Recent performance of Indian cricketers in England has drawn a lot of disdain from the ‘cricket followers’ in India! (Not to mention the England tour has also been responsible for triggering a series of jokes on Whatsapp, last seen during elections!) I am sure by now our cricketers are day dreaming those glory days of world cup victory when they had become demi-gods overnight. I have already expressed my displeasure at the manner in which the cricketers have been ridiculed and censured in my previous blog so I am not getting into it again. It is even more disgusting when the criticism gets personal and their private lives are dragged in. The thing that is going against them is their extremely good performance in IPL followed by poor performance in longer versions of the game. Every year their income figures make it to headlines during IPL. So even if they have one bad day at office, they are run down like anything. Recently concluded tour has actually exposed chinks in their armour. One may argue here saying it is too early to write them off and I agree wholeheartedly. And knowing us, I am sure one good series and everything will be forgotten, so just hang on there guys! However the only worry and a big one at that for overall cricket scene in India is a combination of factors: Sachin Tendulkar’s retirement (we had literally identified cricket with Sachin and vice-versa), fixing allegations, poor performance. People may disagree with me but I still believe the void created by Tendulkar will have a huge impact on the popularity and following of the game in India.
However someone who likes watching a good game of sport will never be disappointed. And that brings me to my new found love, Kabaddi! Pro Kabbadi has come as a huge respite for me personally. It is as exciting as any other sport that I have seen. Not only it is fast paced, it has that raw feel to it. Most importantly, it has this ‘Indianess’ to it. There is hardly any dull moment in it. Simple and low-profiled players bring humility to the game. It is so nice to see how shy lot of these players are while giving interviews as they are not used to the limelight and suddenly they are in focus. What is most heartening to see is that they are finally getting their due in terms of fame and money and the game is getting much needed recognition. In case you do plan to watch it on TV, make sure you have the Hindi commentary on! They are more exciting than many of the English speaking cricket commentators who have literally mugged up select phrases for all possible situations in cricket! I am sure Pro Kabaddi will only get better with time. According to reports, Pro Kabaddi’s viewership has overtaken FIFA’s viewership in India by a decent margin, super start to say the least! With Indian Super League round the corner, sports followers in India are in for some exciting stuff.
