For team spirit, find a common cause

Leander Paes and Mahesh Bhupathi, who notched up a record 17th doubles victory in the Davis Cup yesterday, offer a fascinating study in teamwork. It is no secret that they are not the buddies they were six-seven years ago, but that has not diminished their prowess on the tennis court any. If anything, they seem to have gotten better with every passing year.'Team spirit' remains the most widely discussed facet of sport anywhere in the world, though nobody seems to have got a clear fix on the concept. When a team wins, team spirit is extolled. When that same team loses the next match, team spirit is questioned. Obviously such judgments are too simplistic to carry any deep value but they throw up interesting points for debate nonetheless. A team of highly skilled players, however, is no guarantee for success. The history of sport is littered with examples. For example the Pakistan cricket team of the '70s, which boasted of Majid, Sadiq, Zaheer, Mushtaq, Asif, Javed, Imran, Intikhab, Bari, Sarfraz, won only intermittently. But Imran Khan, with a bunch of lesser stars, made a formidable side in the '80s. Leander and Bhupathi, as singles players are hardly top-notchers, but as duo, have achieved cult status. What binds a set of players together? Is it like-mindedness, money, pride, professionalism, fear? Perhaps it is a combination of all these attributes - and some more. Finding a common cause is paramount, otherwise the best skills, the best intentions come to naught. Sport is a human activity and differences between players are inevitable because temperaments vary. Moreover, at one level, players in the same team are also competitors. Sublimation of personal differences and internecine competition helps players collaborate towards the common cause. This is what engenders 'team spirit', and the motivation to win. Not easy to achieve because it needs a deep understanding of personal skill, respect for the others ability and individuality, and the desire to excel. But not impossible either, as Lee and Hesh have proved so wonderfully over the last decade. Some other worthies in Indian sport to note. ******* ******* ******* Should he be sacked or retained? Sourav Ganguly's poor form has confounded not only the entire nation, but the entire cricketing fraternity as well if the myriad viewpoints that have found space on the sport pages of newspapers over the last few weeks is any indication. For instance, the redoubtable Wasim Akram feels Ganguly should be persevered with while his equally famous partner Waqar Younis believes the Indian captain's time is up. Some experts believe that Ganguly should spend the next three months in the nets trying to get his rhythm back, others aver that he needs to chill and pick up a bat only next season. Intriguing. Just puts the dilemma of the Indian selectors into perspective. As for the bewildered Ganguly, he will mull over the truth value of the immortal Churchillian phrase that 'the situation is hopeless, but not serious'. ****** ***** ***** And finally, a Truemanism to liven up a warm, humid Sunday, as related by former England all-rounder Peter Parfitt: The scene: the players dressing room at Lords where Freddie Trueman was captain, of the Players against the Gentlemen. I entered, having been caught out by the Reverend David Sheppard. "I'm sorry, skipper," I said. "But it was a good catch." "That's all right, Peter,"replied captain Freddie. "When the Reverend puts his two hands together, he stands a better chance than most of us."