We are zero in Olympics , zero in football, now struggling in hockey, even we are no good in cricket going by the attention it is getting in terms of media, sponsorship, even the population playing cricket in India is definitely bigger than the population of Australia, England, South Africaand New Zealand combined. If we are not able to play a game like cricket, then we are not at all fit to play any other field games, especially football at world level which requires enormous amount of stamina, speed and fitness. In these attributes cricketers are nowhere. In a game like cricket only, we can match West Indies , Australia, South Africa etc. because cricket is more of a game of technique and timing. If Inzamum- al- Haq and Powar can be world champions in cricket then one can understand what all is required to play cricket. In cricket you do not have to rub shoulders. If you cannot run, stand at the slip, if you cannot bowl fast, go for spin. We have won maximum matches when spinners like Bhajji and Kumble have clicked. It is basically a game of Tom, Dick and Harry. Everyone can play little bit of cricket, this is the reason old netas , film actors and actresses sometimes are seen playing cricket. This is not with football or hockey, you have to have stamina, speed and fitness and running. In hockey today if we are loosing, it is because of the stamina and fitness where it is difficult to match with European countries, as today it has become totally a power play. In athletics we have to match sportsmen like Carl Lewis, in football we have to match the majestic, wizard, skill and power of the people like Pele, Maradona, Zidane, Becham, Ronaldino, Connavaro, Roberto Carlos etc, almost all footballers are the same. Cricketers stand nowhere to them. Hats off to Indian giants like Milka Singh, P.T Usha, Anju George etc.they have achieved in the field at world level, where it is really difficult to beat Americans and Europeans,in a tough discipline. I have grown seeing the great hockey players especially from Punjab of yesteryears who really looked majestic as far as fitness is concerned .It is the liking and the attitude of ours as to whom we consider heros and gods. Today when I see the cricketers they simply appear like smart boys with fancy hair and sun glasses being readied in the cricket field, for launching in for some advertisement, neither they have running, nor the fitness of sportsman, as in games like football or hockey. Even the umpires look humpty - dumpty, but for one thing we should credit them, is for standing hours and hours. Since cricket is a game, easy to play, involving little stamina and fitness and basically it is a game of timing and technique not much to run, this is the reason cricket evokes interest amongst the people in India . It is a very democratic game every body can participate. This is not so in the games like football, hockey or any other field games. Today one cannot think of becoming Milka Singh, Maradona, Becham, Ronaldo, Ronaldino because it is very- very difficult to even start with, but one can dream of becoming a good cricketer. Even England prides in English Premier League/Soccer and not cricket. Today, when cricket is played abroad one finds the commentaters are Indians, players are Indians and even the major chunk of spectators are Indians. One always finds player from Indian origin playing cricket from the England or Holland side. Even though there is no dearth of facility in football in these countries, we do not find Asians playing football, barring few. It is a matter of attitude, see how the short statured Koreans and Japanese have been playing football at world level. They are good not only in one field, but are good in other sports also. It has been in their attitude to emulate the best of the West and conserve owns culture. This attitude is also reflected in sports. Aligning with the west, has been in their attitude right from the time of Meiji Restoration. We have gone the other way round, instead of emulating the best of the British/West we have copied their superficials. Cricket also comes in the same category, today instead of going for football which the whole world plays, we are paying cricket with madness. The cricketers in India have become like gods in the small world of cricket. Rather I should consider them a second rated sportsmen. It is the attitude, the liking as to whom you hail as great sportspersons. Even U.S.Awhich is mad after basketball, named Muhammad Ali as the greatest sportsman of the century. In cricket also, where there are only few good teams amongst the ten playing nations, then also we are not figuring in couple of better teams. Today the British do not pride in cricket, where it is loosing its popularity, but pride in English Premier League. England has heroes like Becham, Rooney, Cole etc. Now we Indians have taken the responsibility to popularise cricket. We have been going to America to teach, how to play cricket, it is like teaching them how to use spoon and fork.
The media is selling cricket because they are also from the same chip. Today, be it electronic media, print media and all channels are highlighting cricket. Even if you loose 20 matches and win one and see the other morning, cricket will hog the limelight, as if they have conquered the world. Today everything starts and ends with cricket. The discussions on cricket are maximum, even more than the discussion on any govt. policy. Advertisments of multinational pick up cricketers because they know that it sells in India . If Adidas and Samung sells Becham in Europe , in India it sells Tendulkar. It is argued that other games do not get sponsorship because of non- performance. True, but one should know that to perform in other fields like track and field, football and hockey it is very- very tough. Ask Dhoni who has played football what it needs, and if ever he continued playing football where he would have landed. One should not forget in other fields there are people like Carl Lewis, in football there are players who are like bomb shells and to match them one can understand what ingredients are needed. This is not so in cricket. You can have answer to Glen Mcgrath¢s and Brett Lee¢s pace and swing, with the spin of Kumble, Bhajji, Powar etc. Cricket is a rage in India , Pakistan , Sri Lanka and Bangladesh because this the only game they can play in the small world of cricket and by winning once in a blue moon against Australians and South Africans, presume to be the world champions. Other field games need enormous dedication, apart from stamina, fitness, skill and speed. This is not so in cricket, it is game of timing and technique and limit is the boundary line, not shoulder to shoulder. It is not at all the match of stamina, fitness and speed otherwise in these areas, wonder what would happen to the current Indian squad with Australians and South Africans. It is up to us, whom we make celebrity, it the attitude and taste of the people. In fact the sports culture in India is gone. Gone are the days when youths were seen jogging in shorts, playing sweating games like football and hockey and taking up athletics. Today the sportsperson are seen loitering in the field in full pants and sleepers. They look frail and fat, never appear like sportsmen. Every Indian home can aspire for his kid to become a cricketer by seeing the Indian cricketers, who in every way resemble them, this is a wise thought, rather than dreaming of becoming footballers like Maradona, Roberto Carlos, Becham, Zidane etc who in no way are identifiable from the Indian crowed. I do not think Sepp Blatters visit to India will have much of impact. Football as a game is not a cup of tea for the Indians. There has to be an attitude, if facility and infrastructure are the only inputs to produce good sportsmen then Indians would have played soccer, in Soccer mad Europe, as there is no dearth of facility and even good remuneration. Instead, one finds that Indians there also play cricket. England squad is never complete without Indians. This attitude can be seen in the recent move of the government which has removed football and hockey from priority list. Rather we should have thought upon improving these field games. These two disciplines in real sense are to be called field games. Every country dreams of playing world cup football and works for it. However in India it is other way round. Or, the decision makers might have resigned to their fate and are clear that we cannot do beyond this in football and hockey, and cricket is the only game which we can play, a little. To produce good footballers of world class one needs attitude, infrastructure, setup and real men, as it is not cricket.( In India it has rightly been said, if cricket is to sport what the beauty contest is to empowerment of women.)It is very unfortunate that the land of Jharkhand which has seen many great sportsmen and Olympians are not remembered, but Jharkhand is being hoisted as the land of Dhoni. Personally it never gives me a sense of pride, but its a mockery that Ranchi is today is being known in the name of a cricketer. During our youth days any of our friends who played cricket were branded as Amul daba wallah ladka.( He used to be a laughing stock). Those great sportsmen, for which Jharkhand used to take pride, are not only being forgotten but are forced to live in abject poverty. At the same time Dhoni is being showered with riches in cash and kind. I should recall Tony Greg¢s article featuring in India Today March 07¢ who has rightly pointed out that in India cricketers are being treated like super humans and loaded with money in the very initial years, that is wrong, cricketers are like any other boys who play the game of cricket. Perhaps he is correct. We are not only destroying the sports culture of India but also bringing disrespect to the great sportsman of our country who live a tough and disciplined life vying for honours and bringing laurels at world level which is really very-very tough, than a cricketer endures. Thanks to the village in Haryana which had banned playing cricket. The same should be repeated in Jharkhand also. Today it has been argued that cricket has won the world cup hence they are being showered with riches,if footballers and hockey players do the same they also will be rewarded.But anyone who has little bit of idea about various disciplines will know that winning any international cup in these disciplines is much more than winning a cricket world cup.These events are won by players who win by sweat and blood on the field, and it is not the job of sportsmen like cricketers who are no way near to them in fitness and toughness.Defeating one Germany in football and hockey is much more than winning a cricket world cup.Cricket is only a matter of convenience for Asians. Jacob Kispotta [EMAIL PROTECTED] -- Jharkhand Forum A Global Network of Jharkhand E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://forum.jharkhand.org.in
