Why Always Bat?

This post had been sitting with puppy eyes in my drafts for a month now and while I pen, this post stands out of regular. This is an outrageous post. Okay, I exaggerated a little. Lately I have been thinking to actually ponder upon something sensitive. Actually not that sensitive, okay-okay-ish sensitive types.

It is okay to love something, but what if “love” exceeds the boundaries of okay? Nothing can be done; we have to live with it. Maruti television commercial says, “India, a country obsessed with mileage” but clearly they are wrong by miles. India has a bigger obsession, mileages doesn’t even make up to the “Top 10 Obsessions of India”. Cricket is the list topping obsession of India. For some, this obsession has crossed all the bars and boundaries (Not Chandni Bar, okay?); doesn’t matter if India is not playing, humein toh match he dekhna hai bas.


So, how does this works? And exactly why does this works? I am no cricket enthusiast. This statement would have banish me from my own country if the country was run by goofy cricket lovers. In other words, this is the first time I am glad that Manmohanji is our Prime Minister. Indian cricket enthusiast have variety of things which makes them the *real* entusuast. Not knowing how to play and ready to throw their expert opinions. 
"A statistical analysis of each player. 5 pros and more than 5 cons on batting position. How is the pitch? Will it rain? Not much crowd to see Sachin’s 100^th 100. The moment *they* sight a cricket match, they turn into, let’s say, to a Mathematician cribber who reports weather on local news channel; adopting a standard procedure of nitpicking after every stroke by an Indian batsman."

Hockey, bring the national sport and people giving a damn about it; so India, no? India pray cricket beyond the boundaries (Hehe, no puns). Colouring their faces with tricolour is somewhat, normal in a cricket stadium but we don’t see people with such high enthusiasm on Independence Day. Carving India’s map on head but no such art is displayed on Republic day. Cricket unifies the nation but, so does Diwali; then why is cricket riding such high. Is it Marijuana? Surely not! You only get to see final Football World Cup match in a public gathering place just because world is watching it, else a cricket match. Forget about Basketball or any other outdoor sport with ball.

So, why does every second child wants to grow up and become like Sachin Tendulkar? Why not Michael Jordan, Michael Schumacher or Vinod Kambli err… I meant Tiger Woods; okay leave the example part. I think I have successfully dug my point here. We don’t see much of the sports in India because India does not give them enough opportunity or the matter of fact, funds. A friend of mine shared a picture on a social networking site (Duh! We all know what site), Indian Women Kabaddi team members were waiting for an auto on road with World Cup in hands. We don’t see Mahendra Singh Dhoni accompanied by Virat Kohli and Ravindra Jadeja with a World Cup in one hand asking auto driver, “Bhaiyya New Delhi Railway Station chalna hai? Meter kay hisaab se chalna. Ok!” Why? Because their sport is raised by the richest board in the world Board of Cricket Control in India or as we all say BCCI. 

If, only opportunity were a little high India wouldn't been a Sport Backward country, minus cricket.