Mangaluru: Jokes and Jibes Apart, We Need to Accept Defeats ‘Sport’ingly!

Mangaluru: It is just not cricket!

India’s 95-run defeat at the hands of Australia in the World Cup on Thursday, March 26 seems to have whipped up a wave of debates and diatribes on TV channels, at coffee-shops and in social media.

The Indian cricket fans, especially after the infamous, much forgettable though, ‘Monkeygate’ between Harbhajan Singh and Mike Symonds a few years ago, never seem to miss any chance to run down the proclaimed past-masters in sledging in international cricket. The whole populace of ours appeared to have been baying for Kangaroos’ blood. Because India was considered a favourite, although the bookies worldwide thought otherwise.

If the fans were so charged, perhaps the media hype too was responsible. The series was labelled with a variety of names like ‘Maha Sangram’, ‘Thunder Down Under’ and ‘War Cup’ by the media. The viewers and readers gulped the bait, hook, line and sinker.

India, after winning seven matches in a row, could not be accepted by the fans as losers. As the news of defeat was flashed, all hell broke loose in the social media. All the good show put up by the Boys in Blue all through the tournament went down the drain.

The worst affected was Virat Kohli, whose single-run achievement came in for heavy flak. Anushka Sharma’s presence in the stands added fuel to the fire. Here are just a few samples of social media posts.

1. Dhoni had asked Virat to play with Sharma for a longer time. He mistook it for the other Sharma and returned early.

2. (Alluding to a famous tyre commercial on TV) Anushka said to Virat, ‘I want you to be here in five minutes’. And, there, he was.

3. Kohli’s statistics – one run scored, one over bowled, one catch held, one catch dropped – just to see this single-handed achievement in Sydney, his beau flew all the way from Mumbai. That’s true love.

4. The Indian team have become brand ambassadors for ‘Ghar Wapsi’ and ‘Make in India’ campaigns by returning home without the Cup.

5. She should have remained on NH 10, should not have travelled to Sydney.

6. At least you made NH 10. He couldn’t even make a plain 10.

Elsewhere, TVs were broken – a wag said that they were in fact old and outdated black-and-white sets brought from Chor Bazar and kept ready as punch-bags to vent the anger, just in case. A Bollywood actor gave a call to fans to pelt stones at Anushka’s house.

Dhoni’s house in Ranchi has been provided with tight security in the backdrop of what had happened some years ago. Only competing with our neighbouring countries in stooping to such levels will not bring us any credit.

What has happened to us, the fans in particular? Can we not accept cricket, football or hockey, or any other sport for that matter, simply as a game? Winning and losing is never important, but the way we play the game leaves behind lasting impressions.

Most of us never expected India to make it even to the quarter-finals. Once the blood was tasted, the fans all of a sudden began asking for more. Losing this crucial semi-final, against Australia at that, is suddenly being regarded as an unpardonable letdown, a blotch forever.

Treating cricket icons as gods has been the bane of the game in our country. They too are humans like the rest of us. They too are fallible, vulnerable. The public memory is proverbially short. All will be forgotten after a few days, avidly in anticipation of another round of fever as the IPL show unfolds.

Let’s learn to celebrate victories with dignity and accept defeats with grace.  And as for Kohli-Anushka, it is their personal choice and private matter. Let’s leave them alone.