Down Under

Yes, we lost a test match because

a) Aussies played foul

b) Bucknor hated us

c) we couldn’t bat for 72 overs

d) we are this poor nation whose resources have all been looted out but, we are valiantly fighting against these imperialist… whatever

We lost a match because, all things said and done, we could not give our best when it mattered. Guess how we reacted? With shame? Determined not to fail in the next match? No, we took that hallowed post-freedom path of Idiocy! What else can it be called when a nation with a cricketing history of 50 years acts like a 5 year old kid? The way we look at it, everyone was conspiring against us, just like it happens in those never-ending soaps on TV. May be, for us cricket is not a sport. It’s just another soap.

Only this can explain the `professional’ conduct of BCCI, and how it gets away with it. Even if it were filled with industrialists (if not cricketers), one would still hope for a saner approach to cricket, sadly it is filled with politicians: the section of our society that we love to hate. This is where the contradiction between our words and our actions is most obvious. We hate our politicians for their absolute disregard for accountability and incompetence in all things unrelated to corruption. In spite of the applicability of these descriptions to BCCI, we worship our cricketers. Smart, or what?

Without doubt we have the worst possible attitude towards any sort of industrious activity, sports being just one of them. We want results without putting in the hardwork. By God we know what Gita says, and we are content with that knowledge. For that we believe that we deserve all the fruits of this world, without having to pluck them. We feel cheated when we go in to the cricket field armed with this knowledge, and don’t get those cups. Like 5 year old kids, we believe we should get everything that we deserve. Without breaking any sweat. And, like 5 year olds, we believe we deserve everything. Where were we, when the rest of the world was growing up?