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India Stumped?: T20 Cricket Fever
It is T20 IPL Cricket season in India again. Able bodied young, old, superannuated, dropped, playing cricketers from across the world have converged to try and hit the ball like Chris Gayle, the Don Bradman of capsule cricket, with added ability to do the Gangnam dance. T20 cricket has subsumed evening prime time at the cost of others who usually draw attention, writes Siddharth Srivastava.
(Above): Chirs Gayle of Royal Challengers Bangalore. [SPORTZPICS | Ron Gaunt]
The interest in Arvind Kejriwal’s fast-unto-death has been as much as the recent test match in Mohali. The activist turned politician did not eat for many days, lost a lot of weight, but had to pack up his few diehard followers and go home as his health deteriorated. Perhaps, Kejriwal should have stuck to being an activist. Indians in general don’t like politicians.
Meanwhile, there has hardly been any analysis of one more speech by Rahul Gandhi that again underlined his ability to speak like a very intelligent undergraduate student. The guy is improving but needs to graduate to the next level.
Due to cricket, nobody has had the time to read between the lines of another Narendra Modi loud and aggressive speech that is supposed to subtly convey to his detractors in the BJP that he deserves to be Prime Minister of India because of his Gujarat performance.
If Sanjay Dutt were to be pardoned, the media play would probably be after Stuart Binny’s blistering knock. I did not know who Binny was till yesterday. Now everybody knows he is the son of Roger Binny, a gutsy yesteryears cricketer. Dutt must be wondering in relief where the omnipresent TV cameras outside his house have disappeared.
Even Justice Katju has been uncharacteristically quiet. With his superior acumen he has probably figured that that he will be unheard in the din of cricket balls smashed around and sexy girls dancing and hip shaking between overs and sixes.
(Above): Cheerleaders at an IPL game.
Given the new anti-rape laws one is unsure whether it is legal to ogle at the girls anymore. Or to stare at Katrina Kaif’s flat tummy during her IPL inauguration aerobics routine in an exercise bra, that was passed off as a dance performance.
Could that be a non-bail-able offence? Could the cops suddenly appear at your house and say, “Sir, we have seen footage of an IPL match where you have been caught looking at young girls dancing in little shorts, which is illegal. You are under arrest and have to go to jail.’’
Better to wear very large dark sunglasses or else follow Shah Rukh Khan cheering, dancing, hooting and hugging his kids as if he has personally dismissed Gayle for zero. Going by past behavior, SRK should soon pick up a fight to add to the already large number of post-match IPL party brawls.
The T20 marketing strategy has been worked out. The assumption is like porn anywhere and masala Bollywood films in India, Indians can never have too much of cricket. There will always be enough people watching the game at any given time for the management, promoters, cricketers, sponsors and TV channels to make profits.
(Above): Katrina Kaif performing at the opening ceremony of Indian Premier League 6, at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, April 2. [T20IPL2013.com]
In order to garner local support and fervor, players have been advised to speak emotionally about their attachment to the city they represent.
For example, Rahul Dravid has spoken about his love for Jaipur as his wife shopped there some years back. Anil Kumble has spoken about the night he walked on Marine Drive when he realized he was a Mumbaite. M.S. Dhoni loves Chennai as he rode a bike there once ... I love Timbuktu because the sky there is blue.
The cricketers are happy. It is very good money for a few weeks in office. Youngsters, pestered by parents to study, take up a job and stop playing cricket, are national heroes. Players in their rickety 40s such as Dravid, Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist, who could be brushing up their English to write cricket columns for newspapers, find their playing careers extended.
Only Sachin Tendulkar is doing what he is supposed to do in his 40s, enjoying the game, without scoring runs. Meanwhile, the commentators alternatively speak Hindi and English to address the equally important India and Bharat viewers.
(Above): Shah Rukh Khan performing at the opening ceremony of Indian Premier League 6, at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, April 2. [T20IPL2013.com]
This can be a little uncomfortable for some. The usually suave Harsha Bhogle has been trying to stick to rehearsed Hindi clichés like, “anything can happen in cricket” or “cricket is a game of uncertainties.”
For other parts of his Hindi analysis he smiles assuming that the viewer will be able to read his thoughts in English. Mohinder Amarnath has no such problems. Both his Hindi and English sound like Hindi.
Still, there is talk that IPL may be losing steam and the money making may not be sustainable. Like Tendulkar’s retirement, maybe it will happen, maybe it will not.
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Siddharth Srivastava is India correspondent for Siliconeer. He lives in New Delhi.
