Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Why Always Bat?




This post had been sitting with puppy eyes in my drafts for a month now and while I pen, this post stands out of regular. This is an outrageous post. Okay, I exaggerated a little. Lately I have been thinking to actually ponder upon something sensitive. Actually not that sensitive, okay-okay-ish sensitive types.

It is okay to love something, but what if “love” exceeds the boundaries of okay? Nothing can be done; we have to live with it. Maruti television commercial says, “India, a country obsessed with mileage” but clearly they are wrong by miles. India has a bigger obsession, mileages doesn’t even make up to the “Top 10 Obsessions of India”. Cricket is the list topping obsession of India. For some, this obsession has crossed all the bars and boundaries (Not Chandni Bar, okay?); doesn’t matter if India is not playing, humein toh match he dekhna hai bas.


So, how does this works? And exactly why does this works? I am no cricket enthusiast. This statement would have banish me from my own country if the country was run by goofy cricket lovers. In other words, this is the first time I am glad that Manmohanji is our Prime Minister. Indian cricket enthusiast have variety of things which makes them the *real* entusuast. Not knowing how to play and ready to throw their expert opinions. 

"A statistical analysis of each player. 5 pros and more than 5 cons on batting position. How is the pitch? Will it rain? Not much crowd to see Sachin’s 100th 100. The moment *they* sight a cricket match, they turn into, let’s say, to a Mathematician cribber who reports weather on local news channel; adopting a standard procedure of nitpicking after every stroke by an Indian batsman."

Hockey, bring the national sport and people giving a damn about it; so India, no? India pray cricket beyond the boundaries (Hehe, no puns). Colouring their faces with tricolour is somewhat, normal in a cricket stadium but we don’t see people with such high enthusiasm on Independence Day. Carving India’s map on head but no such art is displayed on Republic day. Cricket unifies the nation but, so does Diwali; then why is cricket riding such high. Is it Marijuana? Surely not! You only get to see final Football World Cup match in a public gathering place just because world is watching it, else a cricket match. Forget about Basketball or any other outdoor sport with ball.

So, why does every second child wants to grow up and become like Sachin Tendulkar? Why not Michael Jordan, Michael Schumacher or Vinod Kambli err… I meant Tiger Woods; okay leave the example part. I think I have successfully dug my point here. We don’t see much of the sports in India because India does not give them enough opportunity or the matter of fact, funds. A friend of mine shared a picture on a social networking site (Duh! We all know what site), Indian Women Kabaddi team members were waiting for an auto on road with World Cup in hands. We don’t see Mahendra Singh Dhoni accompanied by Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja with a World Cup in one hand asking auto driver, “Bhaiyya New Delhi Railway Station chalna hai? Meter kay hisaab se chalna. Ok!” Why? Because their sport is raised by the richest board in the world Board of Cricket Control in India or as we all say BCCI. 

If, only opportunity were a little high India wouldn't been a Sport Backward country, minus cricket.

13 comments:

  1. There is BIG money in cricket and where there is money there is hanky-panky, fixing, betting etc and of course .....Pawar.
    But I can see a slow decline ....however other sport need a big push.
    Welcome Back.

    ReplyDelete
  2. On one hand I appreciate the passion people display for cricket, on the other it disgusts me when they demand SRT for 100th 100. There is a limit to everything.

    As far as other sports are concerned, I know one man on my FB is training his son for Golf and he is winning trophies already :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. BIG MONEY in cricket and the likes of PAWAR yes the one who got a slap , making more money out of it he he he

    This is what makes me MAD you know all the Gandhi wadi people and all other go on harping how western influence this and that .. how indian-ness needs to be brought blah blah . YET cricket is not our game we took it from british and the game which is our National Game we dont give a DAMN .. talk about double standards .. but then who will explain to them all

    Recetnly though the matches against the West indies stadiums were not even HALF FULL. so i guess people are getting bored of cricekt too and offcourse PAWAR :) ooops i mentioned him again i wonder why .. :)

    Bikram's

    ReplyDelete
  4. i dont watch cricket unless its a world cup, and thst too if India is in the finals :P
    Yes other sports are not given ample opportunity and about the womans kabaddi team auto thing..Really????

    "Colouring their faces with tricolour is somewhat, normal in a cricket stadium but we don’t see people with such high enthusiasm on Independence Day."
    I HAVE ALWAYS THOUGHT OF THIS TOO!

    ReplyDelete
  5. aaaiii cricket ke baare mein kuch nahi bolnega.. i love it yaar.. and i am wondering why the hell is hockey our national game.. why is it not cricket???

    its simple ya.. whatever is famous, makes u popular people want to be that..and psychologically i think people love it more is because.. u know the whole idea of a group of indians thrashing some group from other country.. its about the feeling of winning war types..

    if only other sports stars got more advertisements and created some controversies even those sports would be famous..

    ReplyDelete
  6. Alka m'am Cricket doesn't even come closer to any other sport. But yes, since it's the opportunity. Indeed a push and fund is required to establish them. Thank you :)

    Chintan m'am That's what I meant. Why hype?

    Bikram You got deviated but point taken in other context.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Red Haha! Same here. Same here. Similar wondering's. Similar wondering's.

    SuKupedia Haha! I do not hate cricket. I hate how it has suppressed other sports and talent. And controversies are stirred with much high stakes as in cricket. Remember Tiger Woods and her mistresses?

    ReplyDelete
  8. Cricket is of course more fun than Independence Day or Diwali....The latter two played only once a year with no clear winners!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I am no cricket enthusiast either and feel our cricketers are an overpaid lot!

    But cricket sells and is a big money earner while other deserving sports languish and are put on the back burner.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I quit watching cricket a long time back and especially after all this IPL brouhaha. I mean you call T20 a game? I'd rather watch anime characters play some good baseball than that. Entire country is obsessed with Sachin hitting his 100th ton, but hey who cares about hockey or tennis or soccer or the athletes who have prospects but no sponsors.

    ReplyDelete
  11. true.. y we dont promote or love other sports ??
    we get so less variety of sports even at school or college level.... a lot can be done, but our govt is too busy to think about sports :D

    ReplyDelete
  12. Giribala M'am Haha! Point taken.

    Purba M'am but so is golf. Why no golf then?

    Samadrita Blah! Your thoughts are copied from mine.

    Jyoti *Must start a facebook campaign*

    ReplyDelete
  13. It all points to one fact...paisa!
    Cricket as fav for me was Once upon a Time.

    We do not want to change our outlook, people still haven't realized that if sport means nail biting, tense moments, the enthusiasm..its much more in other sports too.

    The last few minutes in a soccer game is heart racing.

    ReplyDelete

Come on! Let us comment.