Cricket and how it is related to your life
Your dad might remember how the commentators declared that Kapil Dev lifted the Prudential World Cup in 1983. After 28 long years, it was M.S. Dhoni who lifted the World Cup after a career-saving inning. During that time, celebrities having no such relation with cricket took it to the streets to celebrate the victory. Since then, we have been waiting for nearly ten years for Indians to lift the trophy!
If you are a cricket fan, I bet you have tried to copy the bowling action of someone whom you admire. Well, for me, it was Dale Steyn! Adding on, after smoking the ball for a six, you would have thought of joining a club to pursue cricket as a career. Feeling nostalgic?
Although the competitiveness of cricket in India was enough to stop you from pursuing your passion, you love for the game. For those who do not follow the game religiously, it is okay! Not everyone likes gold, some have the taste of diamonds too.
Why is cricket followed religiously in our country?
It began after India’s victory in 1983. People started to believe that they can achieve anything they want to and hence, they started to idolize cricketers instead of Bollywood actors. After a few years, cricket gave the commoners their first mega idol, he was Sachin Tendulkar! Sachin’s reputation as one of the greatest became so popular that people considered him as the “GOD”. Well, even I do offer him prayers during adverse situations!
Along with Sachin, multiple cricketers were the stalwarts. Rahul Dravis, V.V.S. Laxman, Steve Waugh, and many more to name. They were like Marvel Superheroes, who saved the nation multiple times.
If we look into the impact of Rahul Dravid on Indian society, we will find that people took him as a role model. Even when Sachin was demolishing every attack, it was Dravid who played the role of Robin. Indian society faces a plethora of problems, namely corruption, poverty, crime, and theft. But still, the country moves on, right? There is a term in the English dictionary which is called perseverance. Rahul did it for the nation and you did it for yourself and the society!
The rise of youngsters from lesser-known places
For a moment, forget about Sachin, let us talk about M.S. Dhoni, and the Pandya brothers I know, you might have heard about them recently, and this might help you to connect with the point I am talking about.
Dhoni, a ticket collector from Jharkhand was chasing his dreams. But, a plethora of obstacles was pulling him down. Even after multiple attempts, he failed to make it to the national squad. But he never gave up. Dhoni waited for his opportunity to showcase his talent and when he was handed his national cap, he scored a duck. Trusting his abilities, he went on to score a century against Pakistan. And what he achieved, later on, made him a modern-day giant!
The Pandya brothers were bought by the Mumbai Indians, and nobody had heard of them. After their inclusion, the dynamics of IPL have changed completely. Yes, it is a platform where talent meets opportunity. As its tagline is: “ Yatra Pratibha Avsara Prapnotihi”, life is just like the IPL, it is a window to the outer world, go and shine like a star!
After the 2007 World Cup debacle, the fans went on to the roads to showcase their anger on the players. Well, this is life, and life is just like a sine function graph! Sometimes, you reach the summit, and sometimes, you fail drastically. Within a matter of a few months, Dhoni captained the team to a glorious victory at South Africa. A team composed of youngsters lifted the T20 world cup!
Since then, the fans have been sympathetic to the team. After the Adelaide debacle, a weak Indian team managed to defeat the mighty Aussies on their home soil. And this adds up to the list of iconic moments in Indian cricket.
Few words
Failure is necessary for growth. You might take some time to get over it but do learn from your failures. I might sound like a philosopher but this is a lesson I have learned. Cricket is a medium through which one can relate easily. This is mainly because of the popularity of the sport in the country. Keep hustling :)
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