Published: Feb 07, 2015, 03:12 PM (IST)
Edited: Feb 07, 2015, 03:12 PM (IST)
MS Dhoni stayed back with the team even as his wife gave birth to their first child. Dhoni said that he was on national duty and could not go back. This reflects the tough life of an international cricketer, who has to sacrifice a lot to be successful at the highest level, writes Nishad Pai Vaidya.
“I have been blessed with a baby daughter. Mum and daughter both are good. But as of now I am on national duties so I think everything else can wait. The World Cup is a very important campaign,” said Indian skipper MS Dhoni after the birth of his first child. While his wife Sakshi welcomed the arrival of the newborn in Gurgaon, a continent away, Dhoni respected the line of duty. When he was asked whether he wanted to go home, his reply was a terse, “Not really.” It may be typical of Dhoni — a man who is calm in general and focused on the job, but it is a reflection of the fact that being a professional cricketer is no easy task.
The potential glory of being a cricketer attracts numerous youth to the sport. Along that journey, there are big sacrifices to make that dream possible and they do not end there. As a professional cricketer, travelling the globe, you could miss out on important personal moments such as the birth of a child, anniversaries, birthdays, and so on. Balancing between the passion and the hurt of being away from family is what the challenging task is. They are human after all.
Take the example of Sunil Gavaskar. The legendary Indian opener could not be present for his son Rohan’s birth. As he was away on the long tour to the West Indies and New Zealand, Gavaskar only saw his son months later. In his book Playing It My Way, Sachin Tendulkar described how difficult it was for his children while he spent a major part of the year away from home playing cricket. His son Arjun in particular had a tough time dealing with his absence and would not talk to him on the phone. Rahul Dravid was away in Australia for the Australia Super Series when his wife gave birth to their first child.
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It isn’t the player alone who sacrifices to become a success at the highest level. The family also sacrifices its fair share, with their loved one away for a long time. The demands of the job are such that the players may not be able to cherish some of the simplest joys of life. For example, one cannot imagine a Tendulkar taking his son Arjun to an ice-cream parlour in Mumbai. He’d be mobbed in no time. Behind all that fame and glory, there is a tough life that not many see.
Dhoni would have wanted to be in India to welcome his daughter. Being away would have been one of the toughest decisions for the Indian captain. By staying with the team, which is facing a crisis leading into the ICC World Cup 2015, he has shown great commitment and deserves respect.
(Nishad Pai Vaidya is a Correspondent with CricketCountry and anchor for the site’s YouTube Channel. His Twitter handle is @nishad_45)
