I have asked this question to myself many times before. I asked it when India was knocked out of the semifinals in 1996 world cup, I asked it after India’s heartbreaking loss to Pakistan by 17 runs in that famous Chennai test, I asked it when the match fixing controversy broke, I asked it when India lost the 2003 world cup final to Australia, I asked it when India was knocked out in the first round from the 2007 world cup.
And here I am all over again, asking myself the same question, but this time much more loudly after India’s super 8 stage exit from the T20 world cup in West Indies. But what made me ask the question more seriously this time is not so much another failure in cricket, but the success in another sport by an Indian which got almost no coverage in the media and indeed was hardly noticed by the public too. An Indian gentleman called Vishvanathan Anand became the World Chess Champion, for not once, not twice, not thrice but an incredible fourth time. Ironically, he sealed his title on the same day that India lost its super 8 match against the West Indies.
In our country, even if a cricketer so much as sneezes, it becomes breaking news. If someone is selected in the Indian cricket team, we get to see interviews of the player’s parents, neighbours, school teacher, friends, his milkman and more……..Ok, not the milkman I know I am exaggerating. But contrast this with the coverage, or rather lack of it for Anand’s stupendous achievement. I didn’t see a single television interview of him on any news channel. I didn’t see any channel analysing Anand’s matches. I didn’t see our governments announcing cash awards and a grand welcome to Anand. The news of Anand’s matches was buried in the back pages of our newspapers. Am I missing something here? This guy has become the World Champion in a sport which is played actively in many more countries than the 9 test playing countries in cricket!
The Indian cricketers are still hogging the limelight even after their exit from the World cup, for all the wrong reasons of course. Millions of Indian cricket fans perhaps would have lost their sleep the night India was eliminated from the world cup, many would have quarreled with their wives for no reason the day India lost that match to Sri Lanka, many a friends would have had arguments over the reasons of our pathetic performance, what were the Indian cricketers up to the same night you ask? They were perhaps enjoying a nice session of drinks at an equally nice night spot in Barbados. I have no idea what makes me follow these super rich and dare I say spoilt and pompous cricketers. Just because they play well a game which we Indians love so much? One can’t help but contrast this with the absolute humility and calm with which the true sports superstars like Anand and Abhinav Bindra carry themselves. They let their performances make news and not their behavior.
Now we have the predictable game of show cause notices, officials talking of selecting only 100% fit players. a committee will I am sure soon be formed to enquire into the reasons of this debacle. Doesn’t it go without saying that only 100% fit players should make it to the team? When was it supposed to be any other way?
Yuvraj Singh was awarded 1 crore rupees by the BCCI for hitting 6 sixes in an over in the 2007 T20 World Cup. To put things in perspective, Anand received a combined prize money of Rs.35 lacks from the central and state governments in 2008 after he retained his world championship title against Kramnik.
In Saina Neheval, we have badminton player who is amongst the top 10 in the world. In Abhinav Bindra we have an Olympic gold winner. In Vishvanathan Anand, we have a World Champion Chess player who has been amongst the top 5 players in world for last 15 years. In the Indian cricket team, we have……………………………What do I write here?
For a nation so badly starved of world class sportsmen, we are strangely unmoved by great achievements in sports other than cricket.
What is it that makes us follow this game called cricket with such a passion? Is it something in our genes? Is it because almost every kid in India holds a bat in his hand while growing up? Is it because cricket is very easy to follow? Is it because watching this game can help kill a lot of time as the matches last 8 hours? Is it because it’s easily available on television?
All said and done, I know the moment India plays its next cricket match, I will be sitting in front of my television to watch the game.
Forget for a second what the Indian cricket team owes us for loving this game so much, it’s time to think what do we owe to the other sportsmen who make India proud!
And here I am all over again, asking myself the same question, but this time much more loudly after India’s super 8 stage exit from the T20 world cup in West Indies. But what made me ask the question more seriously this time is not so much another failure in cricket, but the success in another sport by an Indian which got almost no coverage in the media and indeed was hardly noticed by the public too. An Indian gentleman called Vishvanathan Anand became the World Chess Champion, for not once, not twice, not thrice but an incredible fourth time. Ironically, he sealed his title on the same day that India lost its super 8 match against the West Indies.
In our country, even if a cricketer so much as sneezes, it becomes breaking news. If someone is selected in the Indian cricket team, we get to see interviews of the player’s parents, neighbours, school teacher, friends, his milkman and more……..Ok, not the milkman I know I am exaggerating. But contrast this with the coverage, or rather lack of it for Anand’s stupendous achievement. I didn’t see a single television interview of him on any news channel. I didn’t see any channel analysing Anand’s matches. I didn’t see our governments announcing cash awards and a grand welcome to Anand. The news of Anand’s matches was buried in the back pages of our newspapers. Am I missing something here? This guy has become the World Champion in a sport which is played actively in many more countries than the 9 test playing countries in cricket!
The Indian cricketers are still hogging the limelight even after their exit from the World cup, for all the wrong reasons of course. Millions of Indian cricket fans perhaps would have lost their sleep the night India was eliminated from the world cup, many would have quarreled with their wives for no reason the day India lost that match to Sri Lanka, many a friends would have had arguments over the reasons of our pathetic performance, what were the Indian cricketers up to the same night you ask? They were perhaps enjoying a nice session of drinks at an equally nice night spot in Barbados. I have no idea what makes me follow these super rich and dare I say spoilt and pompous cricketers. Just because they play well a game which we Indians love so much? One can’t help but contrast this with the absolute humility and calm with which the true sports superstars like Anand and Abhinav Bindra carry themselves. They let their performances make news and not their behavior.
Now we have the predictable game of show cause notices, officials talking of selecting only 100% fit players. a committee will I am sure soon be formed to enquire into the reasons of this debacle. Doesn’t it go without saying that only 100% fit players should make it to the team? When was it supposed to be any other way?
Yuvraj Singh was awarded 1 crore rupees by the BCCI for hitting 6 sixes in an over in the 2007 T20 World Cup. To put things in perspective, Anand received a combined prize money of Rs.35 lacks from the central and state governments in 2008 after he retained his world championship title against Kramnik.
In Saina Neheval, we have badminton player who is amongst the top 10 in the world. In Abhinav Bindra we have an Olympic gold winner. In Vishvanathan Anand, we have a World Champion Chess player who has been amongst the top 5 players in world for last 15 years. In the Indian cricket team, we have……………………………What do I write here?
For a nation so badly starved of world class sportsmen, we are strangely unmoved by great achievements in sports other than cricket.
What is it that makes us follow this game called cricket with such a passion? Is it something in our genes? Is it because almost every kid in India holds a bat in his hand while growing up? Is it because cricket is very easy to follow? Is it because watching this game can help kill a lot of time as the matches last 8 hours? Is it because it’s easily available on television?
All said and done, I know the moment India plays its next cricket match, I will be sitting in front of my television to watch the game.
Forget for a second what the Indian cricket team owes us for loving this game so much, it’s time to think what do we owe to the other sportsmen who make India proud!
