Bishan Singh Bedi
Bishan Singh Bedi a legend of his day has been in news quite often for his controversial comments on today’s cricketers and has been widely condemned and opinions are mostly against him than supportive.
Everyone from Muralitharan to Harbhajan to Indian bowlers to Board officials are under attack from him. This post is an alternative insight to the reason for those unprecedented acts.
No one can question his credentials as a player though and he is still the best left arm spinner to play this game. During his mayhem days he has been a champion respected among his peers – teammates and opposition alike for his bowling. Sir Gary Sobers’ testimony of Bedi drives home the point.
To look into this from psychological point of view, Bedi had been among the best of his days in India and World. But cricket just being another sport those days meant he was yet another sportsman representing India. 1983 win, media boom and later internet and 24X7 channels advent means, cricket is no more just a sport today but rather a spectacle, a celebration these days.
Now a player just with few IPL knocks gets a fame and coverage that the best of those days did not. The name, fame, monetary benefits, media flash they receive is more than what Bedi has in his whole life time. And while Bedi is looked up as a former cricketer, these guys are savored as heroes and celebrated.
The old man in Bedi seeing this gets a tinge of sadness. He is unable to accept the reality that this is due to change in time and generation. Those who accepted this like Sunny and all have a successful career beyond retirement while Bedi languishes in wilderness. In order to get the lime light he started making comments brought out of hate and haste. He wants to drive home the point that he is better than these players. His outbursts on Harbhajan, Muralitharan are all brought out of his bitterness for the accolades they get esp. in Media and public eye which he could not get it in his days.
This is typical of a behavior of elderly in every family, every village and every home. These are people who fail to acknowledge the change of times and continue loathing that their generation was best and today’s world is crap. Those Grandpas and Grannies just feel every challenge, every achievement of today is nothing compared to what they did irrespective of the truth.
Bedi is one such old man. He is bitter about the limelight on today’s cricketers and continues to hog limelight by making comments with little sense. The best option to reply this is what we do with Grandpa’s when such comments are made. Just brush aside and move off.
Tags: Bishan Singh Bedi, Cricket, Cricketers, Harbhajan Singh, India, Muttiah Muralitharan, Sir Gary Sobers, Spinner
