‘Lo, iss light ko bhi abhi hi jaana tha, radio kahaan hai, cell kahaan rakhe hain, jaldi dhoondon ek bhi cheez thikaane nahi milti. Last overs hai, har ball important hai jaldi karo …..’, these lines uttered by my anxious , worried and curious for the result of very important match of cricket, papa are still fresh in my mind.
They take me back to the times when mobile phone era was yet to set in and radio channel was not synonymous to FM. There was AIR and the old transistors provided all respite to the radio lovers. And this commodity became even more sought after whenever the Thomas Edison invention left us midway a one day match or the series was an abroad one, not being telecasted on the TV channels(DD).
But even when, resource crunch and difficult access was there, listening to commentary or watching live the maestros of strokes was a cherished experienced. Everyone planned for the upcoming series in their own way, students praying for no exam colliding with matches, senior lot of house avoiding any reason for the visit to somebody’s place or someone paying visit to their abode. The season of the series has its own ambience and the effect staying on for few days even after it was over filing the life with joy if INDIA won or leaving all sad and cursing in case of loss.
The series were awaited eagerly, they were few in number but enjoyed to fullest. Everything that is available in limits is always cherished. Abundance usually erodes the quality out of an item. This very principle seems to have affected the gentlemen’s game. The time when there were fewer cricket matches, it was filled with gritty performances by the superb players. The excellence of game remained supreme and hence attracted all.
Today cricket has become virtually 24*7 commodity. Loads of new championships are invented and people are fed so much with it that the taste is lost. The players are either not fit or are tired enough to give their best to the game.
Business minds who saw huge prospect of profit in the game seems to forget that the game they are investing is being played by not machines but the humans who have the same body limitations as we all have. Stretching the same is neither good for them nor for the game. And in fact it won’t be correct here to point only to the investors and the business lobby when the players themselves have chosen the path of extra earnings risking their fitness and longevity in the game. It is not my intent to say that the expansion or widespread of the game is bad but we still have a good amount of the skilled players still waiting for their chance. Why are we not able the release their potential even when we are literally feeding cricket to masses daily. The need of hour is rotation policy and much more sane management to save the grace of the game. Else we are nearing days playing with 11 injured players and have all retired hurt.
Money it seems has taken the centre stage from pitches and wickets. My heart just worries that the glamour, the money and the mahanga tamasha surrounding the game make take the soul out of the game. I can still bet on a 70’s test match for most of the 20-20 IPL or CL matches for the sake of technique execution, grit determination, skill display and sportsmanship. With each new stupid venture to sell the game, my heart weeps for the sad demise of its one of the favorite sport.
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