Asian Games: India's tennis federation was right but the BCCI was wrong

At the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, there are two groups of Indian sportspersons that are missing - our cricketers and our “star” male tennis players. The explanation that the cricket and tennis boards have given for the absence of their respective players is quite similar – a packed international schedule that did not permit the athletes to spend time at Incheon. The All India Tennis Association (AITA) did the right thing. The Board Of Control For Cricket In India (BCCI) did the wrong thing. It is at this point that I lose most people. Most of them find my dichotomy of views baffling - they don’t understand why I agree with what AITA did and why I disagree with what BCCI did, when the outcome of both actions was the same. [caption id=“attachment_1729523” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  The BCCI did not even discuss sending a woman’s team to the Asian Games. AFP[/caption] The simple answer is that there is no absolute truth. You cannot analyze any situation by ignoring its context or sandarbh. Context gives the scope in which a particular situation can be assessed. If we are not aware of the context then we cannot be sure to what extent the particular situation is right or wrong. It is this context that can make the same fact or outcome seem right in one place and wrong in the other. So first I shall answer why the AITA is right. Somdev Devvarman, Leander Paes and Rohan Bopanna play an extremely competitive individual sport. Professional tennis rewards the players through money and points. For most players, these points are more important than the money. Without these points they cannot get direct entry into tournaments. No direct entry means additional matches in qualifying. Imagine giving a job interview every second Monday. Playing the qualifiers almost feels like that. The ranking system is brutal. The three players in question were in a situation that if they did not spend time colleting ATP points, then they could potential risk losing their bread and butter. Jingoistic supporters did question Devvarman, Paes and Bopanna’s patriotism but the truth is these men did what most of us would do, save their jobs. After all a tennis player in India learns to fend for himself or herself. There is close to zero support from the government or the private sector. In such a situation we should actually be grateful that professional tennis players in India take the time to represent us. And for once if they choose not to, I think we should have the maturity to understand that. Cricket in India is altogether a different ball game. To use the cliché, in India cricket is more than a sport, it is a religion. For a nation that is obsessed with cricket. it is strange that we are the only Test country in Asia that is unrepresented at the games. The BCCI’s decision not to enter a men’s team? The Asian Games clash with the Champions League Twenty20. If there is one thing that India has a surplus of it is cricketers. We have enough above average cricketers to form 10 teams. Surprising then that we chose to send no one. Wouldn’t this tournament be a great platform to test our bench strength? Wouldn’t it be an ideal tournament for the India A side? Or how about creating a U-23 side for the games and giving these boys some international exposure? If nothing else send the U-19 team. Send someone. They may come back with a medal and lots of confidence. The BCCI’s decision not to enter a women’s team? Turns out the thought never crossed the BCCI’s mind. It never came up for discussion. They seem to have forgotten that they also represent women who play cricket. Former captains Diana Edulji and Anjum Chopra have voiced concerns about the lack of international exposure and the apathy of the BCCI towards the women’s game. Since it came under the BCCI’s folds in 2006, women’s cricket in India has gone from bad to worse. Former India women’s captain, Diana Edulji, sums it up quite beautifully, “The men could be busy with other commitments, but it is perplexing to see the women’s team not playing. A medal at the Asian Games would have not only brought financial rewards and perks from the government to women cricketers but also given them glory and respect. It is another indication the BCCI isn’t really interested in running and spreading women’s cricket.” In a nation obsessed with success, success at the games could do wonders for these girls. Look at what it did for Mary Kom, Sania Nehwal and Geeta Phogat. It made them household names. Brought them fame and fortune. These women playing cricket could also do with some of that. Obviously the BCCI thinks otherwise. One of my favorite quotes is by Gottlob Frege, founder of modern logic and it beautifully fits in this situation – “Never ask for the meaning of a word in isolation, but only in the context of a proposition." Once you understand the context you shall understand why as far as the Asian games are concerned it is AITA 1, BCCI 0.