Cricket - is perhaps a single word that integrates India. Until late 1980's Cricket is an imaginative game for spectators except for those who were in the cricket stadium. Every young cricket fan used to hook to their AM radio's or Pocket Transistors - to listen to the live commentary. "Here comes .... Kapil Dev running from the pavilion end, bowling to Vivian Richards.... OUT!!!!!!!!!!!. Then comes huge .. noise and clapping from the stadium" - everybody listening on the Radio is excited, clapping and shouting... As you walk on the road, it is common question ... what is the score? is Gavaskar out? Even when India is lost, there was a certain amount of satisfaction with the fans. Look, how Viswanath took the responsibility and ran out of partners. The analysis, by and large was positive and constructive. The reason is in a simple fact - those were the times the 11 were playing game with passion, genuinely and honestly.
Not even the team that went to world cup in 1983 was sure of their prospects. Yet, there were genuine cricket fans who used to tune to their radio's in the late AN / Evening listening to the commentary coming from London. As the prospects started to improve, the Doordarshan started live telecast. Until then it was just radio. There were no legends in the team. If at all there were superstitions. The matches when Gavaskar was dropped, India lost. Hence, some superstitious person realised the value of Gavaskar who at the time was a liability to the team. Mohinder Amarnath and Kapil Dev perhaps are the best fight back cricketers India ever had. Kapil leadeship was unique. Despite having "seniors" like Gavaskar and Vengsarkar, he constantly focused on the game, merits and results. Rest was a written in Golden letters.
Come 1990's cricket slowly started changing from a gentlemen game into a money making vehicle. The way Tendulkar entered the national cricket - if I can recall - it is all about marketing. Even before his first Test match - Tendulkar was made into legend. But, the fact remains that Tendulkar despite all the irrelvant world records - was never a match winner for India. Tendulkar perhaps the first Cricket brand of India. Now we have Dhoni's, Shewag's or Singh's - everyone is a brand.
Come the new millennium, with the advent and establishment of one day cricket as superior form of game to Test Cricket, it is all about hitting the ball. Poor bowler is meant to be punished. The pitches are no more made for the game. The complexion of the game changed. The live telecasts mixed with multi-million dollar advertisements, the mad following of the average Indian, advent of the multinational companies - has taken away the Joy and soul from the game of Cricket.
Cricket is no more a game. If India looses, crores is lost in hawala bettings, crores is lost in the advertisements, crores is lost in the sponsorships, crores is taken off from the wealth of the players. Then, the new trend started recently - hartals, boycotts from the cricket fans (or goons!)
The joy of cricket is lost. A Lagaan is perhaps the best bet to watch to enjoy cricket and enjoy whole hearted.
Unless legends, brands, icons, heroes are off from the 11, this game will continue to suffer. People like Greg Chappell who cannot understand these Indian cultural fits - contiunue to stuggle with the team dumped on them by quotas, equations, politics, balancing acts and so on.
I stopped watching the game long ago. I do not want to shed crocodile tears for those who is in the game for making money and waste my precious time!
No comments:
Post a Comment