Indian Cricket Over rated ?

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The Indian cricket team is currently ranked #1 in the ICC’s rankings for the world test teams, and holds the second spot in the ODI rankings. On an abstract note, the Indian team is unanimously rated by the cricketing fraternity as one of the three best teams in the game, along with Australia and South Africa.

Ranked high, rated highly. Albeit, is the Indian team over-hyped?

The Indian cricket team. The Great Indian National Cricket Team. The Youth Brigade. The Yuvrajs and Dhonis and Bhajjis and Rainas. Overrated?

Depends on how you look at them, really. As cricketers, they’re adored by large numbers of fans from all over the world. Each one of them has a fan following in every cricketing nation, right from up above in West Indies to down south New Zealand. The sheer cricketing talent they display ensures that the banners and chants for them never die out, irrespective of which country or stadium they’re playing in.

India is a different story.They’re more than just cricketers in this part of the world.

In India, Yuvraj and Dhoni aren’t just the star batsmen they’re often -and quite rightly so- viewed as. Yuvraj is the ‘prince’ of the team -he’s got the money, women, cars -and oh, the runs too. Dhoni isn’t just our national captain; he’s the messiah of Indian cricket, Indian cricket’s Midas, world cricket’s Golden Boy and a lot more. Bhajji isn’t just the excellent spinner he is, he’s also the audiences’ favourite funny man.

Again- overrated?

Are we loving Yuvraj’s flamboyance more than we ought to? Are Dhoni’s achievements as captain being magnified to larger than they really are? Is Bhajji actually entertaining, or are we just bearing with his antics, because ‘it’s justified’ ?

Advertising and news reporting over the past three years -if not more- have programmed us in a way that we cannot help but love the players. These two, integral elements of media have formed a connect between the players and the audiences (us), and ensured that we look at the cricketers as more than just professionals. That sure explains the motive behind some certain advertisements that feature the cricketers; 7 Up once launched an ad, showing how a common, tennis-playing school goer “ban gaya Dhoni”. While Bhajji was involved in the Monkeygate at Sydney, Star News was covering his mother’s ‘grief and sorrow’ as she expressed it.

Why? To form the connect.

Most of us today believe that Indian cricketers are overrated, and the onslaught of the IPL has only added to their ever-inflating fame in the country. Without doubt, the media is making the most of it, with ad companies, through endorsements raking in highly valuable brand loyalty, and news channels winning high TRPs, through special features on a cricketer’s path to glory or kundali analysis, or even a special report on his new home, car or dog. And while the cricketer’s do look like they’re benefiting the most out of it -money from the endorsements is big- in a way it’s really sad too, since the value of their cricket-ness no longer matters. How? Like this : Dhoni was flooded with endorsement offers, following his victory at the T20 World Cup in September 2007. How many offers did he receive after playing the match-saving innings of 97* -coming in at number 7- at the Lords, in July 2007? None.

Is the team over-hyped?Yes indeed.

Is it the team’s fault?You tell me.