If "Indian Cricket" spoke

Namaste! Greetings to all of you!

I am not an unknown entity. For a long time now, I have made my presence felt all over the world. I command a respect so vast that billions of people follow me wholeheartedly with reverence in their minds.

Tell me, what does cricket means to you? Cricket – The eternal sport that fuels the enthusiasm of countless fans all over the world! Cricket – The sport played with the mind, appreciated with the heart, and loved by old and young alike. But cricket in India means much more than this. It is a religion by which people swear by. Our cricketers are like our deities whom we worship and cherish for a lifetime.

For years now, I, Indian cricket, have inspired and nurtured brilliant players of all time. I have made men out of boys. I have supported & helped raise perfectionists, pseudo-gods, winners, destroyers, and a whole lot of varied cricketers from different backgrounds. Cricketers with heart-breaking stories, cricketers with humble backgrounds, cricketers who have mesmerized the world with their genius.

I fondly remember the Black prince, Prince Ranjit Singhji, who made his test debut for England in 1896, which made him the first Indian to play Test cricket. The Ranji trophy got its name from this swashbuckling player, who pitched India on the international cricketing circuit. This overseas triumph first brought cricket into the hearts of millions of Indians back home.

The BCCI was formed in 1928 and India played its first ever test match against England in 1932. And soon after independence, a free India saw the rise of the game in its truest form. By the 1960s and 70s, I am proud to say that Indian cricket had developed into a fierce and daunting opponent. Polly Umrigar, Vijay Manjrekar, MAK Pataudi, the list goes on. How can I forget the formidable Bedi, Chandra, Prasanna spin trio which instilled fears in the hearts of top batsmen of those days. And of course, Sunil Gavaskar, a man after my own heart. He defined cricket on his own terms, yet gained a crazy fan-following in India & abroad. When he surpassed Don Bradman’s record of 29 centuries; everybody thought (including me) that such a batsman would never be born again in India.

But, my Indian soil has surprised me each time. The 1980s saw the rise of dashing cricketers like Mohammad Azharuddin, Ravi Shastri, Dilip Vengsarkar, Kapil Dev and many more. It was a proud moment when we won the 1983 World Cup, a victory totally unexpected. And then, by the early 1990s, a God arrived. He was unlike any cricketer I had seen. Genius, talent & determination etched on him, a boy-next-door, a would-be legend & a person who made the whole world run behind him like crazy. Perhaps, the most humble Indian cricketer of all times, next only to Rahul Dravid, another iconic batsman nicknamed “The Wall”. Anil Kumble, an incomparable spinner with heart of gold. Sourav Ganguly, the captain who catapulted India to top spots in the international rankings, the one who helped India win overseas tours. VVS Laxman, the epitome of patience & methodical stroke-play.

And more recently, the current Indian cricket team with Captain Cool Dhoni, who fulfilled our dream of winning the World Cup almost 23 years later. Sehwag, the disciple of Sachin himself; Gambhir, an aggressive hitter; Yuvraj, the prince who fought cancer and emerged victorious on all fronts. Zaheer & Harbhajan, two diamonds who have now lost their shine. Young & talented Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar, R Ashwin, and Ravindra Jadeja, who have all captured pinnacles of success in such a young age.

Sadly, though, today I feel poorer in all these contexts. I lay ruined & tarnished, waiting for respite. My own people have turned away from me. After the World Cup win 2 years ago, nothing has been right. One by one, my gems, my stars, my jewels have all retired. Losses have been aplenty and the lack of any convincing wins have left me broken. Though the IPL has boosted my T20 performances, “Test cricket”, the true identity of cricket, is in disarray and chaos. The ODI wins are too scattered and disoriented to reach any final conclusion.

In reality, I have no dearth of talent today too. My young cricketers are as much brilliant as the old ones, if not more. But they are brash & over-confident. Humility isn’t the lesson they have learned yet. Their too-sure attitude has ruined their outlook & it pains to see that there is no one to guide them further. A few random wins within a series of defeats & repeated failures are no excuses for such dismal performances. The problem is that we have so many excuses for bad performances, but such few ideas for improving upon them.

The BCCI is the richest cricket board in the world; but I, Indian cricket, I am so impoverished today, for want of a little consistency. What I need is an attitude change, a will for hard-work & an inspiration like no other. Sachin’s dream motivated us to get the World Cup. So why can’t a collective dream of youthful minds change the face of Indian cricket?

I want to apologize to my supporters, well-wishers & lovers who I have disappointed in these last two years. And I want to appeal to my current torch-bearers to adopt the humility & grace which bestowed the older cricketers the benevolence necessary to sustain in this otherwise ruthless & competitive world. Possessing talent isn’t enough; unless it is coupled with a healthy attitude, all will be lost.

Above all, I am answerable to the common Indian cricket fan who looks up to me for motivation, for something to hold onto in the bleakest times. I have a legacy to uphold. I have to bring the golden days back.

All I ask, is for little patience from my fans & a little understanding from my young brigade & I promise you, I will get back on my feet & command the respect I truly deserve. Deep inside, I do believe, once I emerge from this lean patch, I shall be stronger and a whole lot wiser. Once again, I would have made ‘men’ out of ‘boys’, learned my lessons. After all:

“You can learn LITTLE from victory, but you can learn EVERYTHING from defeat.”