Cricket has been considered a cash cow that has now been exploited unconditionally. Even the winning obsession seems a passe.
There was a time when the country would wait for Cricket Matches to happen. The excitement was extraordinary and the countdown was always on the lips of every buff. Cricket was a religion and the fervour was immense. We watched it with passion. Students staying in hostels got together in front of a 21 inch Television and the game united them. There used to be high sentiment, adrenaline, gasps, head-in-knees and all that. Words like thrill, passion, fire, excitement and rivalry can at best bring you at the threshold of the emotion we felt then.
And now when I sit back, what is it that I last remember and want to remember? It was the T20 World Cup in South Africa where I personally went out to burst crackers in the dim of the dark when India beat Pakistan in a cliffhanger finish with Misbah-Ul-Haq threatening to known of the Indians in a last over thriller. It was massive, fascinating and mighty. It was about rivalry, tears and about those thrilling moments of hope.
But as the proverbial saying goes, “Excess of anything is bad.” The pundits of the game looked at the immense commercial potential of the game. Businessmen came together to exploit it. At first, the club revolution was applauded. Media held regular debates about the untapped potential and about someone called Lalit Modi trying to so Kerry Parker kind of a feat. And then came the prototype Indian Premiere League where cricketers from all countries were clubbed together to form different teams. This, I call was the doom of the Indian cricket.
Cricket has always been best under the elements of rivalry, thrill, hope, fear and unpredictability. What the IPL did was to bring all the countries together and club them into a state team. Most of us began to get neutral. “Who won in the end” suddenly dint matter to us anymore. I still remember many elders saying that cricket on TV has become an everyday occurrence. They talked of how rare cricket was during those golden days and how this rarity was its specialty. Moreover, most of us began realizing that it is the cricketers who are earning millions. Introspection started. Why should I waste my money, time and energy on something that really doesn’t give me anything and gives the lucky bunch of 12, everything from money to Government grants? The ICL and IPL fight, controversies, matches becoming a common feature and all these things took away the charm from the game.
And what is it about winning that has sucked away the excitement?
I always wondered if Australia was really excited as they were so very used to winning. The same position grips India now. India’s 3rd ODI match with Sri Lanka was India’s eight consecutive win. And suddenly the excitement and suspense associated with the game has died. What is it that we learnt in our primary schooling?
Don’t kill the goose that gives you golden eggs!
Labels: cricket fever dies, cricket murdered, cricket no more thrilling, why cricket doesnt excite
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