The Emperor at 60!

by Rex Clementine  

Arjuna Ranatunga hasn’t spared any sacred cow. All those years ago, he targeted Shane Warne calling him an ordinary cricketer and there was no love lost between the two of them. Yet, when there was a ceremony remembering Warne in Galle last year ahead of the Australia – Sri Lanka Test match, he not only showed up but urged a few of his team mates to come along. Exterior is rough and tough but interior is soft and kind.

Sportsmen rewrite record books. But Arjuna more often rewrote the rule books. He also upset the apple cart, told the Board Chairman once to get out of the Sri Lankan dressing room, broke a few glass ceilings and was a pain for successive administrations of the sport both here and overseas. He turns 60 today.

As India cements owner N. Srinivasan made a regal entry into cricket governance, everyone was careful not even to talk anything out of turn. The business tycoon was known for his ruthlessness. Influential figures in cricket who knew inside out of the devout Brahmin warned that never to cross Srinivasan’s path. But Arjuna took on Srinivasan.

He was the only one. The rest of them, including the founding members of the ICC – England and Australia fell in line with him and agreed for the Big Three takeover of the ICC and a larger portion of ICC revenue to India. Only Arjuna spoke out. This is an unfair world and cricket is an unfair sport. It’s not supposed to be that way. Forget the world. At least cricket is supposed to be a fair playing field.

Srinivasan taught Arjuna a bitter lesson. He contacted Sports Minister Gamini Lokuge and promised a tour of India that would bring US$ 10 million to SLC. But only on one condition. The government had to get rid of Arjuna as the Board Chairman.

Lokuge said deal. Arjuna was out. That Lokuge went and signed a television deal with a backlisted company and plundered millions of dollars is a different story.

The rule of the day seems that in cricket everyone should make money. Ministers, Presidential Advisors, Lawyers, Law Enforcement Officers and even us reporters. To hell with cricket. Even if the national cricket team’s performance has hit an all time low it doesn’t matter as long as the board is making profits. It is fine if we don’t play international cricket for nearly three months when the IPL is on. The important thing is not to antagonize India.

You thought the Srinivasan episode would have taught Arjuna a few lessons. No. He has not learned a single thing.

Srinivasan though only had clout being the big boss of BCCI. His successor Jay Shah not only has clout, but he has even political power being the son of India’s Interior Minister and number two of the ruling BJP after the Prime Minister.

You knew what was in store for Arjuna when he ridiculed Shah. It was stupid. It was politically incorrect. The most sensible thing to do these days is to go with the flow. That is what Australian boss Mike Barid is doing. That is what Richard Thomson, the Chairman of England and Wales Cricket Board is doing, That is what right right is doing.

Why go and take on of all people Jay Shah? But that is Arjuna for you. He calls a spade a spade. Diplomacy is not his best trait. We all agreed that during the Asia Cup having a reserve day for just the India – Pakistan game was insane. But no body said a word. No one wants to antagonize the BCCI. Arjuna did. He called it ridiculous.

An Indian reporter asked him what he would have done if he were Sri Lanka’s captain. “I would have walked out with my team without playing the tournament. It’s not fair. Let them play an India – Pakistan final. This is not how I play cricket,” he said. How we long for those days. It would have been a nightmare for the ICC to deal with this guy.

At a time when our captains are happy to stand and take selfies with Virat Kohli, here’s one man who could have given Kohli as much as the Indian captain dishes out to others. At the age of 60 and being the grandfather of two, at least now you hope that Arjuna plays it safe. But that is not what he is. He has been always that combative kind of guy.

Playing his first game against his idol Sunil Gavaskar, Arjuna had goosebumps. It was a surreal moment. But the competitive nature in him compelled him to take on the Indian captain and get under his skin.

Gavaskar wasn’t upset but was impressed by what he saw in the teenager. He quietly went up to Board Charmian Gamini Dissanayake and told him, ‘Look after that boy. He will change Sri Lankan cricket one day.’

At times you tend to think that Arjuna is old school, but his observations on the game are quite sharp. India had come to Colombo for the Under-19 World Cup in 2006. One Rohit Sharma impressed him.

In subsequent years when the Indian senior team visited Sri Lanka and reporters interviewed him he kept on asking why Rohit Sharma is not part of the senior side. The Indians wondered why he is so obsessed with Rohit Sharma. The proof was there soon in what Rohit has gone onto achieve in the game.

Arjuna’s humour is quite unique too. For all these guys who have gone onto play the game at the highest level they have their humorous side.

Once he was captaining a World XI team against an Australian XI in Adelaide in an exhibition game. Ashwin Ferro, a reporter from Mid-Day newspaper from Bombay had gone to Adelaide for reporting.

A few World XI players were having niggles and the reporter had to play the game. Arjuna looked at him and said, ‘Hey you. You are bowling the first over.’ The poor reporter asked, ‘Why me.’  Arjuna replied. ‘You are from Bombay right. Most Ranji Trophy wins and all. Yes, you are bowling the first over.’

It’s been a glorious 60 for the captain cool. There are many wishes on his birthday and one of them is that he doesn’t change. You need that one voice to tell the powers that be to where to get lost.