India calling India

To,The people who make up Team India

Sirs,

Even at ‘away’ matches, the Indian fans are never away.

We are the Indian cricket fans. But, of course, you already know us, don’t you? We are the people who pelt stones at your houses when you lose a series. We are the ones partly accountable for the brawls you get into. We are the ones who make jokes at your expense, burn your effigies or abuse you in public. But you would also know that we are also the ones who adore you; who love you like crazy. We are the ones who are responsible for all the adulation you get; responsible for your apotheosis.

We throw all logic into the bin and blindly buy all the things you endorse. We feign sickness to miss schools and offices, just to watch you guys play. We travel across the globe so that you don’t feel left out on support. We take up silly Facebook quizzes like “Which Indian cricketer are you?” and happily publish the results to our walls, no matter what the result is- from Sachin Tendulkar to S Sreesanth.

You would also probably be aware that there is a reason behind why we do all this – we share the same passion for the game as you do, if not more. But time and again, we feel cheated and short sold. Time and again, we feel let down. Why is it that we get the feeling that money has become more important for you than the aspiration to play for the country? Why is it that you play in tournaments like the IPL and give a miss to international matches? Why is it that the hunger in you to overcome your obvious glitches is no longer palpable? Why is it that we get the feeling that the selectors hardly know their jobs and pick individuals who have no business being in a cricket field, while leaving out more deserving ones? Why is it that we always hear news about corrupt and incompetent administrators running the show?

Maybe there is something wrong out there or maybe we are reading too much into things. But we just want you to know that we haven’t given up on you. We know that you are aware what Indian cricket means to a fan. We still feel that you can turn things around and give us a brand new reason to celebrate; give us a brand new song to sing.

We will continue to buy things you endorse and continue to fall sick during cricket matches. If ever you need support anywhere, just look around, we will be there waving the tricolor. But we have a dream; a dream to see our team win – on a big stage; a dream to see you winning the World Cup again. 27 years is a long wait. There is one whole generation which does not know what winning a World Cup means. It’s about time we got the baby back home.

We will continue praying and hoping – for as they say ‘hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies’.

From,The people who make up India