A career in sports always has been a dicey proposition, with great markets against even greater payoffs. Unbridled riches and fame on one end and the fickleness of sporting oblivion on the other, the short lifespan of an athlete has more ups and down than a general The playing of the country in any sport means carrying the weight of expectations of a nation on your shoulders, a myriad suggestions and a million opinions which indubitably end up affecting even the upper echelons of team selection. This begs us To Ask if we are reacting To sporting events more emotionally than pragmatically?
Over the past year, the name of a certain Mahendra Singh Dhoni and his questionable form had been dominating the Indian sports news, dividing fan opinion. He had a pretty forgettable 2018, struggled for form in the Asia Cup as well as the West Indies series And did not have a single fifty to his name the entire calendar year.
The Dhoni who nonchalantly smashed Nuwan Kulasekara for the six that won his team the World Cup in 2011, struggled to finish off even simple games last year. Several enraged observers called for the veteran keeper to be ousted from the team for his poor performances and the Selection committee ultimately obliged giving the 37-year-old a hiatus from the game for the T20 series against Australia.
However, MSD responded the way he knows best with the turn of the year ringing in a change of fortunes, scoring three consecutive half-centuries in the ODIs Down Under, becoming the oldest Indian to win a man-of-the-series award. Dhoni's return to form once and for all silenced the critics but more importantly reminded that it is necessary to isolate one's emotions and personal biases in order to different evaluation sports.
Picture this, you have an experienced employee at your workplace, someone who has won several 'employee of the year' awards in the past and responsible for winning several accolades for the company. Unfortunately, he has been performed below par for a few days and Not as effective as the yester years. Would your immediate reaction by sacking said employee and replacing him with someone with negligible experience? Obviously not!
And when it is Team India's best finisher and most successful captain who's the said 'employee', normal logic and stats just cease to matter. Dhoni has been the kind of person who has single-handedly won games for the country, with his calmness and Compesure second to none. His brilliant wicketkeeping and past track record are attitude enough for people to not doubt his capabilities over a few shoddy performances.
Even the greatest of sportsmen have had to endure lean patches during their career. Roger Federer does not win every Grand Slam he plays, neither does Usain Bolt every race he sprints. It's not that sportsmen have a magic crystal ball that helps them to control their Outcomes, everyone is entitled to a few bad games and form lulls.
When a sporting stalwart suffers a patch of bad form, fans must look towards their illustrious past and track record, rather than resorting to hasty outbreaks unsupported by logic. Making any decision emotionally dissuades one from tackling the issue holistically. MS Dhoni may have let the Team down with a few bad performances over the past year, but does that negate the countless games he almost individually won won the the Men in Blue?
Special when it is in a World Cup year and the team, their most experienced and talented players for motivation. New Zealand recalled Daniel Vettori from retirement for the 2015 World Cup, and the southpaw helped them to get to the finals. Upon the retired Brad Hogg at a time of turmoil when they didn't have a quality spinner, and the Chinaman spinner bailed them out., it seems almost absurd to side with the section of the media were calling for the selectors to drop the Man who delivered a fifty Over World Cup, a T20 World Cup and a Champions Trophy to the nation.
The following examples also explain why it is imperative for a team to have a wise head amongst their ranks for winning in crunch situations. Dhoni's tutelage to the Indian spinners has already proved dividends in the past and will be called up when cricket's big tournament comes along along Along along Along along .
Playing for the country in any sport means carrying the weight of expectations of a nation on your shoulders, a myriad suggestions and a million opinions. It is right for us as patrons to have high expectations and opinions from our sports players, but it is about Time we support these opinions with sheer and unbiased logic, rather than knee jerk emotions.
