When the crowd went "Damukutla Dumukutla" !...

           As the inaugural edition of Tamil Nadu Premier League  reaches the knockout stages, it feels like my debut match was almost destined to be in this tournament at my home town. Previously me with my cricket following friends had few opportunities to go for matches at the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore. For one reason or the other it just didn't happen. Be it the T20 worldcup or the IPL, we just couldn't.

         This month, I had to make an unexpected visit to home which happened to be a brief stay. The first thing I read on Newspaper is the buzz in the town about the TNPL match which is being held in a ground which has a state history before being left on it's own. This time I didn't want any reason to come as I was keen to live the moment of visiting for a match in my home town which is on world feed. It was a rare opportunity for a town from down south of the state which is left undisturbed by all the globalization and industrialization yet had its own resources. And guess what, I somehow managed to get a complimentary ticket as the tickets were already sold out. My experience could never be expressed as the match went down to super over. What else I could have asked for?!
                 

           
         There were around 4000 people in stadium which was more than its capacity. And the crowd was going nuts every time they get a glimpse of Mathew Hayden. He was travelling all through the state doing all the promotion,wearing ethnic dresses walking along the boundary and shaking hands with crowd. As much as I feel he is doing his job for the money he is getting from the broadcaster, I must admit that there must be a bit of CSK affection left in him.

         Mr. N Srinivasan  must be credited to a greater extent for what the tournament is now. It's just a start of something big and as years pass by if he manages to pull the same amount of attention from media for the tournament, I seriously believe the quality of the tournament could go a notch higher. Because, the inaugural league will always have it's attention for the veterans in the fraternity. As the seasons pass by, the significance will shift towards the contest between the teams and the franchises will try to unearth new talents for all the money they have invested. This will have a greater say in the quality of the tournament. After all, sports thrive on contests.

      Though there was a lot of talk about taking the sport to the smaller towns, we must admit to some extent this was about showing his power an prowess, considering his current situation in the cricketing fraternity. If that is not the case, TNPL could well have started earlier considering the affection and success CSK got from the people of the state. Karnataka premier league was started as early as 2009 and has been conducted consecutively from 2011. But what Mr. Srinivasan has managed to do is to get the attention of cricketing world by collaborating with Star Sports.

   

       Being an ardent fan of the game who would wake at 4 am in the morning to watch a test match between England and Australia, I feel the crowd wouldn't have rush in to the grounds if there was no live media coverage. Myself being played district league matches for my college know that the spectators would never show up for some district matches.

     There may be a lot of known and unknown reasons for the initiative. But hopefully, if the tournament goes on for the next few years, those players who have to fight their way not just with their game but also the non cricketing reasons in the state as they say, will be hugely benefited. This will give them a platform, get them a glimpse or one desperate chance which they are starving for years. Once their performance is live for the cricketing fraternity life might just become a bit easier. So this tournament after all, is not that bad for a start.

Cricket - An Individual game?! Nah !!!

     

   My boss often used to ask us, "Which is your favorite sport?" and he would expect "Football" as an answer. He would give a reason saying  "In cricket you can easily say that just because Dhoni or Virat didn't play well we lost. But that is not the case with football. Because, it is a team game". Myself, being a guy in love with the sport he is accusing, would be furious. But his thought made me think why people are hesitant in recognizing cricket as a sport which teaches team values which are as good as in any other sport?!!!

   
        This made me ask  the same question to few people who love sports and follow them for the joy of it. "Which is your favorite team sport and why do you think so?" was my question. As expected, Football was the majority answer. But there were a few interesting answers like Volleyball, Kabaddi, Basketball and even a 4x100m relay. As they give their reasons for that, I wanted to know whether that aspect was really missing in cricket. In other words, I wanted to prove that it is just their perception and none the less.
 
         Most of them justified their answer as their answer was a team game and it can't be won by an individual like in cricket. I would dare to say that a cricket game can never be won by an individual. To score a hundred and win a game, a non-striker is required who gets no credit for running all those runs for his partner. Nobody in the world is going to say "Oh, how well has Raina run, so that Virat gets a hundred!!". Same is the case for the bowlers without those fielders for all those runs they save and catches they take. Cricket is a game in which by default we have to do things for which we will never be accounted for, so that our partner and team can achieve glory. Now that teaches a huge team value according to me.

         Cricket is the most weirdest and toughest game of all. I gave a lot of thought before saying that. But, yes it is. This is the only sport where you can be out of the contest for the first two days of the test and over the course of next three days you may even win. It is the most toughest battle of all as it is more in the mind than on the field. And this is where team spirit will be taught as the same eleven has to be played over the course of five days. Unlike other sports, where substitutes can be changed as and when required depending upon their performances. Which means, unless until those eleven stick together and thrive on each other's success, victory is not gonna happen.

         In other aspect, cricket is the most cruel game of all. It is the only game in which you will be forced to do things that are not in your specialized area. A fast bowler like Ishant Sharma has to hone his batting skills just to hang in there with Virat Kohli or Ajinkya Rahane to save the match for the country. He has to contribute with the ball by taking wickets. Now that is not enough. He has to remain not out at one end so that a better batsman can score the runs for the team at the other. There are times where a  batsman or a bowler just have to field and do it to the fullest of their ability without getting to bowl and bat throughout the match. These are excellent circumstances where an individual contributing for the team without taking any statistical credit.
 
         A few people told attentiveness and co ordination is required throughout the game time in sports like football and basketball. Those sports lasts for hardly ninety minutes. To have the same attentiveness and co ordination over the course of days where you wait for an outside edge which can happen anytime in those eight hours of play. One drop catch/run out and most times the course of the match has changed. Now having the same level of concentration an co ordination over a period of five days, how tough is that?

       According to me every sport has its's own uniqueness in nurturing team spirit. With all due respect to other sports, cricket is a game in which we have to do things for the team which will never be statistically accounted. Volleyball, Football, Basketball, Kabaddi etc. are excellent team sports. Like all these sports, cricket has it's own way of teaching team spirit, which I believe is very tough and no less to any other.