Tendulkar and the (Indian) Nationalist perspective.

You can judge whether a person is a nationalist by following his actions, not words. There are people shouting from the rooftop that they are nationalists and have a nationalist perspective. On closer examination, you often find that they have done little for the nation.

There are others who let their deeds do the talking. All of us have watched the farce that the second Australia-India test match was. We have seen the beligerent Austalian players throw all decorum to the wind. We also saw a classy innings from Tendulkar. But all that was about cricket.

When ICC chose to reprimand Harbhajan for the alleged racial slur, the Nationalist in Sachin came to the fore. Sachin has SMS'd BCCI. The team has stayed put in Sydney. The matter has come to a boil and I am certain some Australian players as well as some Umpires are going to have to pay for their 'Papa'. This was the proverbial 100th crime of the Shishupal.

I am waiting to see the reaction of one Hindu natioanlist. Perhaps, he might realise the big mistake he did in singling out Tendulkar for cricket criticism. One of the commentators has even referred a Lalu Quote to belittle Tendulkar. (He too claims he is a hindu nationalist. I guess he believes Godhra fire was lit from inside the train). In another post, The Jawaharlal Nehru of the blogworld had called Tendulkar names. I once again deplore the tendency of the TOOTBWAHNP to throw mud at our icons.

I hope some of his readers demand a more careful and responsible posting from you know who.

As for cricket, make no mistake about what to expect. The full force of the Indian might will be felt by those who played pranks. India will demand justice and it they will get it. Don't forget the presence of the ICL, the other cricket body. They will fan nationalistic feelings. BCCI cannot afford a negative reaction in this issue. Democracy and market forces will ensure the deliverance of justice in this issue.