Retired 'Hurt' (?)

We Indians have the rare gift of romanticizing even the least poignant of moments to degrees that can only be called out of proportion. Hence when the most magical and at times most whimsical of our famed batting quartet calls a press conference to let us know that he is hanging his boots,  we can be excused if we go a tad berserk in mouthing our astonishment. Elsewhere in the world, a 38 year old cricketer with indifferent form and of visibly inadequate fitness retiring from the arena would be a natural progression but leave it on us Indians to drum up a conspiracy theory when none exists.

Nobody in the right frame of mind can undermine the contributions of V.V.S. Laxman to India's cause in the last decade and a half or so. Be it the belligerence of Adelaide or the grit in Eden Gardens, his tag of 'Special'  is well earned. In style and poise, he probably even transcends the greatness of his fellow greats.  But let's face it, he is not age proof, he is not form proof. He is as mortal as any of us and hence when his muscles and nerves do not quite cope up with the rigors of the game, he should give up. Inner voice or no inner voice!!

There were rumors doing round that the Hyderabad test would be his swan song long before the press conference. The wordings in the press conference were also quite on the expected lines: 'Nation's interest ahead of personal  goals', 'Listening to the divine inner voice' etc. etc. I do not doubt the sincerity or earnestness of these words but I am bemused that the dropping physical fitness was not even mentioned in passing. But that is OK, greats can afford to gloss over such minor details in their curtain dropping press conferences. What is inexplicable though is the vitriol shots fired thereafter by an ex-skipper of the team. 

Sourav Ganguly will go down in the pages of cricket history as the best tactician ever to play in an Indian jersey, both on and off the field. Hence it is even more bewildering to hear him say that Laxman's decision to retire stemmed from the indifference shown to him by the present skipper and the selectors. That the disasters against England and Australia are not justifiable casus belli for the axe to be dropped on the aging stalwart!! That the age factor cannot be used to discriminate against a player!! I wonder whether the charismatic Dada has taken leave from his very own edicts and principles in championing the cause of his ex-mate. Comparing the case of Laxman's indifferent form of late to that of Gambhir's and  other top order Indian batters and concluding thereof that Laxman has been treated unfairly, to me, seems totally divorced of reason. Laxman is 38 year old, has issues in the fielding department and occupies a place in a middle order that demands an immediate rejig. I will not be overly critical of the captain who is not favorably disposed to carrying on a deadweight in his side, the reputation of the said deadweight notwithstanding. 

In the events of the last few days, two people have glorified themselves; one overtly the other in the background. The first is of course VVS for showing the strength of character to call it quits before a home season where he had a more than reasonable chance to score those runs that would have given his case some extra booster shots. The other is the current captain if he indeed has precipitated the situation in any way. We Indians are not known for taking tough, unpopular decisions and executing them with grace. If MSD has indeed mastered the art of going against the tide and coming up with the trumps, I guess congratulations are in order. What is unpalatable though is the bellicose stand of the ex skipper who ushered in the era of defiance to Indian cricket on an issue that he would have been similarly opinionated on had he been at the helm of affairs.