Where is Indian cricket's Muhammad Ali?
Muhammad Ali gained the world's respect for the fearlessness with which he grappled with the difficult questions of his day. Indian cricket has no equivalent
ESPNcricinfo staff
08-Jun-2016
As cricketers rush to pay tribute to Muhammad Ali and declare him a role-model for sportspersons, it is instructive to ask whether Ali's example has truly been followed by modern-day Indian cricketers. For Sandeep Dwivedi, writing in the Indian Express, the answer is an emphatic "no".
Raina's tribute said Ali "taught so many lessons to all of us". That Ali certainly did, but have our modern-day sportspersons imbibed them? The Ali path isn't easy to tread. In India, no athlete has ventured anywhere near that road, forget walking in the footsteps of a man who was as sure about the strength of his voice as he was about the power of his punch.
Take any prickly issue -- religious, social or political -- the heavyweight boxer never pulled his punches. In contrast, the pantheon of our sporting demi-gods -- who called the late Ali their role model -- is blind to the world outside the stadium. They have been hailed as innovators, glorified as visionaries, compared to gods, but they haven't lent their wisdom to unravelling India's complexities nor have they joined the knotty debates this diverse land throws up every day. Typing #MyHeroAli takes little time. But to be his real follower needs a lifetime of climbing up mountains and walking on fire.