Search This Blog

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

India plays Lanka at Hambantota again - off-field misadventure of Rahul Sharma


I get most responses for Cricket articles and for those not so much interested in the game - most of what I write is not mere scorecard or description of a match - but posts on some interesting aspects, some occurrences and the like..  perhaps could interest even those who do not follow the game regularly.  Today, is one about off-field exploit of a player which has landed him in deep trouble. 
After winning the First One dayer, Indians should be feeling more confident as they meet Lankans at the same venue.  The 16 member Squad consists of : MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Gambhir, Sehwag, Ajinkya Rahane, Suresh Raina, Rohit Sharma, Manoj Tiwary,  R Ashwin, Pragyan Ojha, Rahul Sharma, Ashok Dinda, Zaheer Khan, Irfan Pathan &  Umesh Yadav
There may not be change in the line-up though Rohit Sharma was rusty.  Irfan who was not part of the original squad and came in as a replacement for Vinay Kumar outedged Dinda into the playing X1 – of the left out, probably India would not include Rahul Sharma for non-playing reasons – a classic case of allowing ‘law to take its own course’…… when things stand  proved others
Hambantota is not mainland, is far away with players having to travel a lot – now players do not complain.  It is a ground surrounded by miles of forest and has a strong wind blowing – b0th the Indians and Lankans fielded poorly in the first match, and perhaps would now take umbrage under the wind factor.  Nothing can explain why the winds did not assist the bowlers as Indians scored 300+ and Lankans chased closer to that.   Today, Sehwag is quoted as saying  "You have to be careful when playing your shots against the wind or with the wind,".  When we were fielding, the challenge for us was the wind," Jayawardene said. When the wind blows the cradle will fall – not the wickets on subcontinent wickets. 
Rahul Sharma is clearly under the cloud having tested positive according to Maharashtra Police sources, which cannot be questioned at this stage.  But the reactions of the BCCI and of Pune Warriors - the IPL franchise that employs both players - have been temperate and one of biding for time.  Now they will say ‘let the law take its own course’ – had it been somebody not in favour, the player would stand sacked immediately until proven innocent.  Strange are the ways… the  Mumbai incident is a potential violation of the law of the land and so the case must rest with the police. Both players have maintained their innocence from the day the story broke.  So yet another example of treading lightly, given the ambiguity in its rules and confusion over the specifics of what he is alleged to have consumed, and in what quantity.  But an offence, is an offence and the quantity or quality of the substance does not matter is what we have read thus far.  Legal experts say that Rahul & Parnell  can be charged under the Narcotics, Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act 1985. The penalty for the consumption of cannabis or MDMA is six months in jail or a Rs10,000 fine or both.
However, this would be under the Indian legal system - a formal charging, indictment and conviction - and hence subject to delays and the possibility, if convicted, of an appeal.  The two drugs are on the list of prohibited substances in the BCCI's anti-doping code; cannabis is under a category called Cannabinoids and MDMA, under stimulants.  Mumbai deputy police commissioner Pratap Dighaokar told PTI on Friday that the two cricketers had belonged to a group of 44 people who tested positive out of the 92 detained following the raid.

With regards – S. Sampathkumar.

No comments:

Post a Comment