Ever thought of cleaning Indian cricket? What does that even mean? Is that a reference to doing a course of action that took our honourable Prime Minister to the streets in a bid to encourage youngsters to take to the broom?
Probably yes, probably no! Who knows what cleaning Indian cricket means for if it’s just about corruption, then probably there’s no better place than to start at ‘home!’
Of course, being charitable makes one a better person, does it not? But then, let us leave this miserable attempt at being Plato or Aristotle. Thinking is not for me.
There are some things better left to subject matter experts.
And while there really are too many nowadays whose word you don’t want to treat necessarily the ‘expert’ way, there is a certain Ramchandra Guha, one of the noted thinkers and commentators whose real skill isn’t restricted to thinking clearly but extends to the musings with the pen.
And hence, important creations like: Gujarat: the making of a tragedy and India after Gandhi. But if you haven’t heard the famous bespectacled historian, writer, journalist, social commentator hear about thoughts on cleaning Indian cricket, then probably, you haven’t heard it at all.
Trust us with this one.
But make no mistake. Even before you jump the line and feel it’s a rather dramatic statement that may simply have been given to turn heads, then think again.
The 62-year-old Dehradun-born is making news basis some telling observations in a book titled, “The Commonwealth of Cricket!”
In a take that balances its weight against the passion involved with a sport that, in India, is considered almost a parallel religion, Guha shed light on his involvement with the game.
In the book, he is seen speaking on the sport that given today’s fast-paced nature hardly seems a ‘gentleman’s sport!’
And where it does seem like Cricket may have become a ‘sweat shop’ in some ways can be understood by an informing take on this unique piece of literature published recently in The Hindu Business Line that reads as follows:
The Commonwealth of Cricket reads like an ode to cricket fandom, too, and not just the game itself. Could you talk us through the experience of following a club team or even a Ranji Trophy team, as compared to the ups and downs of following Team India’s fortunes?
That said, here’s the most interesting part in that it clearly brings to light the widely-known author’s run-in with an episode (rather a reason that compelled him to leave the BCCI):
The two things that immediately come to mind (and I expand upon these in the book), are one, the extent to which cricketers are compromised when it comes to things like conflict of interest and so on; and two, the BCCI’s unshakeable belief that because India is the so-called cash cow of world cricket, because we bring more money to the table, because we have the IPL, we should control each and every aspect of the game the world over. Moreover, I don’t think this is going to change anytime soon. In fact, it has become worse in recent years, this ‘India-must-dominate-at-all-costs’ line of thought.
Truly speaking, such books truly deserve the time and appreciation of many among us whose lives begin with- and with all due respect- end with the wonderful game in our country as if, in other regions, it doesn’t exist at all or just doesn’t cut a figure as promising or powerful as what one feels here in the sub-continent.
For had that not been the case, we fans may never had resorted to cosmological adjectives when appreciating our own cricketers. Beyond runs, wickets, best bowling, centuries and matches won- are they (legendary that they may be, and sincerely are) not mortals?