Being a sportsperson helps you to understand and face life better. “Sometimes it all comes together; sometimes you are going to lose it all”. This encapsulates the highs and lows of a sportsperson on the field and in life. But what happened to Phil Hughes was not unfortunate, it was cruel. The twinkle in his eyes, the cheeky smile will never be replenished. He had the entire life ahead of him. He was only 25.Just as in life, there are uncertainties in sports too. Despite the dollops of joy it dishes to fans across the world, it also throws up awful episodes that cast a thick blanket of gloom.
The most important aspect regarding this incident is the remorse and the genuine grief it has created, that has transgressed all boundaries and become all pervasive in nature. In my own life, I could feel the paucity creeping within me, an inexplicable uneasiness making me restless.
People across the globe were affected by it and offered their condolences and respect in every possible manner. They held out their bats, offered flowers, etc. And what about the young Sean Abbott, who is merely 22 and just starting his cricketing career? Will life ever be the same for him? Yes it is heartening to see all the support and counselling that he is receiving, but the nightmarish images of that dreadful incident will keep haunting him. What will be going through his head when he is at the starting point of his run up? Will he ever be able to bowl a bouncer again?
But what was the reason of such high magnitude of grief? There have been several tragedies on the sporting field, under various circumstances-some have the victims of savage competition, some have succumbed to various inherent anomalies that spurted suddenly to silence them while others have died while celebrations. Memories of three time Formula one champion Ayrton Senna’s death on a race track is still fresh in our minds. Also there have been many recent mishaps too –a Mizoram football player died while doing a somersault after scoring a goal and the Cameroon footballer Foe falling onto the ground dead, have made headlines. These incidents are equally tragic and require equal scrutinization as the Hughes’s case. (The safety aspect in sports shouldn’t be condoned) But why these incidents didn’t elicit such magnitude of grief? Is it because it didn’t take place in a country like Australia or was it because of lack of media coverage?
When we are talking about deaths on a cricket field, the first name that crosses our mind is Raman Lamba. But it didn’t get that global attention which it should have got because fielding at silly point/ short leg without protective gear can bear grave repercussions. We did mourn for him but it was ephemeral and insipid pseudo pragmatism. India’s 2011 world cup star Yuvraj Singh suffered from cancer, but the Indian cricketers (basking under the glory of world cup success) were happily giving interviews at various functions and merely expressing their concern for Yuvi. Why is such a huge difference in the sporting culture of both the nations?
Australia has a rich sporting culture. From the beginning they have learnt to play the game hard but share a drink after the game. They care for their ‘mates’ and go out of their way to help their peers. (both on and off the field. Michael Clark referred him as “the brother that he never had”) While the Australian cricketers enjoy each others’ success, in India it’s always a ‘zero sum’ game. The huge population and the craze for the sport has made us adopt Darwin’s theory of’ survival of the fittest’. The selection criteria at every level has been individual performances. It’s a huge cultural difference. In India, individualism precedes over collectivism. While Hughes’s death has made a significant impact emotionally in the lives of the Aussies, Indian sportspersons confine themselves to their own bubble. The sporting culture in India needs to change right from the nebular stage in order to achieve success, especially in team sports.
But life moves on and definitely cricket must go on. It’s one of the saddest days in cricket since the sport lost one of its most lovable members. As they say, it’s not how hard you get hit but how much you can get hit and still move forward.