“Battle of Twenty Two yards…”
Cricketing contests between two nations have always been of high intensity. The recently concluded test series between India and Australia has witnessed some brilliant performances from both sides. Finally, after an impressive win in the fourth test match in Dharamshala, India were able to clinch the series 2–1, and the rivalry between both the teams made this series extra special.
Now IPL 2017 action is set to begin from 5th April 2017 and for the next 45 days or so, people will just forget about anything. They will simply ‘Eat cricket’…. ‘Drink cricket’ and ‘Sleep cricket’ (All credits to the commerce part of this game…..)
But, I am neither here to discuss about the high profile matches of the upcoming Indian Premier League nor to give my analytical views on the just concluded India-Austrailia test series. Cricketing experts are there to analyze and predict about all these.
My idle mind is simply thinking that how the game of gentlemen has changed into a battle among players in the ground. Certainly, this did not happen overnight. While going through the history of this game I came to know that during early 1700, cricket was essentially a sport of gentlemen who had the means to finance the sport…and this meant not only equipment and venues, but also prize money and gambling associated with this game.
In India too, cricket was played initially as a device for entertaining the princely houses. It was between 1800 and 1900 when “modern” cricket took its contemporary form in England. The 2-stump wickets of the 1789 Laws gave way to 3 stumps…. The over went from 4 balls to 5 and finally its 6 ball over now. In the last 30 years, a sea change has taken place in cricket. Today Cricket is a major sport, in fact the second-most popular sport in the world after soccer….
There was a time when only five days matches used to be played…. Players with white attire used to behave like true gentlemen…. Bowlers used to just walk a little and throw the ball, without any rush of blood…. Appealing to the umpire was so polite, like telling, “ I beg, आउट दे दो ना, प्लीज…” Actually game of cricket was so disciplined and slow that even spectators at the ground used to take a nap in between the balls…. Overall it was a gentlemen game….
But things have changed…. Cricket is no more a gentlemen game now, like our day to day life, too much aggressiveness is involved in the game of cricket also. In fact its no more only a game but a war between the stumps, a battle between those 22 yards of cricketing pitch….
Sledging during a cricket match has gone to such a level, that in the recent test match at Dharmshala, player like Steve Smith was caught in camera saying “a f***ing cheat” to Murali Vijay, when he claimed to have taken a catch that was later ruled grounded…. Here one can say that at some point of time, all of us vent our anger and feel cheated and ‘ F ’ word is no more an abuse, rather it’s just an expression of frustration.… But these great players must not forget that the whole world is watching them and there is a difference between showing your anger and sledging….
Not to mention, that apart from changes in the rules of cricket, unique composition of teams and many other changes in the game, one of the most exciting change is the introduction of Cheer Girls during a cricket match, and gone are the days, when spectators at the ground used to relax and take a nap in between the balls, because if they do so, they are certainly going to miss the lovely actions of those colorful pretty Cheer Girls… ;)
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