Cricketainment

To                                                                                                                      20.02.03

The Editor                                                                                                                              

"Star of Mysore"

Mysore

For kind favour of publishing in your esteemed Readers columns

Sir,

Cricket Glorious Cricket ! or that is what it used to be.

Today the noble game stands vertically divided into two varieties: one that is played by Connoisseurs out of genuine love of the game and  unlimited thrill  it provides, without expecting anything in return and whose deeds go unsung. The other,increasingly beginning to resemble a circus where the protagonists are totally in the clutches of a plethora of Corporate marketting whiz kids,who do everything in their capacity to out wit each other in projecting the cricketer as a cult hero.

Earning an India cap is a passport to wealth and fame.Very few who make it to the top are able to find time for domestic cricket at Inter state level.When they are not engaged in playing  international cricket they are fulfilling their commitments to promoting products and services  of their bosses, in the visual electronic media. This brings fame,wealth and clout

The chasm between club/domestic Inter-state cricket and the International circuit is so wide that an Indian International cricketer finds it extremely difficult to mentally adjust

and fit into the rigmarole of domestic tournaments.

While a few countries like Australia,England & South Africa have succeeded in enhancing  the attraction of domestic Circuit,the gap still remains to be bridged in India.

This has contributed vastly to the depletion in levels of competition and diminished player accountability .As such  a place in the Indian team is taken for granted leading to complacence.

Whether the Indian International cricketer has been ambushed by corporate giants or they have voluntarily succumbed to the glitter and fame attached with the status is very difficult to comprehend .The ever increasing urge of Organizers to promote and expand has directly affected the game. Promoters vie with each other by introducing various gimmicks in the name of innovation. On their part,the Board of control simply turns the other way since   corporate support brings riches to the Board. Such is the power that the Indian cricket Board chief is able to lock horns with World's supreme Governing body ,the ICC .

The hype before the commencement of the current World cup tournament touched new heights.The team was projected as world beaters and wonder struck fans believing the media blitz  waited with bated breath and high expectations. The Corporate magnates and cricketers made fortunes.No thoughts were spared  to the possible havoc that over publicity and  hype  could cause.

The sordid nature of the back lash in the face of feeble showing against the Dutch and the sound thrashing received at the hands of Australia is a direct result of the mindless media hype & the cricket crazy Indian fan being taken for granted.

Even though cricket is known to be a game of glorious uncertainties, the Indian cricketer by over advertising   has put himself in a position where he is left with no other option than be accountable or face the collective wrath of a billion people.

 Fans are  more knowledgeable now and can easily distinguish defeat from indifferent display.

The name of the game today is fitness, speed and agility.  If at all our team is winning a few matches it is not because of the above mentioned qualities. Poor performance by opponents  on any given day is a major contributory factor.What our team needs to do urgently is to focus solely on the game. To do that the players will have to exhibit tremendous   courage,will-power & guts.  Recognizing the fact that any number of Indians who are playing the game  at domestic level are as good as themselves and can replace them adequately with a bit of luck will also help. No less than a string of emphatic victories will satisfy the crazed followers.

Meanwhile , the average TV viewing fans would render yeoman service to the   the game if they begin to evaluate the relative strength of our national team in an impassioned manner  rather than be carried away by the "Vishwaroopa" like image created by a section of the electronic media. 

Time and again it has been proved that Cricket has the uncanny ability of  making a fool of  a vain virtuoso. Cricket aficionados sincerely pray that such a situation does not   present itself during this world cup to shatter the Indian dream.