Cricket is said to be a gentlemen’s game. In colonial days, it was introduced in India by the Britishers. While the players were always impeccably dressed in white from head to the toe, the spectators were mostly ladies who came to the clubs to cheer them. However endorsements, media hype, betting, match fixing and now murder have slowly vitiated the game and changed its total character altogether.
Some cricket enthusiasts believe that the game has the largest number of fans in India. With media hype and glamourisation of cricket, it has became fashionable to take interest in it forcing millions including housewives, daily wage-earners and rustic illiterates to delude themselves to be sincere fans of the game. Cricket has been cleverly made an escapade from the daily grind of life. Soap operas and films shown in TVs take at the most 2 hours of viewing time whereas cricket matches can hook viewers for 6-7 hours for ODIs. Since the World Cup matches are going to be played over two months, TV channels and newspapers do not have to work hard to fill up their spaces. Concentrating on one single subject, their commercial interests are going be rewarded any way.
After the disastrous defeat of Team India against Bangladesh, TV clips showed houses of players like Dhoni getting demolished by angry fans. A photo in the front page of a daily showed women in saris demonstrating with placards reading “You come back, we will play”. There have been other types of protests like burning of effigies of players.
Indian fans accustomed to fantasize victory for Team India regardless of its weaknesses and strengths of good teams like Australia, South Africa and Sri Lanka had a shock of their lives when India was beaten very convincingly by Sri Lanka. India’s dream of becoming World Cup winner was not only shattered, but also the spectre of not making it to Super Eights haunted millions of fans. Even after a few shock deaths and suicides which followed the defeat, the media is still continuing with their hype about the game. India is hoping against hope of sneaking into Super 8 which can happen if only Bermuda can defeat Bangladesh. The Bermuda team has, in the whole bargain, unexpectedly won the good wishes of one billion Indians! If only (some cynics may still be hoping) Australia, South Africa, Sri Lanka and others get eliminated, India could play against Bermuda in the final and somehow win, then World Cup 2007 would be ours. Then Team India and millions of cricket fans could live happily thereafter.
If cricket is no more a gentlemen’s game, why then so many millions are still glued to TV to watch matches? Someone had sarcastically described cricket as the game which is played by eleven players and is watched by eleven thousand fools. Today, eleven players still play the game but many times eleven thousand fans keep watching them. I am happy not to be a fan even if the ‘real’ fans consider me as sub-human species.
The Weird World of Cricket Fans of India
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