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| Source: Twitter |
Virat Kohli made news when he left the Indian cricket team touring in Australia after the first test in Adelaide to fly back to India on paternity leave. Kohli and his wife, Anushka Sharma became the parents of a baby girl on the 11 of January.
Kohli missed the last three test matches of the Indian
tour of Australia that started on 17th December 2020 while on
paternity leave.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) supported
this decision of Kohli and acknowledged the news in an official press release.
Public’s Reaction
After the decision of the Indian teams’ captain to take a paternity leave became public it resulted in an endless social media debate. Several netizens trolled the skipper over for “choosing his family” over “national duty”. Parallels were drawn between Kohli and former Indian cricket team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
He had opted not to take the leave and represent the
team in 2015 when Dhoni and his wife Sakshi Dhoni were expecting their first
child. As the team was playing in Australia, he missed the birth of his
daughter Ziva.
Sunil Gavaskar’s Comment
With his remark on "different rules, different
people," Veteran former cricket player and present-day commentator Sunil
Gavaskar pointed out the hierarchy in the Indian cricket team, citing
the instance of newcomer and fast bowler T Natarajan. Natarajan, who, during the
Indian Premier League (IPL) playoffs, became a father, still has not met his
daughter.
Kohli’s Decision: Right or Wrong?
Had Kohli decided to stay back for the tour in Australia he would’ve still received from people for not taking leave at such an important moment for his family. Dhoni’s decision to stay back was his own and Kohli’s decision to leave was his.
As a society, it’s high time we realize and understand
that we must respect the choices of individuals concerning their personal life
and not put their lives and personal choices under constant scrutiny. Choosing
to leave does not make him any less professional or dedicated.
Kohli vs. Dhoni: Does It Matter?
Based on one’s personal preferences one may prefer
Dhoni more for his skills as a captain, on and off-field demeanor etc. But one
must remember this is not about Kohli vs. Dhoni. This is not about the game but
about the politics of the game. Or perhaps the gender politics underlying and
profession in our society.
Paternity Leave: A Taboo?
Why is the topic of taking paternity leave considered such a taboo for men, especially when the man in question is a celebrated cricket player? This is because the topic of a partner, home and fatherhood is viewed as topics that would emasculate a man.
Socially, raising and taking care of the child in India is still widely considered to be the duty of a woman. Therefore, if paternity leaves are not being offered it is mainly because workers are not asking for them.
According to a survey, 80% of Indian men claimed that changing nappies, bathing and feeding children was a woman's duty. This attitude is also evident in the social media responses to the decision of the Indian Cricket Team's captain, which was considered by many to be frivolous and pointless.
That is the reason why praising Dhoni for his decision to stay back is problematic. To begin with, cricket is an entertaining sport. BCCI furthermore has an income-generating and marketing system set up.
Thus, the notion that it is fine to leave behind your pregnant spouse alone if you are a cricket player to ‘serve the nation’ falls on deaf ears as a cricketer cannot be compared to a soldier’s duty whose hardships are far greater than the rewards.
All it does is romanticizing and glorifying false masculine pride. At any rate, it glorifies false masculine pride and the subsequent exhalation of the “sacrifice’ is similar to hyper-nationalism.
It also hints to an implicit male bond in which a woman is automatically supposed to sacrifice her career for fulfilling her role as a caregiver. However, it is never expected of a man, or, in this case, the cricket player, to be a caregiver.
Deep Rooted Sexism
The glass-windowed cricket commentary cabins are known
to be elegant and sophisticated. But when a legendary veteran played like
Gavaskar mocks Sharma for Kohli’s failure on the ground, it reveals the
deep-rooted sexism in the sport that is cricket.
Time for A Change
However, BCCI supporting Kohli’s decision to leave the tour to stay with his wife during her pregnancy proves that there is a possibility, in the long run, in humanizing a cricket icon like Kohli.
It emphasizes the idea that both parents have equal
responsibility when it comes to parenting. Giving birth and labor room duties
are not experiences that a woman should go through alone.
Being in a marriage calls for both partners to be equally involved in every facet of life. This includes the huge ordeal of raising and parenting one’s child. India therefore is seeing a shift in gender roles.
As the youth of the nation changes their perspective on gender roles, Indian cricket, sooner or later, will have to change their ways. It would not survive by clutching on to the embers of the ‘traditional’ ideas of the old generation.
Moreover, a decision like this from an extremely influential cricket player like Virat Kohli can prove to be ground-breaking in the years to come. It leaves a mark on the youth to pay much attention to their families in important moments.
It helps propagate the idea of shared responsibility
that comes with marriage and not burdening only the female spouse with
responsibilities of home and child-rearing.
Written by - Christeena George
Edited by - Adrija Saha
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