Our Poor Cricketers

Our poor cricketers have worked so hardly that we should not grudge them some rewards. But these media people are so nasty that they like to splash everything.

Sent by Keith Hayward

I wonder if Yuvraj needs a driver for his second Audi as I would like to apply for the position:

Land, job, car? India cashes in
Ben Doherty, New Delhi
April 5, 2011

Sachin Tendulkar shakes hands with Indian President Pratibha Patil. Photo: AP



To the 11 men who won India the Cricket World Cup comes the thanks of a grateful nation.

In the euphoria of India's win, it seems all 1.21 billion people in this massive country have a tribute in the form of a house, car, stadium, honorary degree or tens of millions of rupees.

These were already well-paid, well-cared-for men, each with lucrative endorsements and revered as semi-deities the length and breadth of the country. But the largesse of this ecstatic nation knows no bounds.



India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni poses with the World Cup trophy. Photo: AP



None of India's cricketers catch trains. And they have less need now every team member has been given a car by Hyundai (and man of the tournament Yuvraj Singh a second from Audi).

But in case the urge to ride the rails overwhelms, India's Railways Ministry has announced lifetime first-class rail passes for the team, pointing out in its press release that the players are entitled to travel in the airconditioned carriage.

A builder in Rajkot is giving each member of the squad a plot of land, including South African coach Gary Kirsten, even though he's leaving.

And Air India, which ''employs'' four cricketers as deputy managers of offices around the country, has announced they will now be promoted to managers.

''All of them are our regular employees and attend office regularly when they are not playing,'' an airlines spokesman said, without confirming whether they had come to work yesterday.

Meanwhile, a grateful real employer, the unimaginably wealthy Board of Control for Cricket in India, not to be outshone, announced a bonus of 10 million rupees ($A211,500) for each player. State governments across the country are shrewdly rediverting taxpayer dollars to India's most precious resource.

The Chief Minister of Karnataka has promised a residential plot in the capital Bangalore for each team member, and most state governments have offered their home-town players cash gifts of between 10 million and 20 million rupees.

The state of Uttarakhand has promised another plot of land or a house for adored batsman Sachin Tendulkar and captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and a host of players have been awarded state honours and medals.

The inscrutable Dhoni, who won the final with a towering six, is the focus of much of the munificence.

He's been recommended for an honorary doctorate by a minister from his home state of Jharkhand, while the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand has promised to build a stadium in his honour.

Famously cool under pressure, and a deeply spiritual man, Dhoni has taken the victory in stride. He appeared for photos the morning after the final with his head shaved. He politely declined to explain, but it was reported that before the tournament his guru told him to cut off his hair between 2.45am and 3am after the final as an offering.

Long-term, this victory has set the players up to make more money, through endorsements. Dhoni's asking price per product is likely to nearly double to 100 million rupees a year. Tendulkar can command 60 million rupees an endorsement.

''This team has reached a different level, the emotional connect will be huge … the rates are northward bound for most of the key players,'' sports marketing consultant Mahesh Ranka told The Times of India.