Walking: A matter of opinion

‘To walk?’ or ‘Not to walk?’ The debate has been raging for a long time, and I’ve finally decided to have my say.

It was only yesterday, that Sachin Tendulkar ‘walked’ after he was given ‘not out’ by umpire Steve Davis when he was caught behind of Ravi Rampaul. The edge was so thin, it wasn’t even picked up on the replay, and there was hardly a noise too—but the Master still walked! Had Sachin stood his ground, and had the West Indians called for a review, I’m assuming they would have lost one (and thus, Steve Davis’ record of 100% correct decisions, this World Cup, would’ve remained). In contrast, two days ago, Ricky Ponting clearly nicked one and was caught by Kamran Akmal- he was given ‘not out’ by Umpire Erasmus. (I personally believe that umpire Erasmus was so shocked that Akmal took the catch he was unable to make a decision!) The Pakistanis reviewed the decision, and replays clearly showed that there was a healthy edge, and Ponting was made to look quite the fool. He justified standing his ground by saying, “I wait for the umpire to give me out. That's the way I've always played the game."

Does this make Ponting a ‘cheat’? Whatever you may say, I don’t think so… Walking is a matter of opinion. Many players do it, and the others just don’t. I honestly don’t believe it’s something that should be imposed on the players, and just because you don’t walk, it doesn’t make you a cheat. Ponting is no less of a man than Sachin is.

We all remember the 2003 World Cup semi-final (Australia v/s Sri Lanka) where Adam Gilchrist walked after he was given ‘not out’ caught behind off Aravinda de Silva. It was a highly debated incident. Many experts asked why Gilchrist chose to walk in a World Cup semi-final? It is a valid question, but like I said earlier, walking is a matter of opinion—it shouldn’t matter what ‘stage’ you’re playing on. If you believe in it, you should go ahead and do it. Matthew Hayden once said about Gilchrist that if he (Gilchrist) knew he was out, but was given not out, he was a “mess” for the rest of his innings, and was incapable of scoring even 5 more runs!

I believe that the Indian media in particular likes to glorify all its players (understandably so), when they do something to ‘uphold the spirit of the game’. I have no qualms with this, but what DOES annoy me is that they chastise every player from (any other of the ‘top’ teams) if they don’t follow suit. The Sachin v/s Ponting thing is a good enough example. With no disrespect to the great man, I believe he is a ‘selective walker’.

1998- Sharjah, v/s Australia. Sachin Tendulkar was caught behind, but didn’t walk.

Let’s go back, to something more recent then, the 2010 IPL final- Mumbai Indians v/s Channai Super Kings. Any memories? Again, Tendulkar was caught behind off Albie Morkel (I think) and decided to stand his ground.

Of course he was well within his rights to stand his ground and wait for the umpire to make his decision, but if he is going to be celebrated for what he did against the West Indies; and what he did earlier is going to be forgotten, then I believe it was unfair on the part of the media to crucify Ponting for not walking—he was well within his rights to do so.

Besides, Ponting has been searching for runs for a long time now. He’s overdue for a big score, and I think anyone in his position would’ve done the same thing. He’s looking for a reprieve—one that may save his career! Remember the first test of the 2010 Ashes series? Michael Hussey was seriously out of touch, and he was dropped in the slips off the first ball he faced! He went on to score a career saving 195, and was easily Australia’s best batsman that series.

 That’s the kind of luck Ponting is looking for. Yes, he was made to look stupid by the UDRS (Umpire Decision Review System), but he was given ‘not out’ in the first place, why not push his luck even further? It was worth a try!

I completely understand that it’s frustrating when someone is clearly caught behind or caught at bat pad and the only person who doesn’t realize is the umpire. I’ve been on the receiving end too! It was earlier this year, in January to be precise, when Hyderabad was playing Haryana in the Under 19 Super Leagues. Haryana was precariously placed at 77/4 in 20 overs, when Sowmya Somanchi (our leg-spinner) had her say. She got two wickets in consecutive balls, and Haryana was reduced to 77/6… She was on a hat-trick… In walked Poonam Yadav… She was surrounded by fielders- one slip, a gully, silly point and short leg… Sowmya bowled a beauty… The ball pitched on middle, spun sharply and smashed right into Poonam’s glove… Our keeper Gayatri Sripathi took a nice clean catch and we all went up in unison (half celebrating, because it was so obvious)—we knew it was out and so did Poonam, but she stood there and refused to budge! She was given not out, and went on to score a crucial 48*. We ended up losing that match by 1 run!

Of course it’s easy to comment from the outside and criticise the umpires, but one thing you have to understand is that they’re under a lot of pressure too!

Imagine this—It’s the World Cup final… India v/s Pakistan in Mumbai… India’s chasing a target of 276, and they’re already 195/6 in 37.4 overs… Sachin Tendulkar and Yusuf Pathan are batting… Sachin on strike, facing Umar Gul… Sachin is struck on the pad and there’s a loud appeal for LBW… The noise in the stadium is so loud, that the umpire can’t hear his own thoughts… Out/ Not out? Either way, the match can turn…

It’s a difficult job—umpiring! The men who stand out there deserve a lot of credit…

To sum up what I’ve said… The ‘walking debate’ is definitely one that will rage on and on till the end of time. Like I said, it’s a matter of opinion- to walk, or not to walk. It’s not something that can be or should be imposed on the players. If a player doesn’t walk, that doesn’t make him a ‘cheat’—he’s just giving the umpire a chance to make a decision, so don’t crucify all those players who decide to adopt the ‘non- walking’ policy—more often than not (if they are Ponting’s), they’ll be made to look like fools by the UDRS anyway!