Yesterday me & my senior @ work were as usual discussing cricket(one of the "in" topics among the few choices one usually has i.e. movies ,girls or cricket :)) in one of the breaks which we take where he enjoys a smoke & 'cutting chai" & me only the "cutting chai" .The discussion was about the latest volley of allegations between Chappel & the players..One think which came out from the usual discussion was that now common people may just have become disenchanted with the game..I know everyone thinks that this is just a phase & people will soon forgive & shower praise on the cricketers as ever before sooner(Mebbe after an emphatic win over Bangladesh :)) but things just might be different.
Die hard fans of the game(including myself) have slowly moved on to other games to demonstrate their passion...even now if I think that over the past few years ,I have been rooting for Manchester United more than our cricket team...What I mean by rooting is not that I have stopped watching the game or not supporting the team,it just means that the way u jump of your seat when a wicket falls or Sachin hits a six...I remember being a cynic & not believing in India during the Natwest Final & then hopping around in one leg the next day for quite some time as I had lost a bet to my cousin who banked on India all the way...Not for a moment I felt the pain or shame for doing that as the team had really made my day...It had brought joy to thousands of people including me..
Recently I had the same feeling when My team Manchester United beat Liverpool in the last minute of extra time,with John Oshea scoring the winner...My dad was worried whether his 25 year old son had lost his senses as I jumped around for 5 minutes after he scored...The whole next day I was beaming with joy & happiness...
Over the past years such instances have been far few with the Indian team...Today the vigour with which I & a few of my cousins follow Manchester United is not seen with the any Indian team...Cricket is the only sport where our team competed with the worlds best on equal footing over the last 20 years & the only sport where one can support his team & wish that they are the best in the world realistically...Even now when a Indian player hits a magnificent 100 or Sreesanth runs through the South African top order.it makes me feel good...it makes me feel proud...Even today when I see Virendra Sehwag on the field when he is bowling or fielding his calmness makes me feel good...Even now in crunch situations in slog overs when I see Irfan Pathan bowl with a cool head(Remember he almost won us that match against Windies in the Champions Trophy along with Agarkar ..Agarkar took the wickets but Pathan gave nothing away) It makes me feel good..
All I want is that feeling to be replicated through out .AGAIN.....Anil Kumble throwing himself around on the field...For his size & limitations he is a very decent fielder meaning he gives a 100 %...Not too long ago people made fun of Sidhu when he tried to dive around...But guyz remember he did try...& THATS WHAT PEOPLE ULTIMATELY WANT TO SEE...
Again I must add Dravid's performance time & again has given me the joy which I want from my country's team...Its with that sense of nationalism people look at cricketers..They feel they represent the country BEST on a global stage other than other sports & tats what makes them BIG in their eyes
Well one may alwayz say "its a game after all" .Today when we speak about things like "professionalism","attitude","modern approach" etc. etc. all points to the simple premise that a sport cannot be taken as just a game after all...People pay hard earned money to watch these cricketers play & they want their moneys worth.Any person who appreciates the value for the same would agree that he/she got his/her money's worth as long as they saw both sets of players who are playing are the best that their team could select,The ground conditions are fair & knowledge of the same is openly available & the whole game is played in a fair manner within the framework of the rules ie rules could be bent but not broken...Finally when the game starts a person expects to SEE the players give their best ,their attitude is reflected via many things which any normal person not a psychiatrist need to decipher....I hope everyone understands what I am talking about...& why this Catch 22 situation for the board is going to be a pivotal moment which determines the shape of Indian cricket in the next few years at least
& btw yours truly has been following cricket since age of 6 -7( like most Indians) with passion & started following football only from 1999..So u c where I am coming from & where my real passion lies in some corner of my heart :)
P.S : Post the "cutting chai"...we heard that "Chappel has indicated that he doesn't want to continue in his job..." **sigh**
Die hard fans of the game(including myself) have slowly moved on to other games to demonstrate their passion...even now if I think that over the past few years ,I have been rooting for Manchester United more than our cricket team...What I mean by rooting is not that I have stopped watching the game or not supporting the team,it just means that the way u jump of your seat when a wicket falls or Sachin hits a six...I remember being a cynic & not believing in India during the Natwest Final & then hopping around in one leg the next day for quite some time as I had lost a bet to my cousin who banked on India all the way...Not for a moment I felt the pain or shame for doing that as the team had really made my day...It had brought joy to thousands of people including me..
Recently I had the same feeling when My team Manchester United beat Liverpool in the last minute of extra time,with John Oshea scoring the winner...My dad was worried whether his 25 year old son had lost his senses as I jumped around for 5 minutes after he scored...The whole next day I was beaming with joy & happiness...
Over the past years such instances have been far few with the Indian team...Today the vigour with which I & a few of my cousins follow Manchester United is not seen with the any Indian team...Cricket is the only sport where our team competed with the worlds best on equal footing over the last 20 years & the only sport where one can support his team & wish that they are the best in the world realistically...Even now when a Indian player hits a magnificent 100 or Sreesanth runs through the South African top order.it makes me feel good...it makes me feel proud...Even today when I see Virendra Sehwag on the field when he is bowling or fielding his calmness makes me feel good...Even now in crunch situations in slog overs when I see Irfan Pathan bowl with a cool head(Remember he almost won us that match against Windies in the Champions Trophy along with Agarkar ..Agarkar took the wickets but Pathan gave nothing away) It makes me feel good..
All I want is that feeling to be replicated through out .AGAIN.....Anil Kumble throwing himself around on the field...For his size & limitations he is a very decent fielder meaning he gives a 100 %...Not too long ago people made fun of Sidhu when he tried to dive around...But guyz remember he did try...& THATS WHAT PEOPLE ULTIMATELY WANT TO SEE...
Again I must add Dravid's performance time & again has given me the joy which I want from my country's team...Its with that sense of nationalism people look at cricketers..They feel they represent the country BEST on a global stage other than other sports & tats what makes them BIG in their eyes
Well one may alwayz say "its a game after all" .Today when we speak about things like "professionalism","attitude","modern approach" etc. etc. all points to the simple premise that a sport cannot be taken as just a game after all...People pay hard earned money to watch these cricketers play & they want their moneys worth.Any person who appreciates the value for the same would agree that he/she got his/her money's worth as long as they saw both sets of players who are playing are the best that their team could select,The ground conditions are fair & knowledge of the same is openly available & the whole game is played in a fair manner within the framework of the rules ie rules could be bent but not broken...Finally when the game starts a person expects to SEE the players give their best ,their attitude is reflected via many things which any normal person not a psychiatrist need to decipher....I hope everyone understands what I am talking about...& why this Catch 22 situation for the board is going to be a pivotal moment which determines the shape of Indian cricket in the next few years at least
& btw yours truly has been following cricket since age of 6 -7( like most Indians) with passion & started following football only from 1999..So u c where I am coming from & where my real passion lies in some corner of my heart :)
P.S : Post the "cutting chai"...we heard that "Chappel has indicated that he doesn't want to continue in his job..." **sigh**
1 comment:
Do you agree Dravid should continue as Captain and that BCCI should persist with him, of course, without Guru Greg? Read my blog at:
http://mycricketmusingsforyou.blogspot.com/
Thanks.
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