Club v country and the Indian news media

The Gautam Gambhir injury controversy is media sensationalism at its worst, writes Ashok Malik in the Hindustan Times.

'Country versus club/county' debates and choices are not new to Indian cricket. These have long preceded the Indian Premier League (IPL). Where Mankad and Gavaskar were lucky was that their decisions were not dissected by that 24/7 khap panchayat called Indian news television.

On this count, the recent fracas involving Gautam Gambhir and the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) has been revealing. It has shown up the media for a fundamental inability to understand a sportsman's ethic. It has emphasised the dangerous sensationalism news -particularly cricket news -is subjected to. Finally, it has been a reminder of the tawdry and crude nationalism that (at least some) news channels have made their calling card.