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Has he now qualified as the bad boy of Indian cricket? By slapping Shantakumar Sreesanth, many believe Harbhajan Singh did cross the lines of decency.
A point to note here is that Sreesanth is no saint either. Both players seem to have been in a race to establish themselves among the leading bad boys of world cricket. Shoaib Akhtar too, has tried many ways to clinch a place; his most innovative being to hit a colleague with a bat. And although Andrew Symonds has yet to be caught, he could be considered a past master at provoking opponents.
Many young cricketers, fuelled by aggression, transform into bad boys on the field. A game, which at one time was played by gentlemen, is under threat of being tarnished by a bunch of spoilt brats. Any increase in their number could one day result in scenes more reminiscent of a soccer match than a cricket field.
Is this then an inevitable change in the game where huge expectations increasingly fuel gamesmanship?
The Indian cricket board, perhaps, saw Harbhajan and Sreesanth as an answer to Australia's habitual sledging. Unfortunately they were not told where to draw the line.
Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Brian Lara, Viv Richards, Javed Miandad, Ian Botham and, to a certain extent, Dennis Lillee could all have been said to have tested the limits at one time or another. None, however, ever crossed the line of decency.
The danger lurking behind Harbhajan, Sreesanth and Akhtar is that they have pushed aggression to the verge of their own self-destruction.
Harbhajan could now face a life ban while Akhtar's career is fading fast following his ban by Pakistan. Sreesanth's over-indulgence in ferocious looks and unsporting tactics has also affected his wicket-taking ability.
T.A. Sekar, the bowling coach of the MRF Pace Foundation, who helped Sreesanth establish himself, told Gulf News that his former charge's future was in the balance.
"Sreesanth should focus on his bowling rather than on his aggressive behaviour. Such negative indulgence can take away the concentration of a player and that could be harmful for his future."
Ravi Shastri, the chairman of the National Cricket Academy (NCA), believes cricketers should know how to control their temperament.
"It is important that today's cricketers not only learn the techniques of the game but that they also learn how to have control over themselves. In order to mould them into psychologically strong cricketers, the NCA has now introduced talks by a psychologist as part of our curriculum."
During the Champions Trophy in India, Akhtar was alleged to have slapped former Pakistan coach Bob Woolmer.
After the incident, Woolmer said: "Cricketers come from different backgrounds and it is important that the people who manage them understand them and guide them properly.
"Punishing a player after committing mistakes is not the answer. Every board should understand that players are the ambassadors of their country on the field and if they do not behave in a civilised manner, it could reflect badly on the team and the board."
Australian skipper Ricky Ponting is another example of a player who almost destroyed his career, this time through drink. However, thankfully for Ponting, timely guidance helped him overcome his problems and he now stands as one of the finest batsmen in the game.
Good friends Sachin Tendulkar and Vinod Kambli were poles apart in their temperament. Sachin never let early fame affect him, but Kambli destroyed his career, perhaps, for want of proper guidance.
Umpire Amiesh Saheba believes Sreesanth is disliked in the Indian dressing room.
"He is one of India's main bowlers, and yet he is not doing anything to get rid of his schoolboy image. His colleagues are not too happy with that," he said.
Unfortunately, comments like these are now far too common in what was once dubbed The Gentleman's Game.
Many young cricketers, fuelled by aggression, transform into bad boys on the field. A game, which at one time was played by gentlemen, is under threat of being tarnished by a bunch of spoilt brats.
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