Face To Face With Cricket

Face To Face With Cricket

Cricket as you all know is respected as a religion in India. A child when started standing on his feet first hold a bat in his hands in this country. Since this sports is religion cricketers i.e the player which plays this sports automatically becomes God. Cricket World Cup which held in four years is like a sacred ritual for followers of this faith in Indian subcontinent, you can see cricket everywhere in clubs,restaurants,buses,homes and even some cinema halls playing important cricket matches in their theater instead of movies during this period. But what this sports think about its status in this part of the world. On my special request and some approach it was ready to give me some time for this conversation, here is excerpt from the same.

Me : First of all thanks for taking out some time for me from this busy schedule.

Cricket : It's all right, you deliver your questions fast please.

Me : How do you feel about your status in this part of the world i.e Indian subcontinent ? 

Cricket : Who don't like attention. People are crazy about me and I enjoyed it.

Me : Don't you think you are overrated in this part of the world?

Cricket : It depends on how you see me. If you treat me as a sport I am overrated but if you treat me as a religion I think I have still a long way to go. My followers most of the time maintain decorum in the stadium.

Me : Most of the time! That means not always.

Cricket : It sometimes happens in passion, hitting bottles to opponent, destroying sitting arrangements, burning posters I think it is good at times for humanity.

Me : But you are not known in many countries of the world. 

Cricket : (Laughs) Kabhi kisi ko mukammal jahan nahin milta . Do you know baseball, rugby, ice hockey, basketball? Everybody has its own territory , has own area of rule.

Me : Look at football it is famous all over the world.

Cricket : That cheap sports! Just take a ball and make twenty two people run in knickers behind it. What is it's status in front of me. Countries like Trinidad and Tobago, Ghana, Sudan, etc plays this game have you heard about existence of such countries. Don't compare me with football I am gentle men's game whereas football is the game of hooligans. 

Me : So much money was wasted on you in Indian subcontinent that other sports felt neglected.

Cricket : I also feel sad for them but people worships rising sun. You win with me that's why you all like me when in past you were good with hockey you treated it as national sports. It all depends on timing and I think now I am done with your questions, I have to go now.

Me : One last question Sir. What you think about words like war,battle, ground zero, attack, enemies used for you or in reference to you? 

Cricket : ( Sad ) I am just a sport, a tool which brings nation,people together with the spirit of game and sportsmanship. I don't like these words, war and battles spread hatred, I am for love. I request all who are reading me that I am just a game and not the matter of life and death. Win and defeats are my part and with every defeat a team tries to be better next time.

He left after that but his last words echoed for hours in my mind. Why sports which teaches us team work,leadership skills, respect for the opponent, humility,etc becomes a mark of animosity? We must think about it.