This Miss is a Sure Hit
It is a HIT. The fours, the sixes, the claps, the eyeballs. It is a resounding success. Mr. Lalit Modi and team are laughing all the way to the banks. All doubts, speculation about the economic feasibility of the T20 league in India have been put to rest in the inaugural 2 matches. 2 hundreds in the first 2 matches. Hundreds in 50 balls! Scores of 240 in 20 overs!
What does this mean? One thing for sure – cricket has been changed forever.
It is the biggest thing to have happened since 1 day cricket. Just as the nay-sayers of that era became practitioners and devotees of the 50 over format, the critiques of T20 will be victims of the party in the coming 3 days months and years.
Millions are riding on it. And billions will be earned in the future! Foes who sledged yesterday are your locker – room mates of today! Your national team – mate of today is your arch enemy of tomorrow!
Ponting in the same team as Harbhajan is a possibility! What does this mean to traditional rivalries? Will the next time India visit Australia, bonhomie will be the staple much to everybody’s dislike? Will we suddenly regret by the dilution of the so called ‘sporting – hate’ of yore? Nah, not possible.
But one thing is for sure – there is a chance of understanding better each other’s cultural mores and differences. You can still dislike but it will be based on more understanding and less on assumptions.
Will this also lead to the end of the 1 day or 50 over format, with more and more games of the T20 kind? Too early but that day is not far when the 50 over format; its rhythm, pace, build-up, pacing, slogging etc will be lauded for possessing a purity that the T20, the populist upstart, has allegedly corrupted. Similar to the complaints our fathers had, against the 1 dayers.
The pure bludgeoning spirit of the T20 will please many. It is the season of 3 hours of highlights. Every ball promises a sixer, a four or a wicket. More bang for the same shrinking buck. More risks for the plebian spectator to walk the tight-rope and lose or win – at the same time feeling patriotic about the hometown or city. One’s national obsessions will now be shifted to the local and regional.
Another inevitable result will be the birth of more local talent. For so long at the mercy of talent scouts playing the card of regionalism, the uncelebrated, waiting - in – the - wings player will get a chance to display his skills. And become a hero.
Cricket has had a re-birth. Probably a badly needed one, and in time, struggling as it was after the match – fixing allegations some 10 years back. An entire generation of cricket fanatics had suddenly cut the umbilical cord. The adrenaline of the T20 format might me the rush that can bring them back.
Till cricket gets even more shorter.
chaubey said,
April 21, 2008 @ 4:55 pm
‘Till cricket gets even more shorter.’ yeah how about just bowl outs.. 1 ek over ka match.. also should have the best sledge of the tournament..
While away from bombay i thought this isn’t working.. then i happen to witness the fanatical support for their team at Cal airport.. sahi hai.. 1 day is seriously under threat. not tests thankfully. i’m yet to commit loyalty to any team.. any ideas?
astralwicks said,
April 21, 2008 @ 5:48 pm
me too was a witness to the support at chennai airport. tests being so removed from t20 will probably spawn a completely different kind of cricketer - one who never plays t20 etc.
will take some time to build loyalty. the owners will have a huge role. shah rukh fans will pledge their loyalty to the knight riders and somebody who wants to emulate mallya’s lifestyle will probably follow his team but there will still be some who will side with the best players like sachin. as of now no team for me too.
gudus said,
April 22, 2008 @ 6:18 am
same here, for me now, its more about the player than the team. Kolkata Knickers seem the best team, but am put off by Shahfukh and his bitch. Rajasthan boils need pity, they the weakest and Warnie prob needs to captain his team the best. Dhoni is my man, so the Chennai Super suckers hopefully will win. Mumbai Undies can go fuck there pompous selves, while poor VVS needs to read that book by Brearley. Not so pretty preity is still figuring out why Yuvi keeps waving his arms at no one (read fielders at boundary line) in between overs. Over all, Akshay, Viru, Gambhir, mcgrath, the team to beat.
astralwicks said,
April 22, 2008 @ 7:24 am
wonderful @gudus your sarcasm and incisive analysis is refreshing.
dogstail said,
April 24, 2008 @ 4:53 am
@astral, so this is what was on your mind while off to Thirupati. Since I am not a big fan of cricket, its just another day when most of India sits glued to the TV. Only the time has been shortened.
For all its artificially generated excitement, cheerleaders and all, it still remains cricket. I’ll stick to football.
kaustav said,
April 25, 2008 @ 1:26 pm
Who is watching the T20’s
T20 zindabad