proved that Indians, with the honorable exception of Saurav Ganguly, can never be a match for Australians when it comes sledging. For Aussies, sledging is another weapon to disarm the opponent, just like inswingers and bouncers! But for players like Sunny bhai, this is emotional. Remember how Saurav handled the Aussie sledging when Steve Waugh and co, toured India? When Waugh complained about Saurav coming to the toss late, Saurav’s reply was, “why is he behaving like a school kid?” Complaints stopped immediately and even today. Steve Waugh considers Saurav to be one of the finest Indian captains ever.

That’s how you react to sledging. When the opposition ridicules you, you return the favor and forget the whole issue. Do not take it personally, it doesn’t work that way.

As Sunny Bhai is finding out now.