Wasim Jaffer : Hurt Via IPL

IPL Auctions leave Wasim Jaffer a very hurt man

Wow!  But is it not natural?  Imagine if at work all the recruits were lined up and the various divisions in the company are asked to bid for their employees, and people based on educational skills, background, current job profile, work experience etc are paid higher (or lower) as the case maybe and when it comes to your chance you realize that people do not really have the budget to hire you and the only one willing to hire you is ready to pay you a pittance?  And what if all this is not based on your skill sets but the way you comb your hair or dress up at work?

It will hurt!  It will hurt real bad.  Not for nothing are salaries kept confidential in organizations.  You do not want your team mate to know that you are earning much higher than him. It leads to envy, jealousy, animosity and everything that is not good for the team.

Wasim Jaffer is a very hurt man.  And there are words in this interview that do not hide his feelings. He has been candid in this interview.  But I am wondering what good this interview really does other than him airing his hurt.  I wish he had instead let his bat do the talking.

"Look at my runs, assess my performance," says Jaffer, pointing to his five centuries in 28 Tests, including two double-hundreds. And that's why, he says, he was hurt by the US$100,000 he was deemed worth at the IPL auction last month - the lowest price an India cricketer fetched.

"Obviously it hurts when you compare the price of some others to what I got. I have proved myself on the field, and I have made runs in Test cricket, over 2000 of them. But other players who haven't scored enough have got much more, because people think they will be a big hit in Twenty20. That's what public image does. You can only change their views by going out there and scoring runs."

On his reaction to the auction:

"After the auction, my wife phoned to tell me who got what. She was very upset, very sad that other players had got much more.

"Really, I was surprised that people had built such an image of me - that I can't play one-day cricket or Twenty20. How can you say that when you haven't seen me play one-day cricket or Twenty20 cricket? In India people are very quick to tag players as "attacking" or "defensive". I am a Test opener now and I can't be aggressive like some of the batsmen who come later. I have to see off the new ball, and I have to make sure that I give a stable start to the team. That's my primary job. I can't just go out there and start playing my shots.

And then he goes on to target some flashy folks in the team (I am reminded of Dinesh Karthik when he says this)

"If you look at my fielding, too, I don't drop catches, I don't misfield. It's just that I move in my own style. I am very laidback. But if you are doing the basics very well, that's good enough. You don't have to show off, that you are running around or leaping about here and there. As long as you are motivated inside, your focus is on the game and you are doing your job well, that's enough.

LOL!  I had always felt that DK tries to show off his "attitude" a bit too much.  I have seen instances where he would dive despite the ball having already crossed the ropes.

He then proceeds to take a direct swipe at Sreesanth:

"I will narrate a story here," says Jaffer. "During our Test tour of South Africa in late 2006, there was a lot of controversy surrounding Sreesanth. So one day Dravid addressed the team on what he thought aggression was all about. He told us that aggression is about standing up to be counted when your team is in a dire situation. Aggression is getting your team through in times of need, Rahul said, and not abusing the opposing player.

"Performance on the field, that's aggression. Standing up for your team, that's aggression. Ask Sunil Gavaskar, ask Tendulkar, ask Dravid. Remember, there's a young generation watching your every move, preparing to follow you."

It would be really bad if he changes his image and his game and ends up losing his ability to open in tests.  We do not want players tinkering with their game just so that they get a good deal in IPL.

"Let the IPL start and I will prove that I belong. There will be world-class players, and the whole world will be watching. You never know, people will then realise that I can play one-day cricket, too. Hopefully, Inshallah, they will see a new Wasim Jaffer."