It is a known fact that the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) has made its intentions clear about wives and girlfriends (WAGS) not being allowed to stay with the Team India players during the World Cup. Considering the fact that the world has indeed moved on from what it was many World Cups ago, there is a sense of shock and disgust that is prevailing amongst most. Since most continue to wonder about the rationale behind such decision making, there are amused calls already.
Richa Chaddha, a female with a mind of her own and a non-conformist to the core says:
“I think it’s not a smart move all. This is not high school. An athlete’s life is about discipline. And if they are responsible enough to represent the country then I think they should be able to decide whether their partners can be with them or not. Perhaps they could watch a seminal scene from Scorcese’s Raging Bull.”
Having said that, while one would have expected an all round outrage, there are some who do see merits in such decision making. One such supporter is Mannara Chopra, a girl of today’s time, who was recently seen in a bold avatar in Zid. Even as the Board feels that in a big tournament like the World Cup, the cricketers should stay away from ‘distractions’, Mannara feels that it won’t harm anyone to take a brief pause and reflect on why such a decision may be necessary. She speaks her mind and says:
“Frankly, I don’t see a conventional or liberal angle to this. If the Board feels that the players are prone to distraction in case they are accompanied by their respective partners, it is for the benefit of the players’ games. This may only help them concentrate on the task that they are primarily supposed to do, which is to play for the country and bring us laurels.”
With a balanced state of affairs being evidenced in B-Town, one can expect the man for all seasons, Arshad Warsi, to tilt the balance in the favour of the cricketers by bringing in his own wit and charm. He says with a wink:
“This is a wrong decision. You have got to have wives and girlfriends around. That way cricketers will only concentrate on cricket and nothing else!”
Now who would disagree with that?!