Monday, October 31, 2005

Damned if you do, and damned if you don't

This may be the first and last time anyone ever says this, but I do feel some sympathy for the Indian selection committee. For many years, they have been damned by all and sundry for playing regional politics and indulging in horse-trading. Imagine my surprise then, to read this morning that the East Zone selector, Pranab Roy, is now taking flak for not acting in a partisan manner and instead thinking about what was best for the Indian team.

You really can't win sometimes, can you? Even the 3-0 drubbing that India has handed out to the World #2 Sri Lankans won't quiet the dissenters. It really brings home a simple truth that applies not just to cricket, or indeed to India, but to any aspect of life around the world in which the people are represented in some fashion by a higher individual or group authority.

We want our representation to be fair, objective, and act in the collective self-interest. Just as long as this happens to serve our individual self-interest optimally. If it doesn't, then we want them to play all the dirty political games they need to to push our agenda through.

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