The Saga of a Religion :Cricket

The best way to be successful is to be Fearless-Mithali Raj (Captain Indian Cricket team)

So finally all that frenzy and extravaganza   of this year’s IPL  has just  passed its expiry  date and  unshakable loyalty of fans  previously bowed down to  eight  different colors (teams)  has now  unified and focused onto just  a single color  which is just  ready to manifest itself  in and as  ‘Men in Blue’ in the coming 12th edition of ICC cricket world cup to be held in England. Not to mention, it is the most prestigious tournament of Cricket, organized just once in 4 years unlike IPL and other similar tournaments in different countries which are repeated every year. In IPL,  it is the Fan’s  crazy support  for their team which take precedence, while in an International  tournament  like Cricket World Cup,  the national esteem and  pride of each playing country that  remains at stake, precisely the reason why makes it the most prominent and serious tournament in the realm of Cricket.

Countless opinions and commentaries are expected to dominate the television screens along with the downpour of public discourse. In the coming days, we are going to witness impeccable and passionate brainstorming on technicalities involved, expert opinion on secret strategies adopted by playing teams and certainly the bet on the most favorite team which will lift the cup this year. All this will remain the buzz of the day till the last bowl of the tournament is bowled.

But, while all this go along, it is interesting  to think of a  perspective  on -how a game , any game, say Cricket  bears the capacity and be instrumental  to change and offer  a  totally new direction of hope and optimism to a country  which quite often tops or be  the runner up from the bottom of rankings on different parameters (Health, Education,  freedom,etc) issued by the UN or some other independent organizations.

To understand this, let’s imagine if the cricket team of Afghanistan or Bangladesh reaches the final and beat Australia or England and lift the cup this year. Imagine the sudden flood of hope and instant joy in these countries. Certainly, one needs to use quite a new set of imagination altogether to realize the mood and newfound jubilation In a war-ridden country like Afghanistan or a nation consistently grasped in the clutches of poverty and social mayhem like Bangladesh. This victory would certainly change the narrative of these two and many other Cricket (or any other game) playing countries before the world and divert the journey of their nation to a path of more hope.

Seems impossible, but  this assumption was turned into reality by the Indian cricket team  on June,25,1983 when an  underdog team of  11 legendary players led by Kapil Dev  not only lifted the trophy  by defeating  the invincible West Indian team  –but also took hope and self-belief  in 750 million souls  to a new height and all along made this game a religion in the  country  which eventually found  its God in  Sachin Tendulkar .He is revered as  no less than any real God across the nation and perhaps even by those who  know Cricket as good as they pronounce it. As Neville Cardus, the English writer puts it well – A true batsman should in most of his strokes tell the truth about himself. Sachin, through his batting declared about himself that he was the God of Cricket without uttering even a single word while in action.

However, of course, in 1983, India was neither a War ridden country nor in state of extreme political or social upheaval  what  Afghanistan and Bangladesh are going through in the current time but certainly, it was grappling with its own complicated issues of poverty and collective despair. The nation and its people needed a grand reason to lift themselves up from despondency to a hope of – Yes We also can do attitude. People were yearning to buy an inspirational story to compensate for their personal setbacks in their daily life. This win meant the same and was altogether different from just being a world champion of a particular game.

In 1983, the Nation found a batch of its new heroes in Kapli dev©, Sunil Gavaskar, Mohinder  Amarnath,Madan Lal, Dilip Vengsarkar and many others in the following years.  But as this happened, there were quite a few other pioneers who are credited to revive and keep this game alive in India till it became the third most or perhaps first popular things India is known for- Politics and Bollywood. Their silent contribution to emergence and popularity of Cricket in India still find no match.

India played its first ever Test match during Pre -Independence era against England in 1932 led By C.K. Naidu and after independence against Australia in 1948 led by Lala Amarnath.In both notable games, the team succumbed to defeat but registered its presence as an emerging nation in Cricket. It had to endure for 16 long years to smell its first victory in 1952 against same mighty England.

A mere thought of who brought and instilled the element of Aggression, Vigor, class, and self-belief in Indian cricket?, the name of  Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi (aka-Nawab Pataudi and ‘Tiger’ Pataudi) , Kapil Dev and Sourav Ganguly fall in a natural chronological order in our mind.  Nawab Pataudi was made the Captain of Indian Cricket team at the tender age of 21 just after a tragic accident which rendered him blinded with his left eye sight.  But he had never let his limitation become the hindrance or excuse as a cricketer and in public life but rather as they rightly call him Tiger, he led the team right from the front and literally dragged the spirit of his team from its lowest ebb. Pataudi- The witty, charming and handsome young man as he was, gave similar attribute to the game of cricket in equal measures.

  

The solid legacy of Pataudi was later well taken forward by the ever-inspiring cult personality of this game –Kapil Dev whose visuals  of taking the catch of Sir Viv Richards going in the backward direction and the picture of his lifting the World cup Trophy at Lords is still etched on our memories. He is the one who opened a whole new vistas of opportunities for the young lads of this country aspiring to be a cricketer.

Years later, while Indian cricket team and its esteem was bulldozed by the shocking revelation of match-fixing, The Indian cricket luckily found another savior in Sourav Ganguly who again pulled it off through its delicate time like his famous cover drives and crafted a new saga of  Indian Cricket. He revived the memories of 1983 world cup after winning the historic Final of NatWest series at Lords on July 13, 2002. After many uncertain turning points when India could claim this final of  the series, Sourav Ganguly took his shirt off in the famous balcony of Lords and hurled in the air, made this final more memorable and still fresh in minds of every Indian cricket lover who had watched that final.

The Indian cricket team has always been lucky to have legendary players of distinguished characters who molded the game in new shape in different eras. After 2007 World Cup, many stalwarts of the game retired and  Indian Cricket had also shifted from orthodox to an unconventional way of playing. The advent of  Mahendra Singh Dhoni- Captain cool who is known for keeping his opponent and pundits of the game occupied and intrigued at the same time with his mysterious wisdom from behind the wicket showed the way. He is justifiably credited to write another  new story with his final shot in the 10th ICC Cricket World Cup final against Sri Lanka played at Wankhede Cricket stadium in Mumbai on April 2, 2011. With that shot, the whole nation went gung ho in unity and  Sachin Tendulkar- The God of Cricket was eventually given a very well deserved farewell in this Final.

As this year’s world cup is around the corner, the tide of hope and expectations of 1.4 billion people of India have pinned for another historic image in which Virat Kohli –The Indian Cricket Captain lifts the trophy of World Cup at the same Lords, where 35 years ago, Eleven  unknown individuals showed the world how to achieve  an  unachievable  by lifting the Cricket World Cup Trophy for the first time.

May the Best team Win!!!