Indian cricket fan adores cricketers but what about cricket ?

All the quintessential cricket fans from India and the world over really treat cricket not just as any other sport but as a religion. Whenever India wins they (me included) rejoice as if there is nothing more to savour and when the team losses, we all can sense the despair and moaning of the disgruntled fans across the country. I have followed cricket since the age of 7 and there was a time in my life when I also used to react in extremes after the result of the matches, depending on whether India won or lost. Now that India has tremendously improved as a team (barring recent debacles ) even I have started reacting in a more pragmatic and mature manner. I somehow wonder as to why this change in my reacting styles over the years, some might point out to the maturing of the mind as we grow older but I think it is very important to point out that I have started enjoying the game of cricket much more than I have ever done in my life.

For starters we Indians are very emotional about anything which is very close to our heart and I would like to safely say with a few exceptions that the majority of the average Indian cricket fan loves the cricketers and forgets about the beauty of the game. I have seen a lot of matches live in stadiums across India and can easily point out that the majority of Indian fans come to watch a certain Tendulkar or a Dhoni  and forget the rest of the game. We see numerous instances of people switching the T V sets when a Tendulkar gets out or leave the stadium when a Sehwag is dismissed cheaply. I have often wondered in astonishment as to why do these fans forget that there are 22 players who have come to play a fierce game of cricket   out in the middle. Ultimately it all boils down to just one thing “Sheer enjoyment of sport”. We as cricket fans should really ask ourselves do we really go to watch a cricket match or just a mere group of talented players ?  We as Indian fans must try and introspect this aspect of trying to learn to enjoy a sport and not just sportsmen.

Whenever our favourite players fail to perform, we accuse them of lack of commitment and some ridiculous reasons like doing too much   brand endorsements and also try to accuse them of playing for money and not for the pride of the nation. we very conveniently forget that we have made these players larger than life and are as much responsible for the state of affairs in Indian cricket. We often try to blame the BCCI for lack of planning and accountability towards the country, ( not entirely unjustified ). We as average Indian cricket fans should also look honestly at our own attitude towards the sport. We cannot fathom the fact that our team has lost and fail to realize the fact that even  the opposition team is playing for the pride of its country and even the opposing players are allowed to score hundreds and take wickets. Barring a few grounds, I have rarely seen the stadium stand  up and applaud the opposing team player performing rather well. Yes we are living in a truly competitive environment and where losing is not affordable in any sphere of life, but this callous attitude towards   the sport will take the Indian cricket fan nowhere. It is the sport which is bigger than any of its players and the Indian fan should go to watch and enjoy the game of cricket and if at the end of the day, the Indian team wins well  then it is really an icing on the cake.

I had  been to Nagpur during the  2011 world cup game against South Africa where India committed hara-kiri and lost a game which should never have been lost in the first place but somehow managed to lose a close match. The Proteas played exceedingly well and managed to claw themselves back in to the match and went on to win a memorable match. Me and my brother were also very disappointed and but the scenes which we witnessed at the Jamtha stadium after the end of the world cup game were absolutely shocking to say the least. The enraged fans were pelting stones from the top of the stadium and some people were hurt badly.

India as a nation has to develop a sporting culture where the people are trained to enjoy a particular sport and not just run after some top cricketers. I also recall a recent incident where I had gone to Mumbai for the test match between India and England and the home team was beaten comprehensively  in less than 4 days but I really enjoyed every moment of the match and even on the 4^th day where it was clear for all and sundry to see that India was going to be defeated in a matter of hours, but still I was keen as mustard and woke up early and went to the Wankhede stadium at 7:30 in the morning for a 9:30 start. I had gone to enjoy the whole process of the 2 teams arriving at the ground from the Marine Drive and the subsequent net  practice sessions. Trust me I was very excited and considered myself fortunate to be amongst very few people who had come to watch the match that day. After I returned to home, everybody was admonishing me for going so far to see a losing match and wasting 4 days , but I had thoroughly loved my experience and replied instantly that I was very happy  with my  experience and all these people around me were looking at me in a weird manner and reacted as if I was an alien who lived on another planet.  I would like to make an earnest appeal to the entire cricketing fan fraternity to enjoy the game of cricket and not just the cricketers and learn to take things in our stride.