This is not to justify the use of any bad language on the field, least of all a racist slur. But the days when subcontinental players were so much in awe of the white man that they put up with a nasty knock on the shin are over. Imran Khan often says that one of his biggest problems taking Pakistan out on tours initially used to be this. His players would compulsively address the white opponent as ‘sir’. He instructed them to switch to something more equal, and often something unprintable, in Punjabi. He found his players, mostly picked from the back-lanes of what can probably be described as the subcontinent’s semi-urban outback, had complexes about dressing in western-style suits and ties, so he had them switch to their own salwar-kameez. “It was a struggle to begin with, but it paid off. And since then Englishmen have been scared of Pakistan instead,” he says.

May be Sourav Ganguly brought some of that quality to Indian cricket. But more important than that is the way the centre of gravity of world cricket has now shifted. There was a time when a hundred at Lord’s was such a big deal. Today it isn’t, even in cricketing terms, because England are one of the easier teams to score off — so easy even Ajit Agarkar has a hundred there! There was also a time, until not so long ago, that we listened to the BBC commentary on county cricket when an Indian was featuring: Pataudi for Sussex, Engineer for Lancashire, then Bedi for Northamptonshire. Even Dravid and Tendulkar signing up for Kent and Yorkshire for one season each was news. It’s all changed so dramatically now. Who cares now?

... contd.