It is the zeitgeist—the sign of the age we live in—that the only big concern that the big bucks of the Indian Premier League seems to have sparked is, “What will the badshahs of the game think at this kind of money being thrown before the babes in the woods?”
How, for example, will B.S. Chandrashekhar, who is said to have tied a pair of leg pads (with a bat tucked in between) to a friend’s bicycle carrier while being given a lift to Bangalore airport for his India debut, and whose accident expenses had to be underwritten by Colin Cowdrey because the BCCI wouldn’t give a damn, feel?
CNN-IBN editor-in-chief Rajdeep Sardesai, son of the late great Dilip Sardesai, writes on IBN live:
“My father was obviously born in the wrong generation. For his first Test for the country in 1961, he got a cheque of Rs 150. When he was part of the historic 1971 win in West Indies and England, he got the princely sum of Rs 750 per match. Contrast that with a Robin Uthappa, who without a single international century, is already a crorepati many times over. Or an Ishant Sharma, who after his first international tour, is already lining up mega-contracts.
“My own favourite story of cricket from another generation is related by the legendary Bishen Singh Bedi. In 1956, India defeated New Zealand in four days in a Test match. The team, which was paid Rs 50 per day at the time, did not receive an allowance for the fifth day. When one of the players dared to ask a cricket official for an additional fifty rupees, he was curtly told: ‘Who asked you to win the match in four days!’”
Read the full column: Cricket’s big bazaar
Tags: B.S. Chandrashekhar, Bishen Singh Bedi, Churumuri, Colin Cowdrey, Dilip Sardesai, Indian Premier League, Ishant Sharma, Player Auction, Rajdeep Sardesai, Robin Uthappa
22 February 2008 at 9:45 am
So whats the point? Should Uthappa go to airport in a bicycle? If he gets the money, he gets it. Whats his fault?
22 February 2008 at 10:27 am
lol.. funny story…
Unfortunately times change… people get paid more… its like my grandad telling me that they used to make 48 Rupees a month get Dose and coffee for 2 annas…
22 February 2008 at 11:58 am
These kids are lucky and those who used to play cricket weren’t. But then Uthappa won’t be able to buy a Uthappa for 2 annas either.
22 February 2008 at 2:02 pm
Every body forget the cost of living and are just comparing numbers!!!
Obviously in 1960′s the could live in piece over 100 INR salary but the same has become 10000 INR now!!
22 February 2008 at 5:38 pm
One has to take into account the times and the cost of living.But then again stars from lesser know sports like our natinal game hockey still are paid a pittance.
btw,haven’t we all heard of “Make hay while the sun shines” ???
22 February 2008 at 5:43 pm
Azar and Croni were far better, and their records should be set right. Those who called them bad for the game should apologise.
22 February 2008 at 7:11 pm
yes…AZZA’s status should be reinstated and Hansie pardonded…and that is DHARMA
22 February 2008 at 7:23 pm
It may be a good idea to organise a “notional” auction in retrospective –just to see how the golden oldies would be rated by the business barons in today’s market. If nothing else, the veterans and their progeny may be happy to discover that they are/were worth their weight in gold. And all these star cricketers may feel humbled for a moment. And the record would be set straight.
22 February 2008 at 7:40 pm
Rajdeep has no business commentin on this matter as if his own warped logic were to be applied to his profession , we find some dumb babes and studs earning a few lacs just for showing off their figures on national television and reading some biased news compared to the few hundreds earned by print journalists prior to the advent of these biased third rate news channels.Also these days promoters issue shares at huge premium just to have a Value attached to the name.CNN IBN and NDTV started this tamasha of public issue and are now continuing their coverage of these cricketers since they have no other story worth reporting.Shame on them
3 March 2008 at 10:16 am
Rajdeep seems to aim at writing some thing sensational with an eye to catch the imagination of people ‘.Sorry boss, your shot is misfired. ` He has pushed under the carpet all the mega changes society has under gone in very field of life in four decades. Hundreds of such stories can be written with out batting an eye lid contrasting the plight of the past masters with the pleasant position of new entrants who have made a mark. Such stories are really delightful to the new generation as they can peep in to the past of historical values, only the thing is, there should be no trace of remorse or regret. Other wise such stories send wrong signals to the youth who may lose respect for the veterans and consider them to be jealous and money minded.