Player security an important issue
Khem Raj - 21 March 2002

After reading about the unfortunate incident that injured ace spinner Harbhajan Singh, I was afraid for his participation in the crucial decider at Guwahati. But the players should realise the security obligations in current circumstances. Assam is a state hit with insurgency, and it would be a good opportunity for the ultras to kidnap players and make some demands. Even as we read that the authorities in Assam were tightening security for the match, this new development emerged.

The report mentioned a Delhi-based photographer who wanted to meet Harbhajan Singh at the players' hotel. I would personally agree with the security personnel's refusal to let him meet Harbhajan. He, being the top bowler in the Indian side, had an important role to play in the team’s performance the next day. The players should realise that the security personnel are risking their own lives to protect the players, knowing that they are important national figures. In the middle of all the security and rules, there should hardly be any exceptions unless they are recommended by the authorities.

If someone can harm a player by just getting easy access to him, I do not understand the use of deploying thousands of troops all around the ground. Taking into account the prevailing situation and, moreover, kidnap threats to senior players like Sachin Tendulkar and Sourav Ganguly, the authorities have to be on their toes to provide security for the match.

One must also not forget that Kolkata, the site of a recent bombing, is not far away from Guwahati. I would thus expect more responsibility on the part of the players in helping the security authorities. Moreover, if there are regulations that state the proper security measures for letting someone meet a player, they must be followed. As mentioned in the news, Harbhajan involving himself in matters of security was very irresponsible on the part of the Punjab youngster. One would have expected the same wise head off that field that he displays on the field. It is not often of paramount importance to attend a photo session when, for such an important player of the team, he would have had several such occasions in the future.

It would also appeal more to the readers if that same photographer were to shoot a photo of Harbhajan on the field bagging a wicket. That is what he is known for, and that is what would be welcomed by everyone. Involving himself in a brawl and injuring himself, Harbhajan could have led his country to miss one of its important players. Thinking of those millions of the viewers waiting to see him in action, it was thus a very careless act from Harbhajan.

I can see that a personal life is also important for anyone, but only as long as it is safe and secure. Reaching the top level of cricket without self-discipline is just unthinkable, and Harbhajan being involved in such an act is very unfortunate. It would be even more unfortunate if something had happened to the player. The security personnel must thus be helped and given the players' co-operation to provide a safe, secure and incident-less match environment at all grounds.

A secure environment at a venue is also beneficial for the mental build-up of the players, especially when psychology plays such an important role in high-pressure games such as the one at Guwahati. I hope that the players show much more concern for security matters in the future so that these incidents can be avoided in the future.

The views expressed above are solely those of the guest contributor and are carried as written, with only minor editing for grammar, to preserve the original voice. These contributed columns are solely personal opinion pieces and reflect only the feelings of the guest contributor. Their being published on CricInfo.com does not amount to an endorsement by CricInfo's editorial staff of the opinions expressed.
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