Bean there, won that

RUMA SINGH / TNN / Aug 6, 2007, 00:00 IST

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The English made headlines in their last Test against India. Not because they lost, but for throwing jelly beans at Zaheer Khan. Do confrontational tactics make for memorable sporting encounters?

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The English made headlines in their last Test against India. Not because they lost, but for throwing jelly beans at Zaheer Khan. Do confrontational tactics make for memorable sporting encounters?

Has a handful of chucked confectionery in a cricket match created a big hoo-ha about nothing of great consequence? IS it much ado about jelly beans? Has a handful of chucked confectionery in a cricket match created a big hoo-ha about nothing of great consequence? Or are those jelly beans responsible for creating a memorable match by spurring Zaheer Khan to perform better than ever? Skipper Rahul Dravid seems to think so, saying in an interview, "If that happens when he gets upset, I hope he gets upset more often!" Confrontations on the sporting field have created some memorable matches. Sporting history is full of such instances: the Materazzi-Zidane head-butt created World Cup history when Zidane was sent off and France lost. Cricket too has had its share of confrontations. Do these rivalries add to the excitement of the sporting encounter or detract from the game?
According to former cricketer Saad bin Jung, "Sportsmen are naturally competitive , so there are bound to be problems on the field. The bigger the platform, the bigger the clash."
Sports commentator Charu Sharma says onfield retaliation should remain verbal and clever. "If your opponent glares at you and you glare back, it's fine. What Sree Santh did has been done by dozens before him, so let's not get too fussed about it." But in some cases, the drama overshadows the actual sport. Charu recalls some such sporting encounters: the Sarwan-McGrath face-off in the Antigua Test and the Tyson-Holyfield encounter that became famous for the ear-biting episode. "Few remember how Tyson dominated the fight before that happened. Confrontation can be a clutter-breaker and make a match stand out as long as it doesn't overpower it, which the Materazzi-Zidane fight did."
What is important isn't just coming out tops in such a skirmish, but knowing

how to give it back, he adds. "Some sportspeople get flustered , others give it back." So why do Indians get so hotted up about these matters? "Few understand the Asian sensibility," he says. "The Aussies play hard and curse harder. We can't do that. But as international contact grows, extremes of behaviour are being toned down." Charu mentions another little-known on-court confrontation that went on to alter fortunes - Leander Paes' bronze medal-winning match versus Andre Agassi at the 1996 Olympics.

"Leander's bronze was a huge moment for India. In that match against Agassi he was on the top of his game, grunting with every serve and forehand . At a crucial moment, Agassi walked up to the umpire and complained about Leander's grunting. Leander was told off. This took Leander's mind off his game - a match that might have otherwise resulted in a gold or silver for India."
Former professional golfer Brandon de Souza insists these encounters have no positive impact on the sport. "Ask Zidane if he is proud of what he did - I'm sure he'll say no. Sree Santh's antics or Zaheer's jelly beans have done nothing for the game apart from making news," he says. All that these showdowns demonstrate is a sportsman's macho streak. "What I call true rivalry is the Borg-Connors one - all emotion on one hand and ice-cold minds on the other. That's exciting. Hamilton's F1 clash with Alonso is also a positive one - power play on the field turns me on purely when it deals with the excellence of sport rather than the stupidity of it."

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