My Dreams, My Fears

I’m an aspiring journalist! I always dream of being as famous as Harsha Bhogle. So am I by any means driven by the glamour part of it?! Hope not. I still believe I can stay in the sidelines and play with words in my articles or have a few interviews with the best sportsperson in the world! Why am I always thinking of the best? I’m confused! Totally confused!

By now you must have known how much I desire to be a journo. But I’m scared. I told you I feel I’m good enough but if you’ve noticed in my previous articles all that I’ve written about is CRICKET. Every Indian knows everything about cricket and I’m no different. Mr. Harsha Bhogle today hasn’t reached that position with just a lot of knowledge about cricket. He obviously has a fair knowledge about everything that’s making news. Those are signs of a good journalist. And now you know why I’m scared. I off course have the desire to improve. But “how?” is the million dollar question.

Am I thinking too much into my future? Should I just sit down and concentrate on my studies which would ultimately decide my future? Ummm...May be yes.

Okay Shruthi, stop dreaming, wake up now or else you will have to keep dreaming all your life. You don’t wanna regret in the future. It’s high time that you open your books and STUDY. Class 12 is the turning point of your life.

Was that boring? Let me know if you felt otherwise.

Cricket – then and now….

Cricket as we all know is growing day by day. It is said that cricket originated in England and they took the sport to quite a few countries. To start off there were a few county teams playing and at present almost all commonwealth nations play cricket. I’ve heard that gambling was once a major part of cricket and I wonder why it was still called gentlemen’s game when there’s nothing gentlemanly about gambling. This was the story of 17^th and 18^th century. But things had changed in the 19^th century. Test cricket officially began in 1877 and there is no looking back from there after as the game is gaining a lot of popularity.

Cricket has had its share of highs, lows, controversies and rivalries. Ahh...talking about the highs, how could I forget Sir Don Bradman? He was the real DON of his times. In the early 30s bowlers were so frustrated that they even tried to bowl illegal deliveries which led to the bodyline series. Those were the times when Australians were ruling international cricket. But in the 60s and 70s (if I’m not wrong) West Indies dominated world cricket with legendary bowlers, classy batsmen and aggressive all-rounders. Though cricket is a team game there have been extraordinary individuals. Be it Sir Don Bradman, Sir Sobers, Sir Viv Richards, Denis Lillie, Sunil Gavaskar, Prasanna, Kapil Dev, Imran Khan, Brian Lara, Shane Warne, or the present day greats like Sachin, Ponting Dravid, Kumble, Murli, well I can go on and on and on...they’ve all been great ambassadors of the game. They’ve set several records to be broken. Hats off to the commitment, passion and determination they have.

There was a big blow to cricket when South Africa was forced out of international cricket because of their apartheid policy. Ironically, South Africa was arguably the best team at that point of time. However, they eventually returned to world class cricket in 1991.

Controversies have unfortunately become an integral part of cricket. Sledging, over appealing, not walking even after being given out, wrong umpiring decisions, ball tampering, match fixing and off-field “activities” have all been the darker side of this amazing sport.

It was the test match at Oval in 1882 which gave birth to the Ashes. Till today rivals England and Australia fight hard to get their hands on the prestigious Ashes trophy. In the sub-continent, traditional rivals India and Pakistan are always geared up for a victory against each other. In the recent past India-Australia matches have been as exciting and as controversial as the Ashes or the Indo-Pak series.

Cricket has developed remarkably since the day it was started. Cricket equipments have been modernized. Latest technologies have been introduced. Cricket has become a professional sport. Gone are the times when cricket was considered a lazy game. It’s a demanding sport now. Players have to be athletic and match fitness has gone to a different level. Test matches and One Day Internationals are being played for some time now. But the introduction of Twenty20 cricket has been a complete package of entertainment for the spectators to watch. The shortest version of the game has a nice blend of cricket and glamour. But the ultimate goal in a cricketer’s life is to represent his country and play as many test matches as possible.

There is a substantial change in the approach to the game by modern day cricketers. The competition for a place in the national side is unbelievable. In India, cricket is our religion. It’s in our blood. Everyone in the country wants to contribute to the game in one way or the other. Ask any child in the streets of India – what they aspire to be? And 9 out of 10 will tell you that he aspires to be a cricketer. This is how crazy Indians are about cricket. And one can imagine the amount of pressure those 11 players will have whenever they walk out to the centre. But they are not complaining. For they’ve reached that position by choice and not by chance. There are more than a billion people in this country and every person has an opinion or two when it comes to cricket. We Indians are very passionate cricket lovers.

CRICKET IS OUR LIFE!

The Show must go on…….

IPL or Elections? This is the much debated issue these days. And I guess, the elections are far more important than the IPL. The ideal situation would be to have both IPL and elections. But, what about the security issues? Our home ministry is also concerned about the safety of the players. There will be thousands and lakhs of Indians out in the streets to vote. And it is the responsibility of the Government to safeguard the citizens. At the same time, is it possible for them to provide security to the players as well? They hopefully can.

On the other hand, the IPL organizers are confident of having a safe IPL. But in this new age terrorism, no assurance can be given. Hence, an element of risk is involved. But is the risk worth taking? Well, the players will decide that.

IPL, for all Indians is no less than national pride. It may be a domestic tournament but the best players in the world come together for this grand event So, here is an opportunity to show the world that India, unlike other sub-continental countries, is safe.

If by chance, the IPL gets cancelled then it’s a kind of victory to the terrorists. Their main motive is to spread terror and I’m afraid they’ve achieved that. We should never let them win again. Let’s unite and fight against terror. I’m pretty confident that the BCCI will do whatever it takes to safeguard the players. And I’m sure all players will come to India not just for the money but for cricket, the game that they love and we Indians love.

Cricket will remain a religion in India and cricketers are still our Gods! Let’s hope for a safe IPL and not to forget, a safe elections too!!!!