Cricket In India: Transcending Boundaries And Logic

Cricket – A Religion That Unites!!

What is it about cricket that drives the entire nation crazy? What is it that makes people transcend all religious and cultural barriers of the country to support their nation? Why has this game time and again been given the unique distinction of being the religion of a nation of millions? Ask this question to a football fanatic or a tennis fan and he might say the game of cricket is quite weird and yes he is indeed right. For a guy who isn’t aware of the A,B,C of the gentleman’s game,it is a sport where 22 fellow colleagues clad in colourful attires and sometimes white chase a red sphere all day long. Then there is a tall, slim lad who charges in like a raging bull and hurls the red cherry at the man who at the other end is all set and determined to send it out of the stadium. All this with just a willow in hand!!

For someone who doesn’t love the game of cricket, its really hard to understand the real objective behind all this chaos. Well, it all begins with a carve of willow which is found in the valleys of Kashmir. It is then shaped into a high-sided polygon, and after all the processes that need to be carried out, we get the final product-That is the cricket bat. A bat which has the magical strength of bringing an entire nation to a stand still. For people like me who have grown up watching the game of cricket flourish in front of our eyes, it is perhaps easy to describe what we feel about the game and more importantly why we label it as the religion of India. One of the sources where this country of a billion derives its pride from is its cricket match. Cricket is played along the length and breadth of the country, from the mighty peaks of Himalayas, to the arid deserts of Rajasthan in its searing heat. Matches are played on every surface in all kinds of weather by people of all ages.

As a nation India always had continuous exposure to cricket. If we lose a match, then one-sixth of the nation grieves, a victory brings smiles to the faces of millions. People come out on the streets and celebrate. Ever since 1947, our nation has broken up into numerous languages and many small states which today have their own cultural identity but if there is something which binds the nation,it is cricket. It is a platform where people irrespective of their religion, caste and creed unite and support the country. We never seem to get tired of it-The fatigue factor never seems to set in. Bring in as many tournaments as you want and you are guaranteed of a jam packed viewership. People are just crazy for the game and it shows in the way they back their team, be it a T20 match, or an ODI or for that matter a test fixture,you would always get a million fans chanting ”INDIA-INDIA. INDIA-INDIA” and would also get to see die hard fans painting their faces in tri-colours. Such is the mass connect of the game that people are ready to withstand the scorching heat of the sun or the wrath of Indra Devta just to have a glimpse of their favourite star in action.

And of course, cricket in India has it’s own God, for it is a religion here!

Every religion has its messiah and so does cricket-SACHIN RAMESH TENDULKAR. A player who is referred to as the God of cricket, a player who shoulders the expectations of a billion people. He is the cynosure of all eyes. Our joys knows no bounds when it comes to this great man, no matter how difficult a situation is, no matter who we are up against, as long as he is there on the field, hopes are alive in India. He is a magician- A magician for whom “impossible” is just another word in the dictionary.

Honestly speaking, I have never understood the beauty of a statement like ‘‘Rahul Dravid‘s toes rise sweetly in sync with the pace of the approaching ball, he stands tall and majestically whacks the red cherry past the backward point” and I never would. It is for the cricket pundits to admire. All that I understand is that it is a four from Dravid and that is what gives me and millions and millions of cricket fans unbound joy. In cricket, perhaps nobody can explain why a third man is a third man and not a fourth man, nobody can explain the logic behind the name silly mid off but to be honest, only the most abhorrent outsider might associate the word logic with the beautiful game. To many, cricket might well be illogical but friends, for a million people out here in INDIA ,it is Dil-logical yaar!

Avik(Destiny’s Child)