In the end, cricket will find a way

There is no greater loss in life than the loss of faith. Faith and belief are perhaps the two most vital ingredients that make our life better. Faith in the better things of life, and belief that no matter what rough times we might be going through, life eventually finds a way. It is perhaps this very sentiment that the cricket fan needs to keep in mind when he faces up to the ongoing crisis in cricket. For cricket fans, the last few weeks have been quite taxing. The allegations of spot-fixing and betting by certain players and other administrators have taken the cricketing world by storm. Cricket fans have thus had their faith in the game shaken badly. Their belief in the righteousness of the game has been jolted to the core. Will cricket ever be able to come out of this darkness? Time will tell.

For now, though, I do not want to get into the details of these events. Our main stream media has been doing that job pretty efficiently. I write today not as a cricket writer, but just as a normal cricket fan who has been passionately following the game since the last two decades. I am one of those who still believes that the game is bigger than these events to have any lasting damage on it. There is no denying, however, that these events have undoubtedly taken its toll on everyone, including myself. This happens more so when I switch on certain TV news channels these days and view endless debates that ‘demand’ the IPL be scrapped. They almost forcibly want us to believe that absolutely nothing is right in this game of cricket. Even before Sreesanth and the others were investigated by the authorities, they declared them to be cheats and ‘demanded’ actions which they themselves gave out.

Now mind you, I am not for a second trying to defend Sreesanth or the others in the case. All I am saying is that let the law take its course. The media is not here to pass judgments but to report events. I say this because there are thousands of fickle minded people in our country who easily lap up whatever the main stream media tells them and then they make their own assessments out of it. This is what I got to hear from some of my friends, who after listening to reports on news channels called me up to say, “I told you so. See, the whole game of cricket is fixed. The IPL is fixed. And yet you have been foolishly supporting these cheaters.” I could do nothing but sigh. People who really follow cricket would know that it is impossible to fix an entire cricket match and its outcome. The science of cricket is such that you never know where the ball will move once it pitches on a certain length. When a batsman tries to hit a cover-drive, it might very well take the edge and go through the slips. Certain rotten people can deliberately under-perform and their actions might also affect the outcome of a game, but I repeat it is impossible to fix an entire cricket match let alone a humongous tournament such as the IPL. You are welcome to disagree, but I stand firm in this thought. These points, however, are very hard to explain to people who make judgments following what is being ‘told’ to them rather than what they should think of themselves.

This is what I find more disturbing and dangerous than the events which have unfolded over the last few weeks. The affect of these events has been damaging in more ways than one. When you take a look at popular media websites these days, you will notice that people are almost falling over each other to brand cricket a ‘fixers game’. According to them, every Indian cricket player is corrupt and if one were to go by their sentiments alone, then cricket should be stopped immediately. The media, of course, is loving every minute of this as the scandals and the conspiracies bode well for them. If we were to follow certain news channels, one would believe that this is the only controversy that has hit our country since our independence.

What we have to understand is that betting, fixing and corrupt officials are nothing new to sports. This happens everywhere. But rather than tarnishing the game, we should wait and let things take their course as they are supposed to be. I am not out here to defend anybody. But all I ask for genuine cricket fans is to be patient and sane. Let the law take its course before jumping to conclusions and making foolhardy statements. Neither the BCCI nor any particular person is bigger than the game and if found guilty, they should be dealt with accordingly. If taking proper action requires the IPL to be scrapped, then that should be the way. But before any of this happens, all of us cricket fans have to be patient.

I, for one, refuse to join the bandwagon of people who want to label everyone involved in Indian cricket as cheats. This is more like the ‘sheep theory’ where people just follow the popular sentiments without much thought from their own side. I, however, will not be allowed to believe that the game is corrupt to the core. A few rotten eggs will not spoil the entire broth for me. Those eggs will have to be simply done away with. However, we also have to understand that there is corruption and corrupt people in every institution and every sport. That does not mean, however, that the entire institution or the said sport should be done away with. Making statements such as these is simply jumping the gun.

I have been following cricket passionately for close to two decades now and have been provided with many unforgettable memories by my heroes. I have followed the Sachins, the Dravids, the Gangulys, the Laxmans and the Srinaths over these many years and I now also follow the Dhonis, the Yuvrajs and the Rainas with as much fervour. I have stayed up late at night and have also woken up early in the morning just to see the fate of my team. These recent events will not stop me for doing the same in the years to come. I also know that I will keep following and rooting for new heroes who will arise from these very realms of Indian cricket sooner rather than later.

Seeing the events today, a quote from the famous series, Harry Potter, comes to mind: “Dark and difficult times lie ahead. Soon we must all face the choice between what is right and what is easy”. Indeed, the coming days will be difficult for cricket fans. It might be easy to join the crowd and call this a ‘fixer’s game’ and on the other hand, perhaps it will be very difficult to have faith and belief in the game we love. The choice is yours.

I agree that what we face currently is a tough situation; but I have faith that cricket will emerge from it pretty soon. I have always believed that cricket is much like life itself; it teaches you to be honest and shows you different phases of ups and downs. I have always given myself umpteen examples from this game to motivate myself in different times of need in my life. And now I believe that like life, cricket too will find a way out of this mess. Call me foolish but I have chosen to believe in the game. Doesn’t life teach us to have faith and belief in our loved ones no matter what? I too am doing the same. It is for you to take your call.