For long, sports fans, by and large, have been obsessed with legacy and longevity of the superstars. Across a gamut of disciplines, one will find a craving for the hero.
This is possible in the world of celluloid, where one can hide age, wrinkles and baldness. Certainly not in sports.
To cut a long story short, how Shubman Gill, hyped as the best thing to have happened to Indian cricket, needs to be understood. The hype began when the boy from Fazilka, Punjab, made it big and did well. Drum roll, claps and thunder, Gill was the modern-day hero. Yes, he is talented, yes he has the temperament. Add to it with his speaking before TV cameras, Gill, who looks smart as well, became the darling of cricket fans.
One must understand that today cricket is not the same sport that was played decades ago, when legends continued for long and did not face fitness issues. Sunil Gavaskar and Kapil Dev Nikhanj played cricket with passion as true-blue devotees of the willow sport. Alas, down the years, the gentleman’s game has become a commodity, a commercial vehicle, following which it started getting tougher for the players.
One can pinpoint to the 1997 Independence Cup match between India and Pakistan played in the May heat and humidity of Madras. This was conceived by the charismatic IS Bindra. It was great from a commercial standpoint, but for players to be exposed to such harsh conditions in Madras was sheer madness. Today, it’s the same heat which sees players from India and overseas compete in the lucrative IPL – Indian Premier League, being held from 2008. Agreed, nobody complains about heat, travel, night matches and jetlag. Franchises ‘own’ players and they must perform. For, they have been bought like cattle, as celebrated cricket writer Peter Roebuck had said before the first IPL auction in New Delhi, 17 years ago. Roebuck a former captain of Somerset, must be turning in his grave watching players suffer in present times.
In India, nobody has learnt lessons from overexposure. Imagine, when fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah injured his back in 2022 in Birmingham, it was serious. His return to cricket was good, but when he again collapsed in Australia at the start of 2025, alarm bells started ringing.
It was a sad sight to see Bumrah holding his back and walking away from the Sydney Cricket Ground to the medical centre for an MRI scan. The BCCI remained tight-lipped, as Boom, his nickname, had been over-bowled. The man tasked with managing workload is coach Gautam Gambhir and a large support staff. Sadly, they never monitored how much Bumrah was exerting himself. After all, for someone with a jerky action, Bumrah is injury-prone, say experts. He now plays conservatively, not non-stop cricket.
Sadly, lessons have not been learnt from Bumrah’s injury. The hype and hoopla over Shubman Gill is indeed mindless. And with the BCCI treating him as someone special, where Gambhir and chairman of selection committee Ajit Agarkar have gone overboard in projecting him as an all-format player, Gill’s travails have begun. At 26, it seems like Gill has been playing cricket for ages. But, at what price?
Today, Gill is injured, and it is not a neck spasm. When he was rendered unfit to continue further against South Africa at the Eden Gardens last week, it was worrying. After all, to be admitted to a private hospital for neck stiffness was not the truth. His MRI report had come into public domain. It became clear, Gill had problems with his back and rest was needed.
No, more drama ensued, after Gill was discharged. Against medical advice, he travelled with the team to Guwahati. Not fit and wearing a ‘hard’ cervical collar, Gill was trying to project himself as a Superman.
Now, the same Gill has seen a “spine” specialist at a private hospital in Mumbai. Don’t even ask when he will play cricket again. The moot point is, after full recovery, which may take weeks or months, Gill will have to be careful.
Look at England and Australia, players in mid 30s are still fit, even as bowlers. Apparently, an overdose of cricket has led to Gill’s problems. As a hero, the mass hysteria for Gill is madness. People have seen all this, notably, in south movies, where NTR and MGR were worshipped as demigods. When they passed away, there was deep mourning.
Surely, cricket is not like movies and non-stop cricket is a killer. Even the Alpha Male cannot play cricket non-stop, across three formats.
Yes, Gill is on the sick list. This time, it’s a wakeup call for all, players, coaches, teams and the BCCI. Treat cricketers as humans, please. If not, we will have more players appearing like war veterans back from the battlefield. Forget the hype, cricket is just a sport, not war. Does anyone care?
(The writer is a seasoned sports analyst with 38 years of experience)
One can pinpoint to the 1997 Independence Cup match between India and Pakistan played in the May heat and humidity of Madras. It was great from a commercial standpoint, but for players to be exposed to such harsh conditions in Madras was sheer madness. Today, it’s the same heat which sees players compete in the lucrative IPL, being held since 2008. Agreed, nobody complains about heat, travel, night matches and jetlag. Franchises ‘own’ players and they must perform. For, they have been bought like cattle, as celebrated cricket writer Peter Roebuck had said