Unlike its counterpart in the football world and elsewhere, club cricket took an extremely long time to find public favor as compared to international cricket. In fact, cricket is one of those few 'high-profile' sports today that has had far larger and more enthusiastic following when played at the international level rather than at the club level. Are cricket fans more nationalistic then? Perhaps.
Cricket is a game that's largely limited to the Commonwealth of nations - former British colonies who try to show their former masters that they're better at it than they are. Not many people alive today would take keen interest in reading about the first ever international game of cricket played. No, it wasn't the famous game between Australia and England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. In fact, the first game of international cricket ever played was in the year of 1844 in the unlikely city of New York (most things worthwhile seem to happen there somehow) between the unheard of national teams of the United States of America and Canada. But that's not how it was marketed; the game was billed to be between "the United States of America and the British Empire's Canadian Province." The Empire won by 23 runs.
The famous game at the MCG was in fact the first ever test match played - in 1877. Australia, of course, won that game. And then came the Don Bradman era of the Invincibles. Part of the reason Sir Don was so popular in all parts of the British Empire - except England, of course - was because he stood for exactly what cricket enthusiasts in the colonies wanted to show - that they can play the game far better than their rulers. The rivalry has diversified thereafter and nations of the Commonwealth now slug it out against each other with great intensity - particularly India and Pakistan - every time they have a point to prove to the other.
T20 cricket has brought about a change in the cricketing world, helping the growth of club cricket courtesy of domestic leagues like the IPL and the Big Bash. The old-timers have complained about the loss of nationalistic feelings on the cricket field, the divisive nature of regionalistic sentiments (especially in India), and even at times about the danger of 'match fixing' brought about by the infinite amount of cash out on play. They talk of how the good old 'gentleman's game' is becoming more materialistic and less traditional, almost mocking its great legacy built over the better part of two centuries. They also talk of how young talent is corrupted by being exposed to the waves and fortunes of high-speed T20.
As a fan who is often wont to side with the old-school, I to a large extent agree with these old-timers. But it doesn't stop me from watching the IPL. If anything at all, it only turns me from being a fan to being a spectator. I'm the old cricket-loving Indian nationalist who puts the pride of my motherland over the fortunes of a Kolkata team that has a South African in it or a Bangalore squad that has a West Indian dominating it. But it still doesn't stop me from watching the IPL. Because there are a number of things that the IPL and T20 in general give me that classic old international cricket doesn't: the throb of fast-paced entertainment. Nowhere else will I be able to see Ricky Ponting and Sachin Tendulkar walking out with bats in hand together. Nowhere else will I get to see Dale Steyn furiously peppering Jacques Kallis with hard-core bouncers. Nowhere else will I also get to witness Lasith Malinga and Chris Gayle expressing their talent without the pressures of international rivalry and an over-nationalistic media behind them. There is a certain thrill in watching the game merely for taking in the splendid joys of a bunch of legends showcasing their class. Compare if you'd like Rahul Dravid's free-wheeling captaincy of the Rajasthan Royals as opposed to his constricted, tentative leadership of Team India.
So I may not love Gautam Gambhir's Kolkata Knight Riders as much as I love MS Dhoni's Team India. I certainly won't express frustration over KKR's failures as I do with Team India's downfalls. And that's how it's supposed to be. The latter has far more history behind it than the former. The latter also directly represents my nation, my people and myself. But it doesn't really mean that I shouldn't watch the former, just for the kicks of uninhibited
entertainment.
Cricket is a game that's largely limited to the Commonwealth of nations - former British colonies who try to show their former masters that they're better at it than they are. Not many people alive today would take keen interest in reading about the first ever international game of cricket played. No, it wasn't the famous game between Australia and England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. In fact, the first game of international cricket ever played was in the year of 1844 in the unlikely city of New York (most things worthwhile seem to happen there somehow) between the unheard of national teams of the United States of America and Canada. But that's not how it was marketed; the game was billed to be between "the United States of America and the British Empire's Canadian Province." The Empire won by 23 runs.
The famous game at the MCG was in fact the first ever test match played - in 1877. Australia, of course, won that game. And then came the Don Bradman era of the Invincibles. Part of the reason Sir Don was so popular in all parts of the British Empire - except England, of course - was because he stood for exactly what cricket enthusiasts in the colonies wanted to show - that they can play the game far better than their rulers. The rivalry has diversified thereafter and nations of the Commonwealth now slug it out against each other with great intensity - particularly India and Pakistan - every time they have a point to prove to the other.
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| Childhood Fantasy: Mumbai's Ponting-Tendulkar pair |
So I may not love Gautam Gambhir's Kolkata Knight Riders as much as I love MS Dhoni's Team India. I certainly won't express frustration over KKR's failures as I do with Team India's downfalls. And that's how it's supposed to be. The latter has far more history behind it than the former. The latter also directly represents my nation, my people and myself. But it doesn't really mean that I shouldn't watch the former, just for the kicks of uninhibited
entertainment.
