What the heck! Since when is it that you can’t call ordinary, ordinary?? Isn’t it lot better than telling a player “Good Morning, how is your wife and my kids?” (alleged famous sledge by Rodney Marsh to Ian Botham).

Gautam Gambhir got reprimanded for calling Rajasthan Royal batsmen ordinary. Here is what he said;
“I think Rajasthan was never a threat. Except for Yusuf Pathan, the other guys were pretty ordinary,” Gambhir said. “We weren’t really worried about anyone else.” He was found guilty of Level 1 offense due to
“Public criticism of, or inappropriate comment in relation to an incident occurring in a Match or any Player, Team Official, Match Official or Team participating in any Match, irrespective of when such criticism or inappropriate comment is made.” Poor Gambhir, with a name like that he is taken seriously every time he opens the mouth!! (Gambhir in Hindi means serious).

That put the bee in the bonnet of IPL’s Lord Lalit Modi JEE. Why? Is it because Gauti called the players of a team he loves ordinary? Did Gambhir actually said that the PLAYERS were ordinary? Or did he say they PLAYED ordinary? Those in agreement with reprimand answer yes to the former while those opposing, to the latter. Harsha Bhogle said reprimanding a player for honest observations “could only lead to more boring, vanilla statements of the sort we now get at press conferences”.I much prefer Hokey Pokey to vanilla!

If you ask me, I think it is all due to Bloody Poms!! If they had not brought their language to the subcontinent none of this would have happened (we don’t mind the game!). Been ages since Indians are speaking English in India. So much so that young ones start speaking in English even before they can master their mother tongue and the parents actually take pride in it! Bloody Poms! However, Indians are very adaptable; they will Indianise anything, even a language. If you live on the sub-continent long enough, you will realize that what goes in the name of English  is actually Indish, the only truly Indian language with a smattering of English; it may probably make Shakespeare’s skeleton rattle in his grave. .I sincerely believe it is a truly Gandhian way of taking a revenge for centuries of subservience! Give a few years; this new India will convert Hollywood into Mumwood!! (Cricky! even this blog is beginning to sound so..).

Sorry, I am drifting..what has Gambhir’s reprimand got to do with English? Well, everything; mainly since I am convinced that all the problems in the world are due to Poms!! Especially after I have become an Aussie!! ha ha…

Seriously, I believe if Gambhir had answered in Hindi, he would have said “युसूफ के सिवा सभी खिलाडी बेकार थे”. which does not necessarily criticize players but translate as “युसूफ के सिवा सभी बेकार खेले और हमे उनसे डरने की कोई जरुरत नहीं लगी”.(all played badly and we were not worried about them). Put this one against Gambhir as a lack of language skill rather than arrogance or public criticism of players. Same as Bhajji’s famous “Teri Maaki..” statement.

About time Mody JEE stopped being more English than English! After all Cricket is an Indian game now!! Screw the Poms! We beat them even in Lagaan!!:-))