Why Fans Will Still Watch Cricket

These last few days have not been good for the game of cricket. Touted as the gentleman’s game, the sport is in the news for all the wrong reasons. In a country where everybody is so engrossed with cricket that each has an opinion of his own, the news of match-fixing was a bolt from the blue. And we are not done yet by any means.

The players involved in spot-fixing are under arrest and only time will tell what the truth is. Yes, there is no question that the game’s image has been tarnished but this is the time that the real fans need to show that they still love the game and instances like these are like a flash in the pan and their love for the game is not permeable by them.

The fans will still watch because of moments like 1983 and 2011 world cup wins which united the whole of India as one which otherwise is divided on the basis of caste, creed and religion. The fans will still watch because they loved the free flowing cover drive of Sachin’s bat and turned off the idiot box when he got out. The young kid who practices daily after coming from school will still watch because he feels one day he can become a Dhoni and see his life turn on it’s head in a span of a few years. And I can go on with the examples but the bottom line is that the real fan, who keeps track of the score notwithstanding where he is, will still do the same because he loves the game for the sheer joy that it brings to him. Because this game has the quality of fulfilling your dreams. This game can bring a smile to your face.

As far as I am concerned, I will keep watching with the same zeal and enthusiasm because for every S. Sreesanth there is a Rahul Dravid who shows you can excel in every field of life if you are disciplined enough. For every Hansie Cronje there is a Sachin Tendulkar who shows that if you have a passion and unending commitment for what you love, you will be the best.

I loved cricket, I love cricket and I will love cricket because I still love a certain Dale Steyn coming in at full throttle to a certain Virender Sehwag who cracks it over point which makes you smile. You punch in the air as if you have won something.