The Methyl Alcohol of Cricket:

It is a nation of sports fanatics. It is a nation where Cricket is a religion. It is a nation where people speak only one language: Cricket. The rich and the poor, the youth and the aged: a simple word is enough to pump up their adrenaline… Cricket! Born in England, worshipped in India, it has come a long way from its original flavor as a Royal gentlemanly game.

Second shows (late night shows) of all the movies in most Indian cities were canceled on the day India played Pakistan in a day/night encounter in Bangalore. Most new movies run deserted when India plays one of those heated matches against Pakistan.

”We do not get even our running costs for shows shown during the cricket match hours. Thus we feel it is better to cancel the shows. In a way, ‘Junta’ should thank us for that; they do not have to choose between Wasim Akram and Hrithik Roshan”. A theatre owner chuckled commenting on the lack of people around his cinema theatre complex.

It pays to observe the spectators. When Sachin Tendulkar lofts a ball over the fence for a widely acclaimed classic home-run, people jump, show their fists to the bowler and shout “Yes!” When he gets out for a chicken ball from Glenn McGrath, the same crowd bangs everything in sight and vent out their anger on whatever is available.. mostly the TV Remote Controller.

“Remote controller sales go up during the cricket matches saab… especially during those matches where India plays down under.” A radiant TV dealer says looking fondly at the fifty guys and gals gathered in front of his showroom to watch the match. “I feel great that I am able to provide some entertainment to all these people.” Just then Rahul Dravid drives the rather clumsy out-swinger to the fence. “Yeah! Kya shot maara hai yaar! Rahul Dravid is the BESHTT”, He says and tells me everything about Rahul Dravid including the number of ducks (Zero runs in an inning) and the number of times he had been dropped off the team.

The national game of this country is Hockey and I bet a million that the billion Indians do not know even the names of their Hockey players. “It is high time they changed the national game to cricket,” a passer-by comments, “Hockey is like tiger… both are on the verge of becoming extinct.” May be that is the reason why Hockey is still the national game of the Republic of India… to be in line with their National animal – Tiger.

So who likes Cricket?

A better question would be – Who doesn’t like Cricket? May be Azharuddin, the infamous match fixing captain of India whom everybody in the country hated for a very brief period. However my friend tells me that even though the disgraced captain does not play or talk Cricket anymore, he is still a celebrity in his native town, Hyderabad, where people invite him as a chief guest for many public functions.

"This is Cricket, bhai saab. Things are forgotten easily.” An ‘Ajju bhai’ fan proclaims. The bottom-line is everyone in India loves Cricket. One or two match-fixers or bad performers do not bring down its popularity. “Cricket is a sensation. It is a way of life… like Hinduism itself.” Says a software engineer from Bangalore who reads Zen and the art of Motorcycle Maintenance on his way to office everyday.

“Passions run high” Neville Cardus said about Football. Lucky chap he was. He died in ignorance. He did not know about match fixing and Cricket’s passion in India. ‘Junta’ here has no food to eat but plenty of Sachin Tendulkars to worship!