An End To The Road Or A Small Detour?

Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul are the talk of the town right now. No, not because of their game, but because of a small adventure they decided to go on to, called ‘Koffee With Karan.’ After seeing how the whole situation panned out and managed, I just have one question. Is this the end of their career or is it something which will soon pass away like the rain clouds?

Stunts Not Performed Under Supervision

Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul were invited to the show which is otherwise known for creating controversies and spicy news headlines, essentially related to Bollywood. For the first time, this show and its ‘esteemed’ host Karan Johar were trying something new, inviting guests who don’t belong to Bollywood.  So, the guests, debuting on the show came with the pressure to maintain the tone of the show, which is to be candid, raw, cool and at times shameless (read open-minded). But our ‘esteemed’ guests, especially Hardik Pandya got a bit carried away, as confessed by him later on.

The show had the same old questions (but paraphrased), which are modelled to get some meaty and raunchy (usually sexist and misogynistic) answers. And our ‘esteemed’ guests participated and performed very well under pressure and did exactly and probably more than what they were expected to do. Especially Pandya, who has an aggressive game, was at his best, hitting some of the questions over the boundary.

KL Rahul, who usually comes across as a calm and composed individual too got influenced by the wannabe Jamaican, Hardik Pandya. I don’t want to get into the details regarding what happened on the show and what our ‘esteemed’ guests and the host said or how they behaved. Instead, I will talk about how this small stunt they performed will affect the Indian Cricket Team.

With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility

Both Hardik and Rahul have been an integral part of the Indian Cricket Team for the past two years. Especially Hardik, who fits perfectly in the playing eleven, without any threat or competition for his spot. The boys somehow forgot about the fact that they are idolized and are role models for most of us in the country.

That’s what cricket means to us, it’s not a sport, but a religion. They need to rethink about how they perceive things, which is more of a personal thing. But, they need to behave in a certain manner when on a public platform. I guess the coffee somehow made them forget how high the stakes were.

The Bigger Picture Looks Unclear

Both of them got suspended immediately from the Australian One-day series and the upcoming New Zealand Limited over series. For now, it’s not clear how long the suspension is, but it has definitely raised questions over their inclusion in the team for the upcoming World Cup 2019. Both of them were definitely a part of the core team, with Hardik being one of the starters for the playing eleven for sure.

Hardik brings so much to the table. He is an aggressive batsman, a wicket-taking pacer and above all, a brilliant and athletic fielder. The perfect all-rounder we needed and developed. And in Rahul, we had our perfect opening batsman and hardworking fielder, someone who the team was considering to be a long term asset.

The players in the team who have been and are included over the past two years were tested particularly for the big event- the 2019 World Cup. So, their suspension is not only their personal loss but it also puts a big dent to the combination of the team as well. The team doesn’t have too many matches left before the World Cup begins to try out different combinations.

Also, they don’t have good enough players who can easily replace them and their skills, which perfectly fitted the team’s combination. Sadly, the issue is not something which can be resolved easily or forgotten over a weekend. It is going to take a lot of time.

So, in conclusion, I would say that in hindsight both Hardik and Rahul could have been more responsible and careful. It will not only affect their personal life and break their confidence, but will also affect the bigger plans the Indian Cricket Team had for the World Cup 2019. As an ardent cricket lover, I would have been happier if both the players didn’t perform the adventurous stunts and were still a part of the team.

Good luck to Team India for the upcoming World Cup!