It was all set! I had decided, it will be a day off from all the work and me and my son would devote entire day, watching the much-awaited, much-anticipated semi-final match between India and Australia, Cricket World Cup 2015. Like any other devoted Indian cricket fan, the day was spent, doing just that; relaxing on couch in front of the television, enjoying nonstop supply of snacks without worrying about calories, jumping with joy and shouting at peak of voice when India took any run or wicket and forgetting the world! What a great stress buster!
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Unfortunately, India lost the match and the hell broke loose! Like it happens every time India loses a cricket match, disappointments were expressed on how team India could have done much better. (No, in cricket crazy nation like India, one doesn't need expertise in the game to understand/appreciate/criticize/ and pass vehement judgments. We Indians feel, it is our birth right to question/criticize just about anything when it comes to this game and we firmly believe in passing on our wisdom to the next generation! Pardon me, I am digressing.)
It was sad end to the day that had started with anticipation of victory and hope of basking in its glory till the final match. There was so much to look forward to in the next few days! The most saddening part was what followed the defeat at Sydney.
Some of the Indian cricket fans started incessant trolls against Bollywood actress Anushka Sharma, for her presence at the match to support her rumoured boyfriend, Indian cricket team's vice captain, Virat kohli! The social media went berserk! The fans, shocked and dejected by the defeat went bonkers writing nasty, insensitive and sarcastic remarks about Anushka Sharma and Virat Kohli condemning her presence as "panauti" (inauspicious)! It all began the moment Virat got out and team India started losing its grip on the match. Anushka Sharma became the target of twitter. The content of the memes were viciously spiteful and obscenely crude.
While the whole day was spent watching good cricket, it ended on a bitter taste not because of India's defeat but because some of the Indian fans, senior media journalists and some well known cricketers of past blamed and questioned integrity and commitment of team India. The way everyone sulked with extreme reactions spewing venom, vile sexism and slander is truly shocking.
It is great to like a game, support it with every possible way that a fan should. But, blaming a woman who is present as a viewer just like thousands other cricket lovers for the defeat is a reflection of primitive, misogynist mindset of Indian society where a woman is blamed for just about everything that goes wrong with a man.
Does being an ardent fan of cricket gives right to break windows and pelt stones at the houses our cricket players? Should media have any moral obligation for unbiased journalism or it should be allowed to abuse its power by creating sensational news for sake of TRPs?
Being a cricket crazy nation, it is always painful for the fans to accept the defeat with élan. But vandalism and extreme reactions displayed in the India-Australia match yesterday is unacceptable. It is cricket, a sport. Not just means to escape from the mundane. Not a "paisa vasool" titillating Bollywood movie for our entertainment. Certainly not one more opportunity for media to catch eyeballs by creating stories in unprofessional manner.
If we make big proclamations of being diehard cricket fans, we owe to the game to show some maturity in viewing it as just a game. If we celebrate every single victory of the cricket match then it is also important to learn to take defeat in our stride. It is high time we learnt to respect the spirit of this game of cricket.
