Thursday, March 31, 2011

Please give me your ticket and I will buy you a hamburger.


1 billion people saw India beat Pakistan in the Cricket World Cup Semi-finals yesterday. From an Indian or Pakistani’s point of view this is our Superbowl. Our Champions league final. Our grossly over hyped death match. Offices in Mumbai were shut. Bars and restaurants packed. The news came to halt – cricket was the only item deemed newsworthy.

And then the match started…

6 hours later the game was still in balance. More people had seen this game of cricket than any other game. Which is why the question of the hour was “How much longer till the match ends?”

Let’s face it folks, cricket is a boring game. It takes forever to finish, has long periods of apathy and can dull the brain. I found it almost hilarious to see the bubble of hype burst as the first ball was bowled. At the end of the day, it’s just a game of ball and bat, and the minute the average non-fan realizes that they end up irked.

On the other hand, I’m an ok-ok fan of the game. I remember that amazing catch Ajay Jadeja took in the 1992 World Cup even though I saw it on a non-live basis. I remember the pain when India lost to Sri Lanka in the ’96 semi-finals and the disgust at the ’03 finals.

I expect the same hype to hit the final on Saturday when India take on Sri Lanka. I expect news channels to go ga-ga and the print media will descend upon Wankhede Stadium like Americans in an oil field. But what about you?

You’ve seen the India-Pakistan match. I agree, it was fun in bits and pieces but aren’t you glad its over? Now sit and relax on Saturday and watch the final in peace on your massive HDTV you’ve installed at home.

And don’t worry about that ticket in your hand for the final, just give it to me.

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