Economic & Political Weekly EPW january 11, 2014 vol xlix no 2 77

POSTSCRIPT
WALKABOUT | RUMINATIONS | SPORTS
Its Just Not Cricket !
As modern-day cricket has now attained the
frenzied status of mass mania in India, purists have
begun to flock to other sports.
Srinivasan Ramani
F
or sports lovers in India who claim to be purists,
these are indeed strange times. An amorphous group-
ing among those who follow sports, they are distinct
from the other conventional categories: those who participate
in sports as professionals; those who are casually attracted to
january 11, 2014 vol xlix no 2 EPW Economic & Political Weekly 78
POSTSCRIPT
SPORTS | LANGUAGE
sporting activities as a pastime, and those who consider
sports as mere entertainment or leisure. Like art lovers,
purist connoisseurs of sports are obsessed with quality, and
fancy themselves as vicarious participants in the games they
follow as spectators or as amateur participants.
The evolution of cricket into a popular sport in India has
placed the purist in an uncomfortable state of mind. While
all three forms of cricket the advanced, more rigorous
but slow, test cricket; the still popular one-day cricket;
and the fast-paced Twenty 20 (T20) version are patronised
by the Indian cricket board, it is the last version that has
generated the most enthusiasm and popular support. Pack-
aged mostly as entertainment with a lot of sideshows
cheerleading, celebrity marketing, and elaborate commer-
cialisation the T20 version, particularly its
marquee tournament, the Indian Premier League
(IPL), has created a frenzy among the Indian public.
Despite the innumerable controversies surround-
ing it, such as match-xing and corruption, fans
of the IPL have remained rather faithfully glued
to their television sets or have continued to pat-
ronise the tournament by ocking in thousands to the stadia
for the matches.
Most purists, on the other hand, nd that the IPL has
systematically diluted the game of cricket. Cricket has
traditionally been a test of skills and willpower that held
both the bowler and the batsman in equal importance. Lately,
however, the T20 format has skewed this equation dispro-
portionately in favour of the batsman. Various other forms of
dilution of rules and system have accompanied this develop-
ment the reduction of boundary limits, less leeway for
bowler error, the virtual disappearance of the state of the
pitch as a major factor, and, of course, restrictions on the
bowlers arsenal and eld settings. In this form of cricket,
there is little true competition, and too much of success is left
to chance and randomness. Little wonder then that purists
have found it difcult to sustain their enthusiasm for cricket,
when the T20 version of it predominates discussion and me-
dia coverage in the country.
Consequently, the more serious acionados of cricket have
shifted their interest to other forms of sports, even those in
which Indians are particularly bad at, from an international
perspective. Young urban Indians have started following
European football and American basketball. The explosion
of satellite television and the relative ease of access to live
telecasts of tournaments such as the UEFA Champions
League, the English Premier League, and the Spanish La Liga
in football, and the matches of the National Basketball Asso-
ciation in the United States have created a new following
among sports lovers in India. These tournaments showcase
the best of global athletic talent, and even if they do not
feature any Indians, they are attracting new legions of fans
from India. Not surprisingly, many young Indians passion-
ately support football clubs such as Manchester United and
FC Barcelona or basketball teams such as the Los Angeles
Lakers. Many Indians actively participate in internet forums
dedicated to analysing football or basketball from a purists
perspective. Some of these websites are run by Indian fans
themselves, despite little patronage for these sports in their
own country.
Can it be said that the rampant popularity, the poor
administration and relative dilution of cricket are reasons
for the purists shift in interest? To a certain extent, one
could say so. But then one would also expect to see a
simultaneous increase in participation in these sports on
the eld by the many young people who seem to be so
passionate otherwise as fans of the games. Are we getting
youth to ock to maidans, public grounds and gymnasia
in the cities to play football and basketball?
Sadly, no. Purist interest in sports seems to be
mostly limited to the couch potato culture or
internet fandom.
The absence of open grounds and indoor
and outdoor stadia, and the continuing lack of
emphasis on physical education for youth are
among the reasons for this sorry state of affairs. Remember,
it did take years for the translation of purist interest in
cricket into active participation in the sport. Earlier genera-
tions of Indian cricket lovers were equally passionate about
cricket, appreciating the game through radio broadcasts
and newspaper reports. It took a generation, or maybe even
two, for the sport to become a participative venture for
youth, and even a viable professional avenue for aspiring
cricketers. Successes by Indian teams in international tour-
naments, of course, accelerated that process. Can we expect
a similar story for other sports in the country? Purists will
certainly hope so.
Srinivasan Ramani (srini@epw.in) is Senior Assistant Editor at EPW.
Purist interest in
sports seems to be
mostly limited to
the couch potato
culture or internet
fandom