A few years
back this question by Decathlon (see the fine print at the end) would have met with derision, but times change
very fast. Today, the sports section of newspapers cover less of cricket than
other popular sports. You just need to look at the coverage of various European
football leagues vis-à-vis the Ranji trophy & you will understand why these
European clubs are on a marketing hyperdrive in India. But once the IPL season
starts, it’s a return to the good old times for cricket (the cheerleaders play as important a part in IPL as in this post)!
So rather than
a simple, straight-forward answer to this question (after all, Decathlon is
offering splendid prizes for this one!!), let us list out why’s & why not’s
of India still being a cricket centric country.
Why not?
It is the consumers
that certify success of a product & the uncontested reign of cricket in the
hearts & minds of the Indian sports fan has ended. At an age when the
former porn star, Sunny Leone, has an established career in mainstream cinema,
cricket only has very few glamorous WAGs to fall back on. This void is filled
with other champs endowed with ample oomph factor – the Saina’s & the
Sania’s of the racquet world. Moreover, the men in blue score only in the brash
quotient, but are outplayed in the brawns department by the likes of Vijender
Singh & Akhil Kumar. And these champs are outshining the cricketers. On the
personal front too. If Shikhar Dhawan & Irfan Pathan married
Australia-based girls, Sania Mirza got herself a foreigner as hubby!
Professionally
too, other sportspersons too have made a mark at international level. While we
have a Leander Paes in Tennis who has outlasted Sachin Tendulkar in the
longevity stakes, we also have a young Saina Nehwal in Badminton who has
successfully breached the great wall of China. If India has had a long
tradition in cue sports, the early exploits of shooters have made us a strong
competitor with an assembly line of upcoming stars. And each success story in
these sports is magnified by the media, in turn spawning recognition, awards,
adulation, fan following & endorsement deals. Sounds so similar to cricket,
doesn’t it?
In cricket, the
best batsmen play higher up the order, while the not so good ones are pushed
to, what’s called, the lower order. We have examples of many lower order
batsman moving up the order as their skills improved (Ravi Shastri, for one).
But in this cricket crazy nation, we also have the likes of Patels (in
Gujarat), Gujjars (in Rajasthan), etc., who are going against this basic tenet
of cricket. Else, why should these worthies be fighting to be included in the
lower order of the social hierarchy (at least, for sarkari benefits). Can you
ever imagine Virat Kohli asking to come in & bat at No. 8?
Cricket is
called a gentleman’s game. Yet how many gentlemen do you come across in
everyday life? Go to an end of season sale in a mall, or travel during rush
hour traffic or even witness a ganesh visarjan procession. There is nothing
gentle, manly or gentlemanly! And we are not even talking about the rapes, riots
or discrimination on various grounds. The reality of India differs a lot from
the idea of Cricket.
Why?
Traditionally,
cricket was a relaxed game played in white flannels by men (the early Lankan
stars sported a well-rounded middle too!). Then came the limited overs variety,
coloured clothing, year-round games & players who are acrobats. Indian
politics too has witnessed a similar transition as cricket. It’s not just the
dapper Modi Kurtas replacing the boring white khadi. If the parliament manages to
last 5 years, we have major state elections every 8 to 10 months, so much so
that the PM is always shunting between election rallies & foreign trips.
And the manner in which today’s netas switch sides, ideologies & stance,
they put to shame the young cricket stars. (Pls disregard the fact that netas
never turn around & ask Howzzat.)
In cricket, an
umpire’s decision has always been final. Players take it, even when adverse, in
their stride, throw their chin up & continue with the game. With changing
times, the players have been given the limited liberty of approaching the 3rd
umpire. In India too, the parents have traditionally played the role of an
umpire. But as newer generations get more rebellious, 3rd umpires
are in vogue – we call them the Khap Panchayats. When parents fail, it is these
3rd umpires that come in & make the truant youngsters fall in
line. And just like cricket, there is no appeal beyond the Khap Panchayats.
Yes, life often imitates cricket in India.
And cricket
imitates life. At least when it comes to corruption, nepotism, conflict of
interest, and what not. The IPL has been accused of all these and more. And
hasn’t the misdeeds of sons-in-law led to the downfall of the powerful in
cricket & political worlds? Pre-IPL days too, match fixing in cricket
always had an Indian connection. Let us also not forget the monkeygate, which
is a staple of our casteist/racist/communal cauldron.
Cricket terms
are used as metaphors in life & vice versa. Take rape, for example.
Aversion to rape unites almost all Indians (except the rapists & Mulayam
Singh Yadav). Wasn’t it a rape in the capital that led to candle lit marches
across the country by people who skipped their dose of Ektaa Kapoor soaps? Rape
is also what most Indians term (at least on social media) a typical batting
display by Chris Gayle. And it (Gayle’s batting, stupid, not a rape) also gets
all viewers glued to the television screens. Cricket still remains a unifying
force.
As you can see,
it is difficult to decide whether India still remains a cricket-centric
country. Well, at least I can’t. But I do know that, looking at the clout
wielded by BCCI & the popularity of IPL, cricket has certainly become an
India-centric game. And this is something we can definitely be proud of!
This post was originally submitted to Decathlon for its contest
