every political party ignored the fickleness of Navjot Singh Sidhu’s words and his actions which was so evident even during his cricketing career.
“Men of genius are admired; men of wealth are envied; men of power are feared; but only men of character are trusted. #Rahul Dravid” – Navjot Singh Sidhu on Twitter( 6 May 2013).
This quote has been used so often by former India opener and now a star politician Navjot Singh Sidhu that a lot of people may find it difficult to believe that this one originally belongs to Alfred Adler, an Austrian and founder of the school of individual psychology who was among one of the most eminent psychologists of the 20th century. Such has been the staggering aura around ‘Sidhuism’ that very few care to cross-check the authenticity and sources of Sidhu’s quotable and unquotable quotes. Anyway, another fact which the Congress party is now discovering is that it is never easy to trust Sidhu. Unfathomably, every political party (which includes the BJP and AAP as well) always ignored the fickleness of his words and his actions which was so evident during his cricketing career.
Can this modern generation believe that once upon a time Sidhu was a man of few words! That he could change the gears according to the demands of the game was one of his characteristic strengths. However, paradoxically, he could also change his mind so often and so quickly that it would even stump some of his fiercest supporters. Perhaps, this trait from his playing days has remained unchanged in his political avatar over the last two decades as well.
The sixer-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 slightly awkward one as he kept addressing me as ‘beta’; I was amused since I wasn’t young enough to be his son! This was the summer of 2004 (if memory serves me right) and Sidhu had come for a meeting with the channel head of a prominent media house and the sports editor. The channel head was in awe of his verbosity and very much pleased that he had managed to convince 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 finally for his unique oratory skill in Indian broadcasting. And, yet he refused to sign the final contract that night in Delhi. Nothing was amiss since Sidhu argued that it was not an auspicious day and he would complete the formalities the next day and send the documents across for that deal. We took his word, such was his incredible conviction and the gift of gab to persuade even the non-believers. Even the top executives were not aware of this coup, however, the sense of triumph proved to be a pre-mature celebration. “Sir, do you think that it is so simple to get Sidhu on board by merely offering a lucrative deal? Perhaps, you forgot that we have spent so many years with him and know fully well how to persuade him to make a U-turn, and we have done that conveniently,” revealed a top journalist from that rival channel later. And that gentleman was right, as Sidhu had shown the papers of our channel’s confidential document to that channel and asked them to match the offer if they wanted him to stay. Sidhu of course got what he wanted, but I guess he lost a bit of respect from both the channels.
The run-out from the commentary world
And, yet Sidhu kept rising in the field of cricket broadcasting and became the cynosure of all the big producers of big TV networks. The presence of Sidhu was a guarantee to get better TRPs as his unique style of commentary in both English and Hindi was a great act of disruption. The likes of Virender Sehwag and Aakash Chopra have liberated the Hindi commentary box from its inherent inferiority complex but it owes a lot to Sidhu who was the trailblazer. However, Sidhu lacked the composure and professionalism of a Sunil Gavaskar or a Ravi Shastri who had already established themselves as formidable commentators. Sidhu’s ‘over the top’ and highly exaggerated and extremely critical comments had offended the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly during the coverage of the 2003 World Cup (especially after India’s defeat against Australia in the very first match of the tournament). However, it is believed that the last nail in the coffin was his ‘on-air’ indiscipline against his fellow commentator Alan Wilkins. Even though, neither the channel nor Sidhu or Wilkins ever confirmed that incident, Sidhu has no longer been part of the broadcasting since then. And yet he was never short of options in TV industry.
Not Reliable Team Player
Despite his success as a fine opener for India, there has always been a question mark over Sidhu’s absolute commitment to the team’s cause among his former teammates. There are many recorded instances in his career where he left his team in the lurch when it needed him the most. Of course, the biggest of them all was his sudden departure from a tour of England in 1996 after his differences with the then captain Mohammed Azharuddin, but issues with his fitness or for some mysterious reasons against hostile pace attacks of that era is often discussed in a whispered tone.
A flat-track bully?
Not that Sidhu’s contemporaries like a Sachin Tendulkar or a Rahul Dravid shone in challenging overseas conditions, yet his own numbers are heavily skewed in-home conditions. A batting average of 42 (in 51 Test matches) is not bad, but if you get to know that he averaged around 33 abroad, it gives credence to the theory that he was ‘suspect’ against hostile pace attack. Sidhu managed just four Test hundreds – two against West Indies in 1989 and 1997 and two against Sri Lanka. Even in ODIs, none of his eight tons were scored outside the subcontinent.
Going against team decisions is so typical of Sidhu!
There is another famous story from Punjab Ranji Trophy dressing room which no one says on record, but never fails to narrate whenever Sidhu’s cricketing days are discussed in his native state. Sidhu was leading the Punjab Ranji team in the 1990s and in one of the matches it was decided in the team meeting that Punjab would bat first if they win the toss since 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 longer and may just help the seamers for an hour or two and hence batting first was the best option. Yet, captain Sidhu decided otherwise and didn’t even tell this to his team that the decision was made by him. This was only disclosed during the second day of the play when the rival team batsmen were enjoying the placid nature of the wicket and one of the Punjab fielders lamented about losing the toss. He was bewildered when told that it was his captain Sidhu who had 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 facing two young quicks from the opposition team on a grassy pitch on the first morning!). Perhaps, some of these anecdotes from his playing days do hint that Sidhu has always been a master of the U-turns and often to the detriment of his own team.
“Politics is not a bad profession boss, if you succeed there are rewards, if you fail you can always write the book,” this was one of the oft-repeated quotes by Sidhu. As a cricketer, Sidhu never authored a book, but it is never too late if he does decide to do that now as a politician since he must have a lot to say and explain to his fans and voters alike after a history of multiple U-turns both on the cricket and as well political field.
