5 things Indian cricketers may wish from their fans

Every now and then, we see an open letter or two from fans on different occasions, be it the retirement of a great, or selection dilemmas.But has anyone thought what the Indian cricketers deeply wish from their fans? True, most of them are happy to be having a great fan following, but sometimes things get a bit out of hand, when they might think that fans held a bit more patience or be more sensible about some facts of sporting life.Fantasizing is no crime, so here’s a look at 5 things an Indian cricketer might wish it got from his countless fans:

#1 Take your time to praise

It is practically impossible to be an upcoming cricketer in the past decade and not idolise the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid.

The moment you make your debut for the team, overwhelmed by the occasion and the company of those you idolised, and still are able to perform well, it’s an achievement in itself. And what if you succeed on the first try? The retirement of greats has made the fans have such thirst for the next legend that they’ll tag the first person who vaguely makes them remember the glory days of past, as the next something. Before you know it, you’re branded the next Sachin Tendulkar or Rahul Dravid.

Over the years, your mind though has become accustomed to not giving heed to any such nonsense. But the comments don’t stop coming. Now every other innings, you find some numbers thrown at you, some ‘facts’ you come across on the internet, the place where you can’t hide, and the comparisons simply don’t stop!

The best way possible then is to not react to such words, but over time, you risk being numb towards any words from fans altogether. Wouldn’t it be much better if the craze to finding the ‘next Sachin’ or ‘next Dravid’ die down a bit?

#2 Take even more time to criticise

Yes, this is professional sport, and not every day is the best day of a sportsman’s life. Blessed are those who’re able to move on from the memories of the scars of defeat, but imagine the moments after a bowler is hit for a match-winning six off the last ball, or the last batsman is stranded short of his crease, trying to take the winning run.

The walk back to the pavilion and the hotel is mind numbing. Not many want to talk to you, yet you feel everyone’s eyes on you. You dare not log into Twitter or Facebook. It would be hell out there. Probably sleep off the heartbreak? And if it’s a world event, the fear is even greater. Is your family safe? A final, you say? Stoning is not yet an extinct form of criticism in this nation. Probably more fears.

Can the fans be more measured in their reactions?

#3 Fixing? Think before pointing fingers

No disrespect here, but sometimes it feels that it’s probably ‘just a game’ for people watching cricket at their homes/offices.

Probably because money is being spent by fans, they think they can decide on labelling any player anything as long as it’s the trendy thing to do so.

But imagine a kid who’s grown up, sacrificing food and sleep to play for his nation. Try to put yourself into the shoes of those who’ve trained hard over several years, trying to perfect their technique and skills. They’ve spent countless days away from their homes, in the race to become the next great cricketer among thousand and lakhs others. Due to a few bad apples, it has become ‘easy’ to label every other player a ‘fixer’, especially if you’re associated with a particular team.

Imagine the life of youngsters who’re training all the time, talking to their mentors, thinking about the matches played, trying to find some personal time in all the chaos that is the IPL, and suddenly, you come to know that a person you probably saw at some team event or a face you vaguely remembered was linked to some bookie, and now you become the suspect? The spotlight’s on you? It’s anything but fair, but being an Indian cricketer, it’s supposed to be a part and parcel of the game.

#4 Don\'t go overboard with speculations

Being an Indian cricketer, you’re never away from the prying eyes of the media. Every single move in public is recorded and largely scrutinised. And suddenly one day you read in the newspaper about a ‘rift’ in the team, and your character assassintion begins.

What fans fail to understand is the professionalism in a cricket team. Travelling on long tours, your team is everything. It’s the group you spend most of your time with. And lest they start producing clones to make up a team in future, it’s impossible for a group of sportspersons to not have disagreements.

But fighting, avoiding each other and lobbying for exclusion of specific players? What do the fans think of us to be? Schoolkids?

In international cricket, there are no friends and enemies, there are only professional cricketers. People who don’t get along with others, don’t last long in a team sport, as the mental exhaustion leaves the skills diminished. But a group which has tasted success over so many years, can hardly be broken by some petty differences.

Probably it's some sick fantasy of some fans to see two legends go against each other, but in reality, it remains largely about grown men having differences, but being sensible enough to play together as a team.

#5 Follow more domestic cricket

When we came through the rigours of domestic cricket, there were hardly any viewers. It’s as if everyone is only interested in watching the finished product and aren’t interested in how superstars are made.

If only a fraction of support, which the national team is showered with, is given to the Ranji level teams, and a minute percentage of that fandom goes towards celebrating domestic wins, probably there won't be such a disconnect between players and the fans. A player at international level will then be analysed with knowledge of his domestic performances and if there’s enough following, their abilities and shortcomings will be much more clear to a larger number of fans.

When a new cricketer emerges at the international level, a billion fans suddenly pounce on the new ‘star’, unaware of his exploits in domestic circuit over so many years, not knowing the hardships and sacrifices as a youngster he has had to go through. A clear lack of connection emerges between the player and the fans then.

If it’s cricket, and not superstar cricketers that people want to support, there should be much more awareness about local teams and players.