There is no doubt related to the engrossing and magnetic ability of this T20 format of the game but I doubt the longevity of momentary success with the bat in the future of a sport which has always revered its legends in terms of their endurance and their ability to battle out the tedious spells in most adverse environment. The Tests which are considered to be the ultimate test for a cricketer as well as the fifty-fifty format no longer spark interest in the spectators because of the new shorter format but as the saying goes "Old is gold",this hysteria generated is going to die soon to pave way for the real challenges that enrich the sport.
In a country where more than 70 % of people are still way below the poverty line,where we talk so much about the unequal distribution of wealth between the affluent and the poor,whose best performance in Olympics in individual events is a meager three medals(one gold and two bronze),where half of the nationals would still be unaware of the national sport, the timing could not have been more appropriate for the creation of IPL to exacerbate the existing challenges.
Billions of rupees are wasted in this show involving more glamor and less substance but who cares as long as entrepreneurs are ready to invest and people like us continue enjoying? We can never realize the plight of the poor until and unless we swap lives with them. Why shall we devote our "precious" time to those the utopia is a setting where they can feed themselves with something at least twice a day?
The entrepreneurs can buy teams worth Rs 1000 crores but they cannot invest the money for the upliftment of the social conditions.
This IPL has done nothing except strengthening our commitment to cricket and our attitude to view the sports as semi-God. Hockey is our national sport but we failed to qualify in the Olympics in hockey. Does it really hold any relevance? Does it pose a serious negligence on our part? No, atleast not for now. Leave alone the national sport, there is no other sport to which we devote our time and mind. The scenario is enough to answer the question-why India lags way behind in the medals tally when compared to China and USA?
Don't you think Australia is good at cricket? They have been the world champions for so many years and are the most formidable opponents for any team. But if Aussies can manage to have a stranglehold on cricket,hockey,tennis,individual sports like swimming and so on,then why cannot we?
The real problem does not lie with the system,it lies in our attitude to view everything. We care for ourselves more than we care for our nation. What we long for depends on us and hopefully this scenario changes for the better!!
