Ripe for the hype
It was disappointing to see Team India (who suggested this crap anyways) giving in so very tamely. It wasn't that big a surprise either. Ahmedabad takes the cake when it comes to upset of the series. However, I was expecting a 3-3 draw at Firozshah Kotla, bringing a fairly nice series to a pale end : pretty much a given, with an India-Pak final. But then, disproving all rumors of the series being fixed and all dispelling all faith in the spirit of the Indian Cricket Team, the entire Indian batting order collapsed for a mere 144. The superlative ease with which the Pakistani openers played their text-book shots, made it look as if the game had shifted to another stadium for the Indian innings. Power cuts at Pune made me miss the Indian innings (and the immense humiliation). However I managed to catch Parvez Musharraf stifling laughters while patting the backs of his victorious home team and Rameez Raja taking a stab at the patriotic pride and ego of the Indian commentators, which according to me was at its nadir that evening.
But what seemed more astounding was the agility with which most TV channels threw together a few old (and mostly jobless) cricketers, a few journos and a lot of irate Indian fans; tossed them a bit and dished out a healthy spread of programs analyzing "The Match that India Lost". Javagal Srinath went live on DD Sports (if I'm not mistaken), some other channels aired a handful of experts carrying out a post-mortem of the game and still others had reporters chasing angry Delhi-ites to capture their angst on camera. All this has piqued my curiosity. Were these guys so sure of India's loss that they had all this crew on hold, just in case? Did India's flagging spirits indicate so clearly that we'd lose, and that too so miserably? Moreover, where were these guys when the formidable pair of Bhupathi and Paes lost at Wimbledon?Had they shut off their senses when the Indian hockey team was losing games left, right and center? Had they killed their conscience when the weightlifters sent to the Olympics pleaded guilty of doping? Even if the negative aspect is ignored, they haven't applauded Narain Kartikeyan for his stint with Jordan. Nor has Major Rajvardhan Rathore received any laurels for having made us proud at numerous occasions. With one exception, that of Sania Mirza, no sportsman in India has got his/her due if he/she hasn't been associated with cricket. I must say it's become a Big Brother-like figure (at least in India) and probably the next to join my list of hate.
Sad, but then, I am like that only!!!
But what seemed more astounding was the agility with which most TV channels threw together a few old (and mostly jobless) cricketers, a few journos and a lot of irate Indian fans; tossed them a bit and dished out a healthy spread of programs analyzing "The Match that India Lost". Javagal Srinath went live on DD Sports (if I'm not mistaken), some other channels aired a handful of experts carrying out a post-mortem of the game and still others had reporters chasing angry Delhi-ites to capture their angst on camera. All this has piqued my curiosity. Were these guys so sure of India's loss that they had all this crew on hold, just in case? Did India's flagging spirits indicate so clearly that we'd lose, and that too so miserably? Moreover, where were these guys when the formidable pair of Bhupathi and Paes lost at Wimbledon?Had they shut off their senses when the Indian hockey team was losing games left, right and center? Had they killed their conscience when the weightlifters sent to the Olympics pleaded guilty of doping? Even if the negative aspect is ignored, they haven't applauded Narain Kartikeyan for his stint with Jordan. Nor has Major Rajvardhan Rathore received any laurels for having made us proud at numerous occasions. With one exception, that of Sania Mirza, no sportsman in India has got his/her due if he/she hasn't been associated with cricket. I must say it's become a Big Brother-like figure (at least in India) and probably the next to join my list of hate.
Sad, but then, I am like that only!!!