I did a piece yesterday saying Vaibhav Sooryavanshi should not give in to provocation and be conscious of the fact that cricket isn’t a contact sport. There is no place for physical contact in cricket, and he will need to keep this cardinal truth in mind going forward. Vaibhav has loads of talent, but he needs to be far more conscious of the line, for only then can he do justice to his talent. The point was simple: there is a line that cannot be crossed, and whoever you are, the game is bigger.
None of what I said has gone down well with the trolls. They have resorted to the usual abuse and name-calling, which is now par for the course in social media discourse. What these people don’t understand is that none of what they say will deter me from speaking my mind. If I think Vaibhav is wrong and has crossed the line, I will say it. I absolutely believe he needs to show more restraint and learn how to deal with sledging. In sport, not every day will he win, and dealing with adversity is as much the hallmark of a great champion.
Also read Vaibhav Sooryavanshi needs to learn how to handle sledging
Why does the social media brigade turn into the Vaibhav Bachao Samiti at the drop of a hat? Why do they want everyone to stay silent even when things are done wrong? Why don’t they understand that Vaibhav doesn’t need them? Why is abuse always the response?
The truth is that none of these people will ever do Vaibhav any good. They are trolls and have no life of their own. Social media gives them some kind of fictional relevance. By abusing me or someone else, they feel important. In fact, they think abuse is their only voice and that it gives them relevance. Sadly, it doesn’t.
In my case, I am used to trolling and abuse. I faced a lot of it during the ban, and none of it bothers me. But the larger point is: why is it being done? Do these people not understand that no one can get physical on a cricket field? That such acts have no place in the sport and that, by not calling them out, they are actually doing a disservice to the teenager?
I also hear this argument repeatedly that Vaibhav is a kid and that we are being unfairly critical of a 15 year old. When he is playing with adults and earning top dollar, he is not playing as a kid. He is part of the Indian team to Ireland and England because he is good enough. The treatment meted out to him will be the same as for every other player. He is an Indian cricketer wearing the Indian jersey. This “kid” argument is irrelevant. He isn’t playing Under-18 cricket; he is playing elite sport and will have to follow the same norms and codes of behaviour as every other cricketer.
Yesterday, he crossed the line. I am sure he will learn from his mistake and get better. That’s what we all want, for only then can he harness his extraordinary potential for India.
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