Cricket, the only religion I believe in

Cricket.... at first glance the word itself tells you nothing. Some knowledgeable chap, in complete ignorance of cricket ofcourse, might think this blog post has something to do with a certain insect. It does not, not even remotely. To be frank, cricket ain't such a big deal in our 6 billion strong, two World wars surviving, crazily diverse human race. Though the International Cricket Council does have 104 member countries, only a fool would tout that statistic to boast the popularity of cricket. Heck, cricket was never even a part of the Olympics, the biggest celebration of human athleticism since time immemorial and is only likely to be introduced from 2020. All in all, for most people on this planet, cricket is just one more game played by some people in a few colonies of the British Empire.

True, but this post is not about bashing cricket's popularity. On the contrary, I wish to address the seemingly little knowledge people have of the beauty of this game. Cricket is and will always be a never ending pursuit of the balance between sheer athleticism and intellect. The myriad rules of cricket might boggle a newcomer, but once you get past the initial hiccups, the possibilities for innovation, awe-inspiring tactical strategies and plain old cunning can make anyone gasp in wonder. Herein also lies one of the biggest strengths of cricket. This game doesnt ignore you if you aren't looking for mental stimulation. The contest between bat and ball, the battle between technique and raw animal power, and the conquest of new records by itself is sufficient to make anyone thirst for more. To put it simply, there's a lot more to cricket than what appears above the surface.

Like many other people in India, cricket is a way of life for me. Following the national team's progress (by itself a tedious affair) comes as naturally to me as perhaps, following the stock market comes to some people. Cricket in India, is by all means, a religion. I, like many others got indoctrinated into this great game at a very young age. By the time I was smart enough to realize it, I was hooked. Celebrating the successes of the national team wildly and of course, cursing them when they fail, comes naturally to me. Truth be told, I wouldn't want it any other way. The more you stay with this game, the more you are forced to marvel at how little we truly grasp the beauty of this game. One of the legends of this game, and probably the best cricketer ever, Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar (how can i write a post about cricket without mentioning SRT, the God of Cricket), is living proof that if you give your life to this game, it will award you richly and take you places few men have gone before. Some people utter that cricket is a game of luck and that the newest format of cricket, Twenty20 cricket, is even more so. My answer to this is a simple quote by Thomas Jefferson,

“I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.”

The euphoria that a cricket fan experiences, standing in a stadium filled to capacity, with wild cheering fans screaming themselves hoarse, can only rivaled by few other experiences that life has to offer. Finally, whether for the joy of watching the unceasing struggle between the batsman and the bowler, or for exploring the infinite intricacies that this game has to offer, even the most skeptical newcomer would surely be hard pressed to pronounce Cricket anything, but one of the finest inventions of mankind. Here's to Cricket.