Importance of the emotional & irrational Indian Cricket Fan
“Balla na gend haath mein fir bhi hain team ke saath mein” (Not bat or ball in the hand, still with the team)
Above line from Daler Mehendi’s song for the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 aptly summarises the craze for cricket in India. People being referred here are none other than the emotional, at times erratic, but always devoted Indian cricket fans.
More than 50% Indians watched the 2016 ICC T20 World Cup
While the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has 32 contracted players for the men’s national team, there are millions of fans who support their team and the game from outside the 22 yards.
As per an estimate, the 2016 ICC T20 World Cup was watched by 730 millions viewers in India, which is more than double the population of United States of America (USA). Even if we take into account the high population in India, the number is still significant as it means that more than 50% Indians viewed the World Cup.
“Cricket is my religion and Sachin is my god”
Cricket in India is not just a game but its a way of life and that would not have been possible without the loyal fans. Indian fans are passionate and sometimes irrational, but at the end of the day, they play a big role in elevating the status of the game.
It is ironic that a game which was a gift of the imperial rule to India is today probably one of its strongest unifying factors. Cricket is a religion here; which unites everyone irrespective of their caste, creed or socio-economic strata.
There is a famous saying which can be seen even today in cricket grounds in the country, “Cricket is my religion and Sachin is my god”. It might seem an exaggeration, but take a look at the life of a certain Sudhir Kumar Chaudhary and one may be able to understand reality being portrayed in the above statement.
Sudhir is an ardent fan of the Indian cricket team and especially of Sachin Tendulkar. He is seen at stadiums world over waving the Indian tricolour and blowing a conch. Such is his love for the game that sometimes he even pedals his cycles across different cricket venues within and outside India.
He has devoted his life to Indian cricket and his only aim in life is to follow the team all over the world, wherever they play. Recognising his love for the game, first Sachin and then the BCCI sponsored him for all matches featuring India.
And although Sudhir leads the list of the biggest fans, he is not the only one; there are thousands more like him across the nation. They may not be as visible as Sudhir, but they too silently pray for the success of the team and get disappointed when the team loses.
Cricket drives the mood of the nation
Back in my childhood, I remember, the fortunes of the Indian team could swing the atmosphere in our house. A good performance by the team would mean that I would have to answer fewer questions related to my studies. And a loss would lead to statements like, “You waste your entire time watching cricket”.
Not only at my home, this was the case with most of the Indian middle-class homes in the 1990s. Tragedy in the form of match-fixing stuck cricket in 2000 and it involved some of cricket’s biggest heroes.
But Indian cricket rose from this nadir and the ever-loyal Indian cricket fan was back again. Yes, there were many who lost interest in the game due to match-fixing but by and large, the Indian fan was back.
Ignore the Indian Cricket fan at your own peril
The success of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is the biggest indicator in support of this argument. But the Indian fan would also have an elastic limit. And it is because of these reasons I feel that the gentleman’s game can ill-afford to disrespect the Indian fan.
Any sponsor gets nervous the moment it learns that the big stars of the Indian team are not part of a tournament. And when the question is about the participation of the Indian team in a global event – like it happened for the ICC Champions Trophy 2017, the jitteriness was there to be seen.
The game of cricket, which is played by only a handful of nations needs money for its growth and the Indian cricket fans ensure bringing in the moolah. The entire cricket fraternity must realise that the Indian fans are its biggest stakeholders.
Honesty & commitment is all what an Indian cricket fan demands
Any harm done to them is going to hurt the game of cricket in the long run. This stakeholder supports his team and idols irrespective of the conditions around him. He may criticise the team for a loss but cometh the next match and he is back supporting the team with the same enthusiasm.
The only thing he demands in return is honesty, from the players and the administrators; which I think is not much of an ask for the amount of investment that he puts in.
The recent developments between the ICC & the BCCI have definitely not gone down too well with the Indian cricket fan. He doesn’t know who is right or who is wrong, but he just wants some integrity and commitment from everyone involved.
Also Read: Why avoiding confrontation with ICC makes sense for BCCI
The moment he senses that a game which he treats as his religion is not clean, he will be shattered. And a shattered Indian cricket fan may spell doomsday for the game of cricket.