The strongest and most powerful statement in the immediacy of the Sydney fiasco came when Anil Kumble bravely and very publicly expressed the sentiments of cricket followers across the globe. That no one, apart from the Australian cricket team, the head honchos of Cricket Australia and sections of the Aussie media, took exception to Kumble's pronouncement that only one team was playing in the spirit of the game was a tribute to the standing of the Indian captain in the international cricketing community.
Sydney, admittedly, is a bad dream perhaps best forgotten; unfortunately, we are not living in an ideal world, and it isn't easy to brush away the unpleasantness of particularly the last day in a hurry. Post Sydney, the two captains have presented a study in contrast; Kumble has continued to remain dignified and honest, Ponting has climbed down from proclaiming that there was nothing wrong with the way his team played to admitting that he could personally have done a few things differently to eventually conceding that the Aussies had to 'brush up' in a few areas.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has to consider itself extremely lucky to have had someone of the stature and uprightness of Kumble at the helm. For 17 years and counting, the leg-spinner with the heart of a warrior and the wisdom of a Solomon has conducted himself with an all-too-rare humility and grace, competitive to the extreme in the middle without crossing the limit even in the intense heat of the most engaging battle. He is admired and respected by team-mates and oppositions alike; officialdom too recognises him as a true sportsman.
A statesman now
Kumble graduated from being just a sportsman to a statesman in the space of a few days. His handling of his charges in the aftermath of the ban on Harbhajan Singh was outstanding. There was neither rhetoric nor dare; he and his team had taken a stance, convinced that their mate had been wrongly convicted of a serious charge. It was team spirit at its undiluted best. No one spoke, because there was no need to speak. The Indians knew their indignation was with good cause; their silence was a more powerful weapon than a slew of dramatic words might have been.
Where Kumble grew even more as a champion cricketer, Ponting's fall from grace was as spectacular. Australia have prided themselves on playing hard but fair; for long, they have believed that what they do is fair, irrespective of what corners they cut, what measures they adopt. Perhaps, their domination of world cricket has forced authorities too to buy into Australia's school of thinking. Ponting is most correct in pointing out that very few Australians have been hauled up by match referees across the world for dissent or unacceptable behaviour. Whether that is credit to Aussie behaviour — which has been there for all to see, and not just in Sydney — or an indictment of men patrolling the game is another question altogether.
Outpouring of anger
It took the genuine and spontaneous outpouring of anger and disappointment, venom and vitriol, from their own countrymen for the Australian team, as well as cricket's governing body in this proud nation, to eventually come to terms with the fact that maybe, just maybe, everything wasn't hunky-dory. Past cricketers pilloried the side, Australian legends from other sports condemned the behaviour of and the lack of spirit shown by the cricketers. Ponting's team-mates rallied around their beleaguered captain whose bluff had been finally called, but each show of support somehow looked contrived, if not unsincere.
Kumble is a captain almost by default, only in charge for some two months now, while Ponting was earmarked for the ultimate leadership role in Australian cricket a fair while back and has been in total command for more than four years. Saying that, Kumble is no greenhorn when it comes to the world stage; the 37-year-old has nearly twice as much experience as his Tasmanian counterpart at the highest level, and an awareness that Ponting will take awhile to grasp.
Seething but well in control of his temper and his choice of words minutes after India had been defeated in the Sydney Test, Kumble didn't put a foot wrong despite provocative questioning as passions ran high in the press conference. His self-control was as incredible as his control over line had been until that shoulder surgery in 2001 threw him slightly off gear; here was a man with a genuine reason to feel aggrieved, yet the way he conducted himself was outstanding.
Cut to Ponting, a few minutes earlier. The customary busy walk was missing, there was no characteristic twinkle in his eye, not even after his team had equalled the world record for most Test wins. He was edgy and irritable, and came perilously close to blowing his top when an Indian journalist asked him why two similar incidences with regard to low catches had evoked different reactions from the Aussie skipper in the two innings. "If you are actually questioning my integrity," he thundered, "then you have no business standing in (here)." Tell us another, Ricky!
Kumble's fervent appeals to Ponting to let the racial charge against Harbhajan be settled between the captains because all parties concerned knew there was no truth to the allegations or evidence to back up Andrew Symonds' claim fell on deaf ears. Kumble drew on all his experience and wisdom to try to drive home the point to his Australian counterpart that an accusation of this nature would have wide-ranging ramifications. Ponting didn't want to see the point, determined in his mind that an example had to be made of Harbhajan, and getting his way, too. Had he shown even half the maturity of the Indian, the events of the past few days would never have materialised. And cricket would have been better off for it.
