Pakistan have won the T20 Cricket World Cup. Great for a country struggling to cope up with a sport overturned because of terrorism. Who can forget the shooting of the Sri Lankan cricket team a few months back. Younis Khan in his post match interview requested nations to come to Pakistan again to play cricket, to give a chance for the youth in his country to get to the game instead of guns. A chance for the youth to play T20 instead of terrorism. Valid request isn’t it.
But this blog isn’t about Pakistan, but about the Indian Media. I woke up this morning and picked up the newspaper and did not find Pakistan’s victory mentioned in any form of glory that is associated with the sport called cricket (a religion of sorts in our country). There are newspapers sporting bigger pictures of Saina Nehwal than the victorious team photo of the Pakistan Cricket Team. Saina Newhal – who?, she is the latest badminton sensation in India and has won her first big tournament.
Let’s assume the Indian team had won the cup last night, wouldn’t have every newspaper, magazine, TV Channel and Websites run riot splashing photographs, articles, interviews etc. Guaranteed they would have had the front pages covered with the victory story. So why don’t we do it when another country wins it – isn’t about the sport and not about a country. Yes, I know we are in India and it’s about the national team, but the way we show double standards towards the sport vs. other countries in the sport is a clear demarcation. The IPL winners had more first page coverage, for sure the Deccan Chronicle did as it was their team.
You can argue with me stating that “The HINDU” did not carry Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination in its front page, but at that time, the paper used to carry classifieds on its front page. So the question is, is India a cricket frenzy nation or is India an Indian Cricket team frenzy nation – your judgement is as good as mine.
The Indian media has been on the forefront of a lot of irresponsibility. The 26/11 attacks were beamed live giving access to the terrorists hold up inside the hotel and building with their colleagues on the other side of the border. The focus to run programs minute on minute, even if its useless like the Shiney Ahuja case and we can write pages of lack of good stories. Is the India media getting stuck to competition rather than looking for a story that would get them the viewership – isn’t about editorial ship or is it about economics?. I don’t wont to beat the India media out, for, they certainly are in the top, if not the best, among the worlds best.
We know that country’s inviting India to play in their home country get more crowd coming in to watch cricket than their home country playing with another country, barring a few rivalries. So again isn’t about the Indian cricket team then. We certainly know the muscle power of the BCCI and how they leverage the same in the cricketing fraternity. Can’t we envisage the IPL and how there twisting the arms of the ICC to include the same in the future tours program.
So the question is – is it cricket, the Indian Cricket team or the latest sensational news which sells. We are diluting the spirit of the sport, which certainly is the bastion of all sports in India and cricket in India has far more reach than the BJP’s poll manifesto.
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