“Genius men are admired; People of wealth are jealous; The men of power are afraid; But only men of character are trusted. #Rahul Dravid” – Navjot Singh Sidhu on Twitter (6 May 2013).
This quote has been used so frequently by former India opener and now a star politician Navjot Singh Sidhu that many people may find it hard to believe that it was originally from an Austrian and founder of the School of Individual Psychology, Alfred Adler. is related to. He was one of the most prominent psychologists of the 20th century. There has been such a startling aura around Sidhuism that very few people pay attention to the authenticity and sources of Sidhu’s quotable and undeniable quotes. Anyway, another fact that the Congress party is now discovering is that it is never easy to trust Sidhu. Unfathomably, every political party (including BJP and AAP) always ignored the slyness of his words and his actions which was evident during his cricketing career.
Can this modern generation believe that once Sidhu was a man of little talk! He could change gears according to the demands of the game, one of his specialties. However, the irony is that he could change his mind so often and so quickly that it would turn off even some of his staunchest supporters. Perhaps, this characteristic of his playing days has remained unchanged in the last two decades even in his political avatar.
The six-hitting king who could also take a sharp U-turn!
Sidhu had retired from cricket and was making a name for himself as a prominent and popular commentator by the time I met him for the first time. It was a bit strange as he kept addressing me as ‘beta’; I was so happy because I wasn’t young enough to be his son! It was the summer of 2004 (if memory holds true) and Sidhu had come for a meeting with the channel head and sports editor of a leading media house. The channel heads were astonished by his eloquence and were overjoyed that he had managed to persuade the former opener to join his channel as a cricket expert from a respected rival group who was literally the face of their cricket coverage. Sidhu seemed happy that he was getting the right price for his unparalleled oratory skills in Indian broadcasting. And, yet he refused to sign the final contract that night in Delhi. Nothing was wrong as Sidhu argued that it was not an auspicious day and he would complete the formalities the next day and send the documents for that deal. We listened to him, such was his incredible faith and the gift of gossip to persuade even non-believers. Even top officials were not aware of this coup, however, the spirit of victory proved to be a pre-mature celebration. “Sir, do you think it is so easy to get Sidhu on board by just offering him a lucrative deal? Perhaps, you forgot that we have spent so many years with him and know very well that he has to make a U-turn. How to persuade, and we have done it easily,” a top journalist of that rival channel later revealed. And that gentleman was right, as Sidhu had shown that channel the secret papers of our channel and Told them to match the offer if they wanted him to stay. Sidhu certainly got what he wanted, but I think he lost a little respect from both the channels.
run out of commentary
And, yet Sidhu continued to grow in the field of cricket broadcasting and became the bastion of all the big producers of big TV networks. Sidhu’s presence was a guarantee of better TRPs as his unique style of commentary in both English and Hindi was a great act of disruption. People like Virender Sehwag and Aakash Chopra have freed the Hindi commentary box from their inherent inferiority complex, but it owes a lot to Sidhu, who was a trailblazer. However, Sidhu lacked the restraint and professionalism like Sunil Gavaskar or Ravi Shastri, who had already established themselves as formidable commentators. Sidhu’s ‘over the top’ and highly exaggerated and highly critical comments drew the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly during coverage of the 2003 World Cup (especially after India’s loss against Australia in the tournament’s first match). However, it is believed that the last nail in the coffin was his ‘on-air’ indiscipline against fellow commentator Alan Wilkins. Even though, neither the channel nor Sidhu or Wilkins ever confirmed the incident, Sidhu is no longer a part of the broadcast. And yet he had no dearth of options in the TV industry.
Chaa Gaye, Guru!’: BJP, AAP Thoko Taalis at Punjab Congress as Navjot Sidhu Quits
not reliable team player
Despite his success as a fine opener for India, Sidhu’s complete commitment to the team’s cause has always been a question mark among his former teammates. There have been many instances in his career where he left his team in limbo when it was needed the most. Of course, the biggest of them was his sudden departure from the tour of England in 1996 following his differences with then-captain Mohammad Azharuddin, but his fitness or against the hostile pace attacks of that era is often discussed for some mysterious reason. . A whispered voice.
A flat-track bully?
Sidhu’s contemporaries were also not as successful in challenging overseas conditions as Sachin Tendulkar or Rahul Dravid, yet their own numbers are quite odd in home conditions. A batting average of 42 (in 51 Test matches) isn’t bad, but if you know he averages around 33 overseas, it lends credence to the theory that he was ‘doubtful’ against a hostile pace attack. Sidhu scored just four Test centuries – two in 1989 and 1997 against West Indies and two against Sri Lanka. Even in ODIs, none of his eight centuries were scored outside the subcontinent.
Punjab potboiler: Congress again headless, with a brave face to pacify an angry Sidhu
Going against the decisions of the team is the specialty of Sidhu!
There is another famous story from the Punjab Ranji Trophy dressing room that no one tells on record but never fails to tell whenever Sidhu’s cricketing days in his native state are discussed. Sidhu was leading the Punjab Ranji team in the 1990s and in a match it was decided in a team meeting that Punjab would bat first if they won the toss as the pitch was expected to turn in the last two days. The team felt that the grass on the pitch was not going to last long and could only help the seamer for an hour or two and hence batting first was the best option. Nevertheless, captain Sidhu decided otherwise and did not even tell his team that the decision was made by him. This was revealed only during the second day of play when the batsmen of the rival team were enjoying the calm nature of the wicket and a fielder from Punjab mourned the loss of the toss. He was shocked when he was told that it was his captain Sidhu who won the toss! Of course, Sidhu had claimed that the rival team had won the toss and decided to bat first! (This was apparently done to avoid encountering two young fast bowlers from the opposition on a grass pitch on the first morning!) Perhaps, these anecdotes from his playing days indicate that Sidhu was always in the throes of U-turns. There have been masters and often to the detriment of his own team.
One of the frequently repeated quotes by Sidhu was, “Politics is not a bad profession boss, if you succeed there are rewards, if you fail you can always write a book.” As a cricketer, Sidhu never wrote a book but it is never too late if he now decides to do the same as a politician as he has many U-s to his fans and voters alike. There should be much more to be said and explained after the history of Changes both the cricket and the political sphere.
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