Cynics and Indian cricket - An everlasting relationship

Nah, he’s no good!

Cynicism is the household breakfast at all Indian tables. Sounds pretty legit for a country where every rising sun brings fresh news of scams and controversies sell like latest brands of cream biscuits. This is India, incredible at its core!

Here achievements invite more scepticism than acknowledgement, more apprehension than applaud. Put in a single word of congratulations and jabber pointless volumes about the necessity to keep one’s feet to the ground and the ordeals that lay ahead – bingo! You’re now the latest intellectual on the block! Really?

The peculiarity of Indian culture lies in the very pessimism of our traditional mindset that refuses to recognize positive brilliance. Not to blame the Indians though, given the profusion of occasions when their own childish innocence had landed them in the throes of deceit. Such is the paranoia that the Indian society simply cannot let go of one’s accomplishment without smelling conspiracy or suspecting selfish plots. It may appear strangely astonishing and scarcely reasonable when cricket, indisputably the most famous sport in the country, too comes under the radar. Then again, it’s only practical that mistrust will ruffle the feathers of the sport that enjoys mass devotion in such a society.

Indian cricket has always turned out to be the target of critics whose lives have been rendered unpleasantly perplexing by the ambiguity of Indian politics. Compared to politics, the world of sports is a much easier terrain which enjoys unanimous affection and enthusiasm. Cricket, in particular, is a religion in India and it is as easier to elevate a cricketer for his success as to dump him on the back of his failure. Sports critics are nothing but mostly unsuccessful sportsmen who feel it’s their national and social responsibility to undermine the players’ triumphs and warn the aficionados prior to his failure.

In a country like India, this assumes massive proportions when every third person emerges out as a self-proclaimed critic. Sarcasm, after all, knows no limit when it comes to belittling relatively fortunate celebrities who’ve guaranteed themselves a better life than most of us. Success is a minority taste and for those who haven’t been privileged enough, scorn and derision turn out to be favourite pastimes.

It is unnervingly ridiculous when one gets to hear about the kind of player Rahul Dravid is from a young chap on the streets who can’t even distinguish between a googly and a flipper.

The Champions Trophy triumph meant fresh cynicism would be arriving in a matter of hours, and of course the critics didn’t disappoint as almost instantly, social networking sites were flooded with views and statements about how incompetently the other teams had performed. Mind the satire – here’s the national cricket team winning a major ICC tournament and the Indians are tearing each other’s brains about which foreign squad had been the most depleted.

It had been pretty frustrating for the believers in Indian cricket when the 2007 World T20 Championship triumph was played down as nothing more than a fluke. Unfortunately, even former cricketers and commentators inferred that the inexperience of all the teams in the shortest format of the game had passively aided the enthusiastic and passionate bunch of young professionals in lifting the trophy.

Indian Cricket Fans Burn posters and an effigy of the Indian Cricket team in Amritsar, 24 March 2007, following the team’s loss against Sri Lanka in the World cup. India were virtually ousted of the World Cup after a 69-run loss against Sri Lanka .

The 2011 World Cup triumph brought about temporary silence in the cynical community who sprang back to life during overseas mauling of India by England and Australia. Rants of a complete overhaul in the line-up became as popular as rosogollas in Kolkata. Given the predicament Indian cricket was in, it was only natural that these vociferous calls would dominate the newspaper headlines until India managed to win a match.

Come summer 2013, and India did manage to win a match. Not just one match, rather a complete whitewash of a touring Australian side. History was created, and jubilation spread across the country until, of course, the cynics surfaced once again. Public memory is short, and one of the major duties that the critics have shouldered upon themselves is to remind Indians, constantly, of the shortcomings. This time it was the lack of skill in the Australian squad that was mocked at. India’s historic deed was, once again, downplayed as if it was only expected that such a depleted side would be beaten no less comprehensively on spinning turfs.

Most top teams around the world are dominant at their own backyard and it is, of course, a challenge to succeed away from home in adverse conditions. However, does this suggest the Indian team must be deprived of the credit of outplaying the same Aussies who had punched them hard in the Kangaroo Island? While the Australian media had organized over-the-top celebrations for the victorious home team months ago, here was their Indian counterpart, all sardonic and vinegary regarding their own team after the 4-0 revenge. Agreed that the ‘real’ test awaits the Indians in South Africa, but does that imply Cheteshwar Pujara and Murali Vijay must be scrapped off the glory they actually deserve?

Be it Sourav Ganguly or MS Dhoni, every Indian captain has lived through and accepted the cynicism of the media and the public with indifference. Indian cricket is a lot more than just newspapers and public hullabaloos, and the players have known better than to read too much into controversies. Immature and untimely judgments about a particular player are no less absurd than farcical statements of soothsayers. At this juncture, one has to admit that a calm-headed skipper in Dhoni has done a world of good to the players and infused new vigour and inspiration in them.

Negativism, however, continues to wither the relationship between the devotees and the devout deities of Indian cricket. Escalating pessimism persisting in media circle means cricket is being shrouded by gloom and distrust where every single individual is being placed to doubt. The IPL scandal has made matters worse. At this rate, it’s only a matter of time before players begin to alienate themselves from the fans (or vice versa). For the best interest of the country and the sport that has successfully flourished, it’s an absolute requirement to strike a balance – basking in the glory of triumphs is as essential as accepting defeats sportingly. Cynicism had been the order for so long; what harm in endorsing a bit of optimism?

For once, the half-empty glass demands to be observed as a half-filled one.