The Offside

When one is playing cricket at the highest level, there is little room to talk about the need for a break. When one is privileged enough to represent the country, there are certain sacrifices that have to be made. After all, among the millions of citizens, thousands of fans, and hundreds of cricketers, only an elite 11 take the field wearing country colours.

It is a well-known fact that India are absolute masters at home. They may struggle abroad on fast, bouncy wickets that assist seam and swing bowling, but when it comes to the dirt tracks of the subcontinent, there are few that can take on India and emerge on top. A side as formidable as Steve Waugh's Australians found that even taking a 1-0 lead in the three-Test series was not enough to break the Indian spirit. And yet, England are arriving in India with a team that no one can call a full-strength one.

Time and time again, sides are weakened by unfortunate and untimely injuries to key players. In this case, there is no such scenario. Instead, players have opted out of a tour for entirely non-cricketing reasons. The situation in Afghanistan has prompted players to withdraw from a series that could be their most educative yet.

Without a shadow of doubt, the likes of Alec Stewart, Darren Gough and Andrew Caddick have let their country down. Stewart says that he wants to be with his family. If that should be the case, take a look at Sourav Ganguly, the Indian captain; when his first daughter was born, Ganguly was away in Bloemfontein doing battle against the South Africans.

Come on, chaps, pull your socks up and act like men.

The Onside

Playing for the country or not, these players are professionals, not amateurs touring for the love of the game or country. Cricket is their chosen profession and, like any other occupation, some things are to be enjoyed fully and some things left well alone. Perhaps some English cricketers think that touring India is less than desirable. That is a personal opinion, and each man is entitled to his own.

When the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) themselves have no problems with players staying back, why are others shouting hoarse? Whose business is it but the players and the cricket board? No one. If Alec Stewart believes that he needs to remain at home and spend time with his family for once in his life, then it is a matter that needs to be sorted out between him and the ECB.

That has been satisfactorily done. And there the matter should end.

There is really no sense in screaming about patriotism when the crying need of the day is practicality.

Additionally, this gives the second-string of English cricketers a great chance to prove themselves. This means that the selectors can have a good look at how some of the youngsters perform under trying circumstances. After all, with the 2003 World Cup in mind, this is not a bad policy to follow.

Finally, one must look at the issue from the point of view of the English cricketers. Coming to India is a traumatic experience in that the players have so little time to get acclimatised to the cultural differences. The sheer numbers of people surrounding the players, the increased levels of pollution, and the poverty can make foreigners claustrophobic at the best of times.

And these certainly are not the best of times. So give the players a break.