Most of my son’s classmates find greater pleasure in watching Thierry Henry, a Frenchman who captains a London club, Arsenal, than in watching Rahul Dravid turn out for India. The boys in his class who aren’t fixated on Arsenal are obsessed with Manchester United and someone called Rooney who looks worryingly like an Eighties model skinhead. I could be wrong, my sample could be too small, but I think we’re seeing a shift in the sporting culture of metropolitan Indian schoolboys of a particular class. They’re seceding from international cricket and offering their enthusiasm and loyalty to English league football.

Before you go off thinking that my son’s school is some deracinated, air-conditioned NRI heaven, let me assure you that it’s not. Sardar Patel Vidyalaya is an austere, emphatically desi school, with a great cricket tradition. It has produced Indian internationals (Ajay Jadeja, Murali Karthik) and it has one of the most powerful cricket teams amongst Delhi’s schools. Lots of sensible kids in the school aspire to play competitive cricket. So far, so good. But ask any parent with a boy in middle-school and he’ll tell you the same thing: cricket’s reasonably popular, but it isn’t cool.

No, watching Arsenal play Chelsea with your friends is cool. Watching Arsenal play Chelsea wearing the red, obscenely priced Arsenal jersey, is cooler. To fold yourself into Arsenal’s global fan base with a casual ‘we’ is coolest of all, because that’s the very acme of cosmopolitan belonging.

That ‘we’ wouldn’t have been possible till a few years ago, before Star/ESPN began telecasting fixtures live. Recorded matches can seem second-hand because others have watched/used them already. With live telecasts beamed in by satellite, a schoolboy in Delhi can own the action of the match, its suspense, its exhilaration, its heartbreak, in the same way as someone in South Harrow can, because both of them see it happen in real time. Paradoxically, supporting league football is easy because it doesn’t involve treason. It’s not England you’re supporting at football where once you supported India at cricket. No, in cheering for Arsenal you’re supporting a club side whose captain is French, and whose players are as likely to come from Cote d’Ivoire as Camden Town.

And why is Arsenal more compelling than India? Two reasons. One, the Indian team isn’t successful enough at cricket to be glamorous. The last ten years of Australian dominance have left the other cricketing nations looking like pygmies squabbling for second place. Two, with the decline of the West Indies and the less than competitive presence of Zimbabwe and Bangladesh, international cricket sometimes seems like a tawdry, post-colonial leftover, too small and tarnished a mirror to reflect the growing self-consequence of contemporary India’s globalizing elite. The extraordinary celebration of Bhaichung Bhutia, an Indian footballer who was recruited to play for a third division English club, is a forewarning of the enormous enthusiasm that’s likely to be stirred up if one or two Indian players manage to make their way into the upper reaches of a truly global league like the English Premiership.

I tell myself that even if my son’s class is representative of its kind in India’s great cities, we’re still talking about a small minority of Indian cricket’s viewership. As television-aided cricket reaches more deeply and widely into Indian society, as talent begins to be produced in provincial places (think of Virendra Sehwag, Irfan Pathan, Munaf Patel, and Mohammad Kaif), metropolitan towns like Bombay, Delhi, Bangalore and Madras become less important as nurseries of talent, and urban, middle-class, English-speaking children become a diminishing sliver of Indian cricket’s huge installed fan base.

But I’m not consoled. Our cricketing genes need to reproduce themselves. When our children defect, an unbroken sequence of cricketing generations is severed, a familial cricketing tradition, a silsila, becomes defunct. Less sentimentally, no Indian game can afford to lose the children of the haute salariat, the class of people who buy fridges and washing machines. Once upon a time Test cricket was one of the white goods that this class consumed reflexively: but for how much longer?

A longer version of this post published in The Telegraph, Kolkata, is available here

Arsenal, my boy, is more compelling than India because, in Rashid Latif's words: India are chokers. They can't play and savour any half-decent player they get. Kapil Dev's bowling action was like a chicken and he averaged 23 with the bat. Tendulkar can't play for his country just himself. India lost a World Cup match because of Gavaskar's scoring rate and still it was an unbroken Indian record. The only decent players ever for India have been: Ravi Shastri, Zaheer Khan, Agarkar, Irfan Pathan and Munaf Patel. If you stretch out, then Tendulkar in his first five years was good. This is India's extent. Out of a population short of only China, they have never gotten a fast bowler. Vegetarians.

The above story is too true. I am a professional living and working in Dubai and even here most kids in the 13 - 18 age group sport T shirts from a Premier league club and talk of Rooney, Ballack and Crouch and are totally into the English football scene. So am I to be honest after about 20 years of being a die hard cricket fan, supporting a successful Premier league team gives you a lot of guaranteed success that the Indian team sadly does not.

There was a time when i would even watch the less significant Zim v Bang contests with keen interest and felt was seeing a good player in the making when a saw a young boy by the name mohd ashraful bat. Yet these days if I had to choose between Real Madrid vs Barca and Ind vs Pak .... The choice is so much easier now. Football is a simple game. I had grown up at a time when the Laras and the sachins were making their mark in the game and ravaging bowling attacks all over the world. Yet It has not taken me more than 2 years to undersand why ronaldinho's first touch is so special ,why lionel messi is regarded so highly and why riquelme is considered amongst the best mid fielders in the game today.Although i have played no better than school cricket i still understand the joy of a searing cover drive hit on the rise that goes screaming all along to the ropes. Yet when arsenal pass the ball around and that man cesc fabregas threads the ball in so neatly for henry to kill with such charm you can only drop your jaw in amazement.... and i have never played any sort of football at any level.

This is a great, great disappointment. For myself, I have never changed my interests, having started following cricket at age 7. I don't care what sport "they" say I have to follow this week, I will always follow cricket anywhere, anytime. By the way, I am very interested to hear about audio coverage of cricket from all countries. Do India provide any internet radio coverage to the world?

As long as holy cows only are allowed to graze the cricket field, there will be a natural death of cricket in India. Sachin is the holiest cow and if it is sacrilege to say any thing about his palce in the nationalside , no matter how bad his continued performance on the field is. One century can keep him afloat for another ten years if not more. Appreciating genius and showing respect is one thing but idolatising one for eternity making him a permanent member of the team for ever is another.

Well, top European leagues are these days so much better than Cricket. Face it, When you have Watford facing Chelsea and Say Bangladesh v Australia you don't need to think much to decide which is a more even contest. Add to that the present day one day pitches where it is all about scoring 300 runs and who can belt the ball harder, the 8 hours(including lunch break) to complete a cricket match and the 1 hr 45 mins(including half time break) for football, the better competition(what would you prefer? Indian and Lankan batsmnen piling runs on predictably placid one day tracks or the premier league and champions league which offer less predictibility and more overall quality?), you have the clear winner. Cricket as a game is not one for the future it seems.

Mukul, the very same thing that you talk about is also happening in Pakistan. When I read your article it was a though you were describing my own school in Karachi! People do still play, but noone wants to be seen as too 'keen' on cricket. As you said, its popular but it isn't cool. And that's a shame.

the other reason Mr keshavan you would appreciate is this ..though i am saying only my story i.e speaking only for myself .and my circle of friends some of them after graduation got software IT jobs some are still looking for IT jobs but working very hard in call centre jobs :-)so they just cant keep themselves awake to watch slow cricket but ..we suddenly realise that cricket is an 8-9 hour game we can follow the game on website like cricinfo :-) but to watch every ball is just impossible ..sometimes even when at home cant watch cricket as it seems too slow ....when the great sachin is playing any left arm spinner !!!and there factor is this again this is my theory ..based on my observations with friends that my generation of indians who grew up in 90's TV was never a novelty so we have been watching india play but now with the decline of golden generation (yesterday not withstanding) we wonder with the golden generation we could not get out of mid table then what happens now ...with millions of dollars as revenue we are only mid table ..and our geneartion in offices are expected to achieve quality standards of global standards but cricket team with "8" team global reach cant even for a single day be the best with so much funding any day sania mirza with all the critiscm of her being the worst hype of indian sports is better atleast she plays in new york paris,beijing where the names dravid sachin does not ring a bell its just about time lalit modi woke up and smelt coffee before talking about some more millions

As an economy, India is on the move, up, up and up. But in terms of cricketing achievement it has little to show, despite the huge amounts of money (and time) spent on it. Generation Next, who are just smarter in their choices, prefer to watch a team that wins most of the time be it Arsenal or Australia. Indian cricket badly needs a few good victories. Right now.

Our friend from one of the earlier blogs, Mr Moiz, perhaps needs a history lesson and could do with slightly more refined analytical skills. Could it be because he is non-vegetarian? Using Rashid Latif as the touchpoint for making sweeping statements - maybe Mr Moiz needs to rethink his choice of role models.

Twenty 20 should be the answer to these kids who have shorter attention spans and who are addicted to high voltage action.
Tendulakar's and Lara's might come and go but the game would evolve to accomodate the interests of the consumers or the ultimate stakeholders - the viewers.

There was a period in tennis when the Williams shut out the rest and then when we have a Federer who plays like a dream.A Tiger Woods!!! A Schumacher at his best!!!Does it make these sports any less watchable.It doesn't mean the others are not trying.Man they rule.

But the day you have cricket being played on the beaches of Miami and Rio and the stadiums of Berlin and Shanghai will be the day when it has truly come of age.

Completely agree with this. Although I am in my mid-20s and witnessed the explosion of one-day cricket in the mid-90s as a teenager, even in my generation interest in cricket seems to be dwindling by the day. EPL and football in general seems to be the top choice but Formula 1 is not very far behind.I presume it has got a lot to do with the monotony of the one-day version. The audience for test cricket,has probably not declined and if at all increased slightly over the last decade or so. However, one-day cricket has lost its lure and is mostly superfluous and highly predictable. I belive 20-20 will usher in a new generation of instant cricket and probably win back the crowd one-day cricket has lost.

I completely agree with you Mr. Kesavan.

But please also remember that Football for 1 hour 45 minutes is so exhilarating that Cricket can never match that - and it actually did on "The Great Match" of Australia vs. South Africa and i felt it became boring to actually hear Mr. Tony Greig whose commentary is really fine - to keep saying thats a six a gazillion times!

Again - if you look at the future of cricket in this country of ours - what do we have for teh future - Nothing! There is not one truly exciting talent to watch for and I believe that we will be going through a similar phase of what West Indies are going through now (Though we could never emulate their previous phase!!!!!)

Football on the other hand is such a sublime and a fast game and the skill that players such as a Zidane, Henry and Figo had is simply unbeatable and truly enjoyable - and considering where we Indians are in the world in Football - there is no question of any patriotic pangs either!

When you start a blog it's your responsibility to ensure that the right degree of maturity and balance is maintianed.Mr.Moiz's comment is neither and besides being innacurate he is casting aspersions on the dietery preferences (again inaccurately) of an entire nation!

Generally, the comments by both Pakistani's and Indian's on each other's blogs, atleast, in cricket are constructive and positive even if there's criticism.

This comment as mentioned above, is downright abusive and painful for an Indian to read.

I suppose non vegetarian fast bowlers are a mirror of success: still under a doping cloud, pushing and finger pointing your coach and for the whole world to see! Wow!

As an adside Mr.Moiz I would like to let you know that an Indian who won a GLOBAL award in his category of BODY BUILDING was a VEGETARIAN.

"Mind over Matter" ?!

And I also do not agree with the blogger: "jab tak rahega samose mein alloo tab tak rahega India mein Cricket!!!!!"

Oops sorry a VEGETARIAN joke !?!?!

Nirbhay Singh

I really don't see why one can't be enthusiastic about both sports at the same time. I love cricket, football, tennis equally. Of course cricet takes precedence over everything.

The only game I can't understand is Baseball!

Cricket can be best preserved in highlighting its charm, it can't be compared with Football or any game which relies mostly on physical poweress.Its an old romantic's game with its moments of blood and guts.Lets not place it with such games,lets give it a new frame.At least the game is played with fervid passion and truthfulness in this country unlike one where passion gives way to pretentious statements,use of enhancing drugs and disgraceful acts(on and off the field).

Too many cricket games, nobody has time to spend the whole day for Cricket now. Would rather see the highlights. And with the test cricket forget it 5 days. Everybody is pressed for time, so this trend will be seen in the future. Even Golf, people watch only because of Tiger, if he doesn't play they don't even turn on the TV.

I live in a hostel; one (barely functioning TV) between 70 boys (at an average). Its an all INdia law school, so you can basically say that the students are probably representative of the middle-upper middle class of most parts of the country.
No football match (save the World Cup final) packs students in like a good cricket match. The Ashes, the South Africa v Aus match at Jo'Burg, WI v Aus in KL (where Jerome Taylor took the hattrick), was enthusiastically watched by no less than half the hostel packed into one room.
Of course EPL has its supporters (among our juniors mostly), but cricket is still alive. It just has more competition. Indian cricket could do with more competition, esp from football, since hockey is dead (though for entirely different reasons from what this blog suggests could happen to cricket)

Maybe 20-20 is the key to bring back the crowds. But I remember the last day of the last Ashes test and the wild cheering that broke out here when England saved the day, and think maybe just GOOD CRICKET is what we need. Not...England, or club-level Zimbabwe being thrashed again and again!

I started to become a huge cricket fan by watching the 1999 cricket world cup. That was when I was given access to cable tv by my parents and I made sure I did not waste the opportunity and watched every single live game. Test matches in Australia and Newzealand were fascinating. There were days when I would start watching cricket at 4.30 in the morning to watch the game played in Newzealand and end up finishing at 9.30 in the night with the game played in South Africa. Test matches played in countries with sporting wickets were fantastic. So were the ODI's. But then I watched a ODI series between India and West Indies played on Indian pitches in unknown grounds and that is when I started to become a Arsenal fan. I realised that my heroes were only on paper and I felt Viera was better than Sehwag in every respect.

If this the case, it is good. Isn't it? Atlast there is some other sport getting popular in India apart from Cricket which I feel is overdose. For information, I was also a obsessed cricket follower in my childhood days. But the decline of cricket standards as you have rightly put the reasons, I am happy that it is heading this way.

ya,its true that EPL,spanish league and continuous flow of their live coverage has diminished somewhat elite base of india.sadly so is to see the continuing trend as though i myself have watched cricket all over sacin's age and appreciated each and every knock ,am graually intending towards some sports need not be football (personally i favour lawn tennis than to football)but every other one which is not that much time consuming.i liked to watch hockey too,as it is faster than most of the sports but indias meteoric decline in the sports horizon has left no choice but to follow meagre sports which are very less distinguishable.i totally agree with kuppurao ,but its not the fault in some individuals only.the problem lies in the management itself and it starts right from the higher echleon as high as that of BCCI proffessionals.in another sports atleast you get to see some competition(barring the god federer and to some extent tiger woods)but in cricket its australia everywhere.real joy of any sports is not only the skills and crafts of some individuals but the win and loss of the nations and sentiments related to it.and repeated thrashing of indian cricketers from australia and another better teams has not done good at all.you can support anything only when it gets you output and this indian team has not done anything extra to give that.i ve watched indian greats fall at slightest of tough conditions.and most worrying thing is that they dont seem to work on their weaknesses but they wait for easier conditions to get some runs under their belt and show at the end of the year that their average is not that much bad either.and the problem here is also that though we are having the richest cricket board we dont have even 5 pitche of testing quality here in india.and they keep on doing so.and when some greg chappel wants to get the true cricket mindset to chokers he is thrashed .so its gloomy situation.and we cant see the same story all over the years so shift is towards another game...

Well - it could be worse. We could have been Pakistani or even English and had to support their cricket teams!

It might be for the best. The kind of fans who only support a team because it is winning are not true fans. Obsessing over one sport does not always benefit the country either. In Engaland football IS a religion to many people but what have England actually won in the last 40 YEARS? Nothing. They have not even reached a final....

.
set up an internal 20/20 cricket competition
bombay vikings vs. calcutta tigers
delhi dodos vs. haryana hippos
watch the crowds come flocking back

start a champions-league style competition
lahore lizards narrowly defeated by the unfancied upstart kathmandu wildfire in an amazing ACC Champions League final

wild celebrations in the streets of the nepalese capital. now hopefully the national side can do sell too..

cricket HAS to change and adapt

mukul, awsome analysis.
waiting for your book

Shan, I could help you with baseball... and to me, competitive test cricket is still the lord of all games...

It's all marketing..

Well the fact that boys of a particular class are enjoying football doesnt in any way indiacte that cricket is dying a death in India.It's just the net has spread wider and more and more kids are taing to sports in school and hence we see a nice interest in almost all the sports in indian school kids.If you analyse Indian cricket team in the last 15 years (since the advent of cable TV), you will find thatexdpet for Ganguly and Dravid, almost all other players have come from non-elitist schools.maybe the school which you son attends would have produced so many tennis stars,golfers, squash players and even swimmers but when it comes to hockey,football and cricket, its the lesser known schools who still rule the roost!And the interst shown by these kids in other sports has resulted in India slowly improving its performance in internation sport.As for some pakis abusing Indian players here, let me ask just a simple fact, out of a population of 130 millions, how many champions even at the asian level have they produced leave except for jansher and jahangir khan in squash.Long live Indian sports.

I simply do not agree with Moiz' post and his retarded analysis. I am a non-vegetarian...the amount of meat I consume on daily basis I should be faster than Michael Holding. I am too scared to know the diet of Shoaib Akhtar who breaks down after 11 overs and that too after a year of 'rest'.

Please remove his abusive post. He is an insult to intelligent men...and women.

Non-Vegetarian Pakistani living in LA

Hmmmm...let's see. How many great rivalries do we have in the game of cricket? One...two...th...f...no, no...two...just two: Australia/England and India/Pakistan, and even out of those two the Australia/England one is more like a bad love affair than a true rivalry. It is the competition, found aplenty in football, that generates interest. Cricket owes its survival to India and Pakistan.

But then you're misreading your fifteen-year old too. Teenagers, especially those of colonial romantics, are characterized by a manifest desire to be different from their peers even if it is just for the sake of being different. Speaking English as opposed to Hindi/Urdu being a case in point. The elite have always tried to be different from the masses lest they themselves become masses. And you're right, your sample is too small. Cricket not only is in good health, but it thrives with the masses with prospects of a decent future.

A quick glance at the Indian and Pakistani players should tell you where the players are coming from. What teenager would want to admit in public that her idol is...err, for example... Harbhajan Singh? Or that she dreams about going on a date with....Mohammad Yousuf? David Beckham over Sachin Tendulkar? You decide. Heck, I'll take a long-retired Maradona over Inzamam any day of the week. What are you talking about?

A note for Mustafa Moiz: You could've made your point in a decent way and many people would've agreed with you. But somehow your beastly instincts overcame your civility and you couldn't resist being condescending. What is that going to achieve? There are plenty of those who can be worse than you and I'm sure we'll see some of them here after your remark.

the best analysis so far i've read is by Ian Woolridge "The contract had run out: do your best, contrive spurious excuses and run home to check your bank account." (cricinfo "quote.....unquote".)

say what you will about the Pakistani team but they are the most exciting team to watch, period.
When Shoaib turned up to play for a 3rd rate county team in England half the town turned up to watch him play, I don't know if anyone in the world would pay to watch an Indian player (I mean non Indian). Pakistani players are always in the news for good or bad things which makes them a lot more exciting and also human, Indian players to me seem like robots. Recently India has produced Srisant, I think he looks like a player with passion, which Indian players seem to be lacking. Pakistani has always produced players with passion and aggression, afridi,akram,imran,shoaib etc, etc.

Lets face it... there is a lot more money in the game of football. What this really means is that there is a lot more support. As it is played over a shorter time than a cricket match (even a 20twenty game) it has more appeal to more of the population.

India are a great team to watch from time to time. But appart from a recent display against the West Indies they haven't had much to cheer about for a while. With a great start in South Africa with a test match win... they simply faded away, and worse yet weren't even a feature in the one day series.

With limited hope in the upcomming world cup (mostly because I think once again Austraila are gonna walk it) someone else might stake a claim. But with India and South Africa the underperformers and chokers... who else is there? Pakistan with all their internal problems? West Indies, who seem to have a serious lack in depth? England, well enough said! Bangladesh and Zimbabwe... well they can dream. Sri Lanka, possibles as they have to be considered Dark Horses but have not had that great a run... cept against England (but does that count?). I guess that leaves New Zealand. On their day I have no doubt that they really can turn the tide, but with so many injuries I think they will find that fielding a fully fit first XI difficult.

All that said... with the alarming regularity that Australia win, why bother to get too excited over a game that you aren't going to win?

At least in the football world cup, played over less time, including more teams there is a greater chance of an upset. A greater chance that any one of the competing sides might win. And in that lies the answer. In a game where everyone has a chance, everyone has interest.

Just because some privileged school kids in the metros consider football cooler than cricket, it doesn't spell the death of Indian cricket. Does the author mean to say that these prospective cricketers are gonna become football pros ? This is as likely as the Indian football team winning the football World Cup! Even if they do make it big in football, then Indian football will be well-served. So, it's a win-win situation! I guess the popularity of EPL has got to do with today's instant gratification culture, in which winning is everything. All it takes is a few wins by the Indian team for cricket to be cool again, among its "fair-weather" supporters!

... and isint it all good for Indian cricket? THE problem with Indian cricket is that it does not have competition in the mind space of people. So stars can thrive even when on cruise control. There is competition for Indian cricket. Good. Great. Maybe some one will even think that a commercially succesful, competitve domestic club structure is a good idea. And what will that lead to I wonder...

i agree with each n every person who has aired their views !!!personally speaking,we can never decide who rules the roost in this amazing and exciting world of sports!!!!i guess it all comes down to who performs well AND CONSISTENTLY!!!
REST IS TO THE MILLIONS OF VIEWERS THEMSELVES TO DECIDE!!!

Pakistan has exciting player - pity they... walk out, diva behave. Akhtar is overweight - half the town comes out to watch him play because a. half the town is of pakistani origin b. such a small town that he is the most famous person ever to visit. Honestly - I am an Indian living in the UK and I feel embarassed for the average Pakistani cricket fan.

It's not the death of Indian cricket - it's globalisation and wanting something that not everbody has - not neccesarily rich but different. It's like saying why don't I drive a Maruti instead of Hyundai?

At first place, India should not have been playing Cricket at all. We don't belong to it. I guess, football is the game we should have be aspiring for. Something has gone wrong somewhere. Time has come now to correct it......hope it will be corrected in my life time. Though I am a hardcore fan of cricket....

Let me reverse the argument on its heads. Do we really need cricket to be cool? I have been a cricket fan all my life, and I believe, without arrogance, that I can count myself in the troupe of the "true fans" - those who prefer a good test match over the one day game, and who like a sporting wicket over a belter.

The commercialisation of cricket has widely increased its fan base, but what about the "quality" of the interest? A lot of it is just "tamasha" cricket with the broadcaster too quick to switch to an advertisement the moment the final ball of the over has been bowled.

I know that the true cricketing fans know what I am taking about. I am all for cricket being less popular, and returning to its basics.

Give me a great batsman facing up to a great swing bowler in overcast conditions on the first day of a test match. And I'll watch for hours. The decline of cricket from the agendas of fickle fans may return it to its true lovers.

first of all mr.moiz,most powerfull animal,elephant,is vegitarian.shoieb is non-vegi..why he take..?understand?srinath and kumble both veg...ok?
yes in future cricket would not change,then automatically ppl will change their intrest and switch to other sports,but look at aus,they r taking this game at onther level,and other will follow him,its sure!!so dont worry for now.a 15 year boy have a many like-dislike,if doesnt like cricket,leave him.think abt many.this is not the time yet to worry,put this blog after 2010.
80%of indian popu still didnt know the name of ARSNEL!!!!

I am a born and bred Englishman living a stone's throw from South Harrow who would much rather sit and watch five days of India playing Australia or Pakistan than any number of minutes of Arsenal (or Chelsea or Man United for that matter) playing anybody. Admittedly, when it comes to football I am a West Ham fan, but I would still rather watch India play cricket than any football match (the only exception might be an England match in the World Cup or European Cup, but even that's not a certainty).

Yes I do prefer cricket to football, but in particular I am an India and an England fan. Why? Well despite having grown up in England (the first cricket match I went to was England v India at Lord's in 1974) and keenly remembering Headingly 1981 as the greatest test I ever saw, I lost interest in cricket in the mid-eighties. However, from 1995 to 2000 I lived in India and my interest was re-kindled and I became a dedicated supporter of India. Being an England fan and being an India fan seems to have something in common - a feeling that one's team should be doing a whole lot better than it is. There are moments of absolute bliss - Kolkata 2001 (like Headingly 1981 all over again), Adeleide 2002, Ashes 2005, but also moments of exasperation and pain - Chennai 1999 (vs Pak), SCG 2004 (Waugh should have been given out lbw to Kumble when he first came out) and Ashes 2006/7.

My point: the love of watching India play comes from knowing something wonderful can happen, even if it doesn't. But when it does, the only thing to match it is seeing England beat Australia. I go mad watching (mostly) Tendulkar, Dravid, Laxman, Sehwag, Ganguly lose their wickets cheaply, but I still have to watch because I know something special may be just around the corner. I only hope the next generation can do something to keep me as excited as these guys have for the last ten years.

i do not wanna get into india vs pakistan here and coming back to the the article,its a really good one.it is true that the middle class indian school kid does not find cricket "cool"anymore.i ve noticed this over a period of time and cricket in this country is witnessing a paradigm shift in its viwership.the smaller cities and villages are getting their first tv coverage and like the middleclasses during the 1983 they are finding the game charming and intresting.for the city viwer live"packaged "football in better looking parts of the world is becoming more and more appealing

I am not sure I belong to the generation that Mukul discussed. But, I am not too adrift. I am 22 years young and I am doing a Ph.D. in the U.S. of A. Often, I am asked, what do I miss the most? I say family and then watching cricket with my dad. When I look back, it was not the holidays we took to Ooty, Kodai, Darjelling that I missed, it was the Sunday afternoon's watching, on the couch, me and my dad, watch India play. Even, today when I do see some matches, I invariably call him at the fall of each wicket. Cricket is/was an integral part of the dad-son chemistry.

Well, but then, what better can you expect from somebody, who bunked school, travelled about 10 miles to grandpa's place, to see Gavin Larsen open the bowling in a W.I vs N.Z test match.

Though, I might be a cricket-nut, I believe I am quite representative of my generation. I would, to the point of forcing, encourage my kids to see, if not play, the beautiful game.

It's just a passing fad, Mukul. Cricket is in our blood, our subconscious. All these people are doing is living vicariously through the accomplishments of far-away football players, because trust me, no Indian is ever going to be good at football. I went to a pretty posh school in India myself, and kids there were obsessed with football/basketball and everything, but when India reached the 2003 world cup final, everything went out the window. People do watch cricket...even the most urbane children watch it...they just don't like to talk about it.

Half of the town came to see shoaib bcoz town was full of pakistani and pakistan people can only play cricket and/or hockey rest of the game lets say any female sport such as tennis... they don't have any one we have atleast some good personality be it sania mirza or narayan karthikayen we r definitely getting better facilities in other sports bcoz our economy is booming and these comp. r putting their money in different sports....soccer in India is waiting for revival....may be in next 5-10 year our soccer team will get better...
Go COLTS

Quote= tintin again "Pakistan has exciting player - pity they... walk out, diva behave. Akhtar is overweight - half the town comes out to watch him play because a. half the town is of pakistani origin b. such a small town that he is the most famous person ever to visit. Honestly - I am an Indian living in the UK and I feel embarassed for the average Pakistani cricket fan."

Pakistan atleast have exciting players then India, a rocking bowling attack with Shoaib, Gul, Asif, Rana, Sami and now Shabir. See what India have got?
Confused Irfan Pathan, degrade Agarkar, Bala Jee and... Zaheer Khan. SreeSanth is a true fast bowler but what he will do without any support?
India have 'big-guns' in bating department but how much they are contributing to the victories? How much consistent victories India have?
Pakistan have worlds fastest bowler with curiest bowling attack. A bunch of thrilling all rounders. Middle order enriched with Inzi, MY and Younas.
Three problems they have, 1. their dumb-ass fielding. 2. Their opening 3. Their internel conflicts.
Let's take just one out that is 3rd one, their internel conflict and no doubt they would have been the most compitative team.

I'm saddened by this. As a cricket fanatic born and still living in England, I wouldn't wish on anyone the year round, wall to wall football hysteria to which we are subjected. If it's any comfort, cricket somehow survives here (thanks in no small measure to British Indians) and even emerges from the shadows every 20 years or so when England wins the Ashes. I cling to the belief that, unlike us here, the Indian people will see through the superficial glitter of the Premiership and perceive what really lies beneath - clubs dominated by owners with questionable motives, a governing body which is powerless to protect match officials against routine cheating and abuse from players and a significant minority of spectators whose sole motivation for attending matches is to express their hatred of the opposition. It's way too late to save England from rampant footballism. India, you still have a chance - grab it now!

Mukul, I wouldn't spend sleepless nights dreading the end of cricket. My son is 8, has grown up in New York, has access to every sport imaginable and yet has well and truly been bitten by the cricket bug. (My worry is therefore, if anything, the opposite of yours.) He will watch test and one-day cricket with equal joy, understands the nuances of a good test match, and also understands that the true emotions of being a supporter do not consist in only supporting a winning team. All power to everyone who love their quick-fix soccer, tennis and --- the words stick here a bit --- golf, and my deepest sympathies to those who live by supporting only winners. But I'm happy with cricket, and I think it will last another generation or two.

Guys...Hold on a second!Yeah i do agree that football is getting popular here in india and the rising interest levels of younger generations in it.But death of cricket in India!??.Satellite tv is popularising soccer but thats about it!How much competitive soccer is being played on any level here?Do you know the lousy football ranking of our country?Soccer like cricket reqiures tradition which lacks here.Cricket rules and will keep ruling!Enjoy watching premier league though!

A very insightful commentary by Mukul on the changing tastes of youngsters in Metros.As you rightly pointed out , its hep to watch football in the more metroed places , and thats probably a reason why most of our cricketers come from the smaller towns , where the heat and dust of gully cricket is more exciting than watching 2 foreign teams locked in a goalless draw.

Like your son , I too studied in SPV about 12 years back , it has a great cricketing tradition.A hard and bouncy track and lush cricketing outfields set in a lodhi-esque manicured British Raj setting.What a pity that youngsters today are not thrilled to put on the whites.The sound of the cherry on the willow is slowly dissapearing.Cricket was always a romantic's game.Sigh !

The article silent death of Indian cricket is true in most cases. For the newer generation it is almost entirely true. I have a solution though. Why not have inter state 20-20 matches. The amount of money the BCCI is earning, this can be done on a very large scale and also with state logos, like in the US, for cricket teams, would make it attractive to youngsters. Ranji trophy is a nice way of spotting talent but if the newer generation is not interested in cricket, then where are we going to find the next dadas,the dravids, the tendulkars and so on? We need to make it attractive to the youngsters, see what appeals to them in the english premiere league and implement it over here.

Well truly said Andrew. India have their chances now, they are the largest cricketing country in world and Cricket is alive in many ICC associates becouse of NRI's.
BCCI must take constractive steps towards imprving cricket and yes... 20/20. Spread it people, make clubs like English Premier league. Also take this 20/20 form of cricket into Olympics.

I have lived in Delhi and have several friends who have attended SPV. It is an elitist (and excllent, I might add) institution and the demographic of the average student skews upper middle class and above. Cricket used to be mildly popular at Sardar Patel and other elite colleges in New Delhi such as Modern School, but it is no longer as cool, simply because the kids there have access to satellite cable and want to watch foreign programming - especially sports.
Cricket is extremely popular with kids in the middle class and lower income brackets. Sarwan Public School - which does not even compare to SPV academically - has been dominating the cricket scene in Delhi for quite a while. Most of the kids there are not from posh South Delhi (or NDMC) homes and they play for hours in the punishing Delhi heat. Winning tournaments is a matter of pride for these kids.
The love for European football among Indian kids is a sign of the times. It reflects a class divide in society. It is the result of economic progress and the subtle and not-so-subtle signs of upward mobility that come with it.
In terms of creating diversity, it is great, and may even bring some attention to Indian football, but then it may not be as cool as European football, so I would not place too many eggs in that basket. I certainly do not expect too many priviliged children giving up the prospect of air-conditioned offices for an unpredictable future in Indian football. Cricket remains a religion for the great masses and they are far more invested in it than the class of kids mentioned here.
Many of you have also talked correctly about the players coming in from smaller centers. This is very true indeed. Anyone in India can tell you that Rahul Dravid is extremely popular with the more educated (English-medium) crowd which doesn't really watch cricket. They love to go after the Tendulkar's and the Dev's but lap up Rahul. Why? Because the man can speak English better than all of his team-mates. I am not talking about cricket fans who are far less discriminating. It's just that Dravid appeals to that section of the population, they identify with him and hence like him. It is perfectly natural. But it is not based on the cricket he plays. The line between entertainment and sport gets blurrier everyday.
As a form of TV entertainment and its implications on ad revenue, the author makes a valid observation. With this bifurcation in society, we will probably see different kinds of sponsors for football on ESPN and cricket on the same. Again, that will be a social phenomenon. The amount of money that is plugged into cricket may suffer a dent at that point. Sadly, the other half will not go towards Indian football. But hey, it is a free market and free country.Who knows, in the near (1-2 centuries) future, kids from SPV will take as much of an interest in Babu Mani and Bikash Panji as they do in Viera and Raul.

A nice commentary. I am not against freedom of choice. So kids can watch any sport they wish to. It's in the BCCI and the ICC's hands to make sure that they make the game competitive with the rest of what's happening on TV. With the sheer number of cricketers in India and the financial muscle of the BCCI, you could easily come up with a professional cricket league, similar to the NBA/NFL or the F.A Premier League. Domestic Cricket in India is still limited to the same old trophies, Ranji, Deodhar, Irani and Duleep. Instead, if each major city or state had a team and played in conferences and divisions, with the full force of BCCI marketing, it would make the game a lot more viewable and win back Gen-X/Y kids that think watching Arsenal battle MU is cool.

A note to Mustafa Moiz: It's plainly evident from your comments that you have neither understood the context of the blog nor have the acumen to construct an intelligent response. At least, the Indian team is diverse enough to include men from all different religious backgrounds.

I apologize for my hasty statements.

I wish the community and environment we had in Dubai could be duplicated throughout South-East Asia. Growing up was awesome; you had a little bit of every culture. In winters we played football - idolizing Ian Rush/Kenny Dalglish of Liverpool 1990's. Our playing buddies were mostly Pakistani/Indian and our apponents were usually Arab - Locals/Palestinians/Africans. In summers we played Cricket! and the same football buddies became opponents and the line was drawn between Pakistani and Indian. Sports life was great and for a obtuse comment made by "Moiz" that Indians are vegetarians and hence lack bite, let me assure him he hasn’t met many an Indian - I am a Pakistani.

I understand what people are saying here. I've always been a cricket fan, but in the mid 90's whilst a teenager i was completely addicted to football, wouln't miss a match whoever it was. However, by the time i got to university this quickly led to a saturation point. I now only perhaps watch the big matches. However, i follow cricket very closes and the fortunes of India. If i could, i'd watch every match. To me, you cannot compare the short game of football, with a longer game of cricket. Cricket at times so often brings out the best in sportsmanship...It is so often a battle within a battle. Even now, i'm still learning the game. It teaches a respect for the game and individuals which soccer cannot teach. When Rahul Dravid scored those consecutive hundreds in test matchs when touring England, i felt so proud....it wasn't necessarily pretty, but it showed characteristics of toughness, resilience and the will to survive which one needs in life. This combined with a team which has such good role models for younger people. Indians should be pround of their team whatever there achievments to date.

I think batting wickets are taking the interest out of the game. I mean its totally ridicoulous that people these days enjoy a runfest of 320 runs each team. Games used to so much more fun when average scores were in the 220-250 range. Powerplays, thick bats and crazy dead wickets are to blame for all this. I cannot understand why a pitch when its score is low , like when India scored 189 is criticised so much even when it makes up for such exciting viewing. If people enjoyed the other runfests more than this im sorry, its not the cricketers but the people who are to blame. Get back to the 250 average scores and you will see cricket revive itself. These wickets are created for commercial benefits but those very people who support them now will realise that this led to the death of this classic risk v return game.

Cricket has, is, and will always be the #1 sport in India. The apparent shift towards soccer that Mr.Kesavan has described in his article has been evident for a long time now. Even a decade ago, when I was in high school in India, I knew kids who'd watch any sport but cricket just to set themselves apart from the "riff-raff". It's just a case of condescending kids trying to be different - nothing more.

As for me, even 10 years of living in the US has not diluted my love of cricket (despite the fact that it is not part of the mainstream culture here). The only way I can follow cricket is via cricinfo (and pay-per-view rarely), and that in itself gives me more pleasure than watching any other sport on TV. As someone pointed it out, cricket is in our blood. It will never die out.

Mukul, like most of us has got a bit right and a bit off target.
For a lot of young people in India cricket heroes are still out there. Wins/losses record as long long as they are not not too many losses are still encouraging enough for role models.
The trick as always is to bounce between the two sports in a way that both sports advance, physical fitness from football or EPL if emulated by the Indian youth could lead to the stoppage of all veggie jokes which however crude have some resonance in physical strength of the average population (not exception in 1 billion) due to inadequate intake of proteins.
If we can raise India's football FIFA ranking (it is below Yemen where life is much tougher than in India in terms of nutrition) from miserable to a tolerable ranking Cricket will improve as a result

I object to the notion that the 2004 India team were "great". Australia were missing mcgrath and warne at the time. also 20/20 is not cricket, it's just stupid.

Most of the comments which are pro-soccer, go on the lines of "nothing succeeds like sucess"/"fotball is a much shorter game, so it suits the fast moving world"/"soccer players are better than Indian/Pakistani cricketers".

I would like to talk about those comments in that order.

When a EPL fan says that Aresenal ( or whichever is the top EPL side ) attracts people because of its success, it doesnt really convince me. Because it sounds like more an effort to be seen as "trendy" than actually liking their (Arsenal's) game. When you follow a game or a player for that matter, you do it because there is something about the game/team/player that you love. And then you want your team to be successfull cause you love them and not the other way round. If people would have followed teams just because they are successfull, then they would have to change their loyalties (in terms of supporting) every 2-3 months cause in a game like soccer no team stays on top for too long. So, the first arguement sounds silly.

Sir, your blog is spot on. It's amazing how people from countries as diverse and remote from England as Saudi Arabia, Japan, and India can take the English Premier League so seriously. I can tell you, it makes for a huge headache in P.E. at school.
P.S. This doesn't excuse his brash and utterly needless comment, but I hope everybody here realizes that Mr. Mustafa Moiz, of the controversial vegetarian comment, is a mere 13 years old? Please don't take offence at his foolish insult and forgive him

And the trouble is that it's not just in your native India. I am a Pakistani living in Saudi Arabia and I have to deal with the SAME HEADACHES. It's agonizing, because the Saudis are obsessed with football.

Dear mustafa moiz,
From your words and style of expression i could make out that you are a pakistani, thats why you are so scared of Praising Indian team.You can never have a batsman of sachin's class. Don;t forget form is temporary but class is permanent.Sachin has never played for himself, he is more than demi god for the indians.Ably supported by viru,the wall and our dada. Belivwe me this dealy trio is gona strike back.And they will hit Pakistan and other countries out of the stadium, just wait for a month then see the tigers unleashed along with dhoni, Pathan and Robin as their cubs.

As another Englishman tired of the way in which English society is disintegrating, I can assure you that the reality of football is rather different than the picture siddharth painted.

It is a principal source of bad role models (together with the gangster music scene) for youths today - I cannot think of one premiership football who I respect as a person. I am a university student living in a rough council estate - what do the youths do all day? Skip school, drink, smoke, and play football in the street.

Thank goodness cricket is a sport in which the positive aspects of a person's character normally unfold.

I can't believe people talking of India being chokers & glorifying Arsenal.The club have never been European Champions.They come closest to being chokers in Europe.

The new trend is a result of intensive marketing on the part of the FA.The BCCI has taken the people of India for granted and that is why the upper middle class is turning to other sports.

first of all i am really very sorry for moiz whatever he said above. believe me people these are very few people in our sorroudings who just cant see interaction among poeple of both countriesand such people are in both ways. i am really very sorry and ignoring such people is better idea.
secondly i still believe firmly that cricket is most exciting game . what we are lacking is just the motivation of players. being in growing countries it is a dillema of middle class, they have to think of their bred n butter and it becomes a mentallity of a nation. this is wt happening in sub continent. players dont have motivation, they just have to earn their livelyhood. paksitan seems a better team just bcoz of their attacking nature and true fast bowlers on the other hand india team lacks it. neuteraly speaking in my life i rarely saw attitude of any indian player which was of sreesanth in south africa. he showed guts, aggression and despression to win and thats wt is needed to pull the people back. selecting a team selectors should also look for the players motivation towards game and team win. and players should look towards nathan astle whose innerself did not allow him to continue becoz he felt he is not motivated enough.
20/20 will be a better embassoder of game specially for the people who used to complaint a time factor and if some how 20/20 makes its way to olympics that would be a new birth of cricket.
now is the time when ICC should look into the matters of pitches too. there should be supporting wickets so that the balance could be made.
ausies dominence in the game is a guest now. after the retirement of glenn,warn its not going to be easy for them. i am not saying this to make a comment that they are going to be weakened, they will remain strong but once teams started thinking and believing that they can beat them then there is going to be a compitition atleast.
and in the end i would love to say that"DONT WORRY PEOPLE CRICKET IS IN OUR BLOOD, IT IS NOT GOING ANYWHERE".

Football is a lovely game, but my heart beats for Cricket and it always will. It is like chess on a grander scale. It is a mind game, more so than any other sport in the world. The Aussies have realized that and are playing the game in that revolutionary fashion. The day India takes its first step in that direction, I believe with Sreesanth it might have started already, it will become 'cool' again to the sattelite TV generation.

For Pity's sake all you Indians saying how exciting you find football! Thank your lucky stars you don't live in a football obsessed country like England, you'd soon be sick of it! The Premier League more exciting than Cricket? Only 2 teams can win in any given season and this year the title is pretty much decided already. At least Australia lose the odd series! Ten years ago things might have been differant in the Premiership but not any more.

2 serious points however:
1. The idea that India can only sustain one major sport is ridiculous (see much smaller countries like Australia, NZ, Canada).

2. Even if Cricket is losing ground in India it would swiftly be regained by a champion side. (Eg Cricket and Rugby got a huge boost in England in 2005 and 2003 respectively, starting from a much smaller base than Indian Cricket).

2. IF there really is a problem

What you have noticed here is a trend among youth. Yes, teenagers and young indians in metro cities like watching EPL, like watching Formula 1, etc. But we also have to look at this trend in larger scheme of things, that is "importance of sport in a young indian's life".
Not only are young indians inclined towards football, racing or any other sport, the amount of time they spend watching sports has gone up significantly since the advent of cable television. The proportion of cricket in the pie may have stopped growing or started declining but you have to keep in mind that the pie is growing at a much faster rate than the rate at which cricket's relative popularity is decreasing.

Indian youth today wants to be part of global mainstream audience, they want to be seen as progressive bunch of people whose tastes match those of people globally (in whatever they do from clothing to movies to sports to professional careers), especially in western countries. We see more and more people ruing the fact that India is not a significant force in global games because it is not consistent with their idea of 'The new India' and the image that they would like to portray of themselves, of their India.

I have no doubt in my mind that Cricket will thrive in India, along with rising popularity of other games. And I take it as a positive sign of things to come, a positive sign of India's competitiveness in other sports.

Lets look at history of a sport thats dead in India today, Hockey ! Lets ask ourselves, when did it really die and why? Did it die because cricket became more popular? I doubt so. It died due to its own problems, not because of cricket. If at all, I am more worried of absolute Australian domination of Cricket than of rising popularity of other sports.

The author gets it right when he says that watching Arsenel or other premiership teams play is 'cool' for most schoolboys. That in itself, however, is the reason that a prolonged interest in such sports will be hard to sustain. I graduated from high school a few years ago, and was an ardent United fan for close to 5 yrs. And a lot of people i knew supported other teams, mostly Real Madrid, Milan and Barcelona. You wont find too many indians supporting Valencia or Portsmouth or sadly, even Liverpool, simply because these teams dont win that often, and dont have that drawing power. So is this a shift in sporting interest? I dont think so..not until someone goes way beyond Bhutia. A good example is the trail that Paes and Bhupathi blazed. Tennis has picked up, and we now have Sania who has accomplished a tremendous amount, even without being a top tier tennis player yet.

What im trying to say is that most teenagers will find themselves interested in different things at different times. It may be the EPL today, or the NBA tomorrow. But it would need an even equal to the 83 world cup victory to shake the india masses away from cricket.

Believe me, come this march, when Sachin and sourav step down the track, and millions of indians, all over the world, step out to celebrate our win, all fears about crickets slow death will evaporate.

Cricket will rule forever in India, led to the forefront by zillions of middle class families and kids who will fall in love with the game as they silently dream to accomplish what their heroes have !! Sachin, Rahul, Sourav, Veeru, Pathan, Dhoni and others will rule their hearts and though Beckham, Figo, Ronaldo and the likes have their occasional charm they can only be momentary.
And as far as Mr Mostafa and the other Pakistani despos are concerned, they need to think before they write. To think that Sachin plays for himself and not the country is almost laughable when their own, Shoaib doesn't even turn up to play as defeat stares the team. If not for Yousuf, the pakistani team would have been dead and buried by England and West Indies in their own backyard

Not to mention how many Indians would rather prefer watching Roger Fedrer than India. I know some.

I am an indian in my mid-twenties in the US and I do not miss a single international match worth following (definitely the ones where india is playing) . There are many like me out here, we buy matches from the net, stay up nights to watch the matches and even agree to pay obscene amounts of money to watch it Live on TV.

There are many cricket clubs out here, we rent out school fields during the summer breaks (mostly baseball diamonds) and have our matches there.

There are millions of indians all over the world who are crazy about team India. So if your son, sitting in Delhi , starts thinking that EPL's cooler than Indian cricket, then the problem's not in the indian team or how they perfrom or in cricket itself... try searching some place closer to home ....

Forget about cricket being a romantic’s game. The reason Indian cricket may be dying (I can’t say for sure, as I don’t live in India) seems to me to be a result of stagnation within the national team. The most exciting player I’ve seen in a long time is Sreesanth, but, apart from him, the rest of them aren’t anything to write home about. I started following cricket far too late to see Tendulkar in his pomp, but the unquestioning faith of many of my friends when it came to his place in the team grated, especially when, as other commentators have mentioned, one big score was enough to tide him over for a few years of dodgy performances. I was born in India, and have grown up in Australia, watching the Australian team thrash everyone more often than not. And it gets boring. The Ashes 2005 were huge, even here in Australia, because we were seeing a real competition for the first time in years. Cricket was again in the national consciousness. This year – don’t even ask. Cricket has slipped away from the mainstream, except for news readers offhandedly gloating over England’s poor performances. It’s the lack of competition – Australia overperform. India underperform. I say this because what Indian cricket seems to need is a good boot up the arse, and if it means losing its audience (and a good chunk of funding) to stupidball, then so be it.

What some people have fialed to realise is that Indians are an intelligent, gentle, kindly people and a therefore naturally suited to a game like cricket. Soccer is a game for thugs only. If young Indians would rather turn out like Wayne Rooney than Rahul Dravid then your country will destroy itself. But this will not happen.

A very interesting article.

Without getting into how well or bad the Indian cricket team is doing at the moment, I think its healthy for Indian sports and Indian cricket and the Indian cricket team, that the Indian public is starting to follow, respect and admire other sports. One among which is the English Premiership. I believe the Indian team is under pressure and has been under tremendous pressure over many many years - more pressure than what the Indian PM faces on a day-to-day basis given that everyone follows cricket. Greg Chappell talks about this on his interview with CNN-IBN.

Its another matter all together if kids are spending ridiculous amount of money on buying really expensive team tshirts - thats consumerism (which is everywhere these days) and should not be confused with the reason why cricket is failing to catch the interest of young Indians.

And last, football is a game thats most popular across the world. Its just a matter of time, with accessibility, its going to become more so in India.

For the sake of Indian cricket, I really hope there are more sports that catch the fancy of Indian public.

I am an Auzzie but for a while now I have been sitting up watching test matches and one day cricket from other countries, like NZ - Sri- Lanka, India and South Africa, England - NZ and at the moment Pakistan and SA and I must say I have enjoyed them all. I think it is the thrill of not knowing who will win and the expectation of the twists and turns because the teams are evenly matched, there's nothing more boring then watching something if you know how it will end. So please you guys keep cricket alive.

Why is it not possible for people to like both? People can enjoy more than 1 sport.

However, in saying that...I would prefer a Pakistan v South Africa test match (and I'm an Aussie) to watching Chelsea v Man U or Brazil v Mexico in a World Cup Semi...An I'm a fan of both sports. Only match I would prefer to two foregin cricket teams battling it out is the WC final itself! But any game involving Australia; cricket, hands down.

yeah this god like stature given to indian players must go !!! there is a talk of sehwag coming back in the team. tell you what, if he was playing for australia he would have long been a forgotten man !!! just ask bevan !!

Tintin "Well - it could be worse. We could have been Pakistani or even English and had to support their cricket teams!"

Kindly read the statistics provided by cricinfo. Homepage -> Records -> Test Records -> Tests: result statistics -> Test Win-Loss Summary of all Countries

Please see where India is ranked in all of them and then dish out comments without any backing up. You can also check recent records where Pakistan is ahead.

the prob.. with indains sporters is that they only wanna see team win .guys i will take desi,s another 100 years before football takes ovar.

I have admired Mukul Kesavan's eloquence quite a bit he hasn't disappointed - witness the delicate neologism 'haute salariat'. I also felt that a lot of commenters missed the fact that he is admitting to an act of reading tea leaves here. He isn't claiming with any certainty that something drastic will necessarily happen.

Nevertheless, I think he makes good observations about how the center of gravity of Indian cricket is moving away from the cities. This was evident sometime last year, when Kaif, Raina, R. P. Singh and Piyush Chawla (all from U.P.) were all in the Indian team. Back in the 1980s, the Indian team came mostly from Bombay, Delhi and Bangalore. Gopal Sharma had to huff and puff to be the first U.P. player. Hyderabad had its first major player in Azhar, twenty or so years after Jaisimha. Bengal's had to wait till Ganguly came along.

Even though I am a huge cricket fan myself, I don't share Kesavan's alarm at the dip in interest in cricket. I have always felt that India's deification of one game and its celebrities was unhealthy. And I think the Indian team hardly lives up to the promise of its talent, not to speak of the hype surrounding it. Small wonder that people are getting tired of the perennial promise of a great team just around the corner. It can only be a good thing for other sports to get much-deserved attention from the world's second most populous nation.

nice article, but of course, the logic is quite simple. You follow the sport which is popular in your country/city. I am assuming your son was born and has spent most of his life in the UK, then he would be obviously following soccer, because 1) England is poor in all the other sports (soccer included, where they have superstars, but suck as a team 2) He is not an Indian, by heart (no hard feelings, but thats the truth). Even if India plays really well, which again is ironic provided the level of domestic cricket and the nature of Indian pitches, he will still be routing for arsenal. "In rome, do as romans do!!".

I would like to commend Mustafa Moiz for his apology. I cannot recollect ever having read an apology by anyone on a blog, least of all in the context of Indo-Pak cricket arguments.

im 18,most if not all my friends follow EPL,cricket is relegated to a mere sidenote,however in their conversations i have noticed that most of then are fair-weather fans who are likely to switch alegiances after a string of low performances,which you can do while following EPL but cant do that in cricket,so the problem lies with our sports fans who want to see the side they are supporting win all the time(show me an indian supporting watford or wigan),personally the EPL looks like a playground for overpaid mercenaries with bloated egos and strange hairstyles,managed by overpaid mercenaries with bloated egos with a dislike for international fixtures and owned by billionaires with dubious mafia links,and covered by tabloids about whom less said the better
the most absurd comment i heard was that a friend of mine watched the EPL because indian cricketers play for money

p.s-leave mr moiz alone,he has apologised for what he wrote

good read... and a very obvious tale of a test cricket loving father and EPL loving son. I suddenly remember the school days (Its been 7 years after that), my dad used to call it a day off whenever there used to be quality matches on tv. Bunking school used to infuriate my mother but somehow i managed to save my skin by promising double effort in the days to come... the sheer pleasure of watching rajesh chauhan send saqlain mustaq over the ropes in the penultimate ball of the innings to ensure a victory or listening to dada s debut century at lords in a radio or the sheer brilliance of laxman and dravid at the eden gardens to achieve the impossible is sheer orgasm.

living in a fast paced world i dont recall watching cricket as i used to once, but i do keep the newz oof everythng around.

EPL on the other hand runs on weekends and that too in the evening or late at night when i'm home.Its better planned for the market. the coverage, the accesories in the market makes the game quite glamorous to the present generation. Its a quality product no doubt and hence people flip for it.

maybe a visit to the stadium on the fourth day of a test match with india needing 250 for victory and shoaib akhtar screaming down to tendulkar would make them realise their first love

I am neither Indian nor Pakistani to take sides regarding Mustafa Moiz's crude comments and the emotional and somewhat equally crude reactions from some of the Indians. As a Sri Lankan, I hope this doesn't become a forum for racist and religious bigotry. However, I would like to point out certain hard realities to both sides. India desperately needs to feed meat or at least fish (like we Sri Lankans do!) to its fast bowlers. None of the Indian bowlers in the last 30 yrs, except Kapil Dev, has had the menacing physique or the intimidating looks that are critical to a fast bowler. I didn't need any one to tell me that Venkatesh Prasad and Srinath were vegetarian bowlers. I could tell from a mile away just with their body language. I think they did a decent job with the ball, despite this disadvantage - mostly using their brains that Nirbhay Singh referred to (by the way, please don't write hindi words in this blog - this is a Cricket Blog!). However, cricket is not a platform to show the might of vegetarians. If it was, the Indian Vegetarian Fast Bowlers have failed miserably, compared to the many meat-eating fast bowlers from Pakistan who have terrorized batsmen all over the world. However, the Indian batsmen seem to be miles apart from the Pakistani batsmen in the last 30 years. Batting doesn't require as much raw power. It requires mental toughness, focus, concentration, etc. in addition to basic physical fitness. This is where the Vegetarian Indians score much more than the Pakistani batsmen in the past 30 years. It is my personal opinion that Pakistani cities and villages seem to churn out the most naturally talented cricketers in the world, next to the Caribbeans ofcourse!. However, they seem to lack the intelligence or the mental toughness to perform consistently and professionally over a long period. Their inconsistency is a laughing stock in the cricketing world but no writes them off at any stage. One energetic, passionate over from either Akram or Waqar or Shoaib could turn the match upside down. India or Sri Lanka never had such a fast bowler. . . But then again, look at Pathan and Zahir Khan - they are worse than Balaji or Munaf patel when it comes to menacing physique and looks. So, its not the food. May be the water! or May be the predominantly Punjabi blood in most Pakistani players/fast bowlers. Perhaps, India should only recruit from its own Punjab/Haryana states (who are generally much bigger than the vegetarian south indians such as prasad and srinath!) and get the vegetarians to bowl spinners. And for Mr Moif, face it, whatever you said about tendulkar is out of jealousy than any thing else. You know it and I know it (as a Sri Lankan) that he is the best South Asian batsman still playing the game (Lara being the best). I know you would like to think that Imzy, Yousouf are better than Sachin but they are not even close when you look at the last 15 years!

This more a class issue than anything else. The elite/yuppy crowd follow some esoteric sport - golf (high entry cost will always make it elite), lacrosse, squash - whatever the mass can't afford. The moment indian elite kids know that only boors and the mass follow football; they will like wise shift loyalty. Cricket in India is a mass game and there will always be elites involved in it just as Cinema is dirty but the elite are always there.

very true mukul,
We do love to watch football.........
But whenever we get a chance......... WE PLAY CRICKET.
As per my understanding, we could excel only in those sports which need skill rather than physical strength.
We have done well in all the games which involves skill and endurance i.e; chess, golf, billiards, cricket, we had a guy in formula one as well.
We were world champions in hockey as long as it was the game of skill..........now its more power..and we have lost the plot.
We can never produce a world class team in games like football, basketball, rugby etc atleast for next 20-30 years.
but no problem.....for me... mind always matters more over power.........and we have lots of it.

Interesting.. but made me think. I'm a 21 year old having studied in Modern School and St. Stephen's College, two of the most 'snobbish' and 'westernized' institutions in our country. Yet, I'm crazy about cricket, and have no qualms about watching each and every ball of a good five day test match. In fact, I'd rather watch a test match than an ODI. ODI's are becoming predictable, but what attracts me to test cricket is the unpredictability, the different storyline that test matches take exhibit accross varied conditions. In which other sport can you have a highest score of 952 and a lowest of 26? It requires the strategizing of chess coupled with the skill of an artist, the discipline of a classical musician, and, in some cases, the power of a boxer.

But then again, I'm probably just the odd one out. In a sense, I am. The sense being that while I'm crazy about only cricket, my classmates from both school and college are crazy about football, tennis and basketball in addition to cricket. In ADDITION to. What you describe in your blog signals to me one thing - that upper and upper-middle class Indian kids now have a wider range of sports they're interested in. They appreciate good sport, no matter what the sport. And I say this from experience. One moment you could discuss the EPL with them, and the next moment you caould talk cricket. And they'd be equally conversant with both.

And if you ask me, there's nothing wrong with that. Its a good thing. Both for Indian kids, and for cricket. Cricket now faces competition from other sports, and must now reinvent itself. Twenty20, maybe. But as I see it, the BCCI needs to do an Australia. Make domestic cricket competitive by having a maximum of 8 first class teams and making it mandatory for international players to play domestic cricket. Increase the salary for domestic criciters. Improve the marketing for domestic games so that they may have a better reach.

Basically, produce better cricket.

Can we please have sensible cricket comments on sites such as this? Mr. Mustafa Moiz, if you are genuinely going to suggest that Munaf Patel has been a decent player for India, and that the likes of Dravid, Ganguly, Azharuddin, Kumble and so many others do not fall into this bracket, then you really should avoid commenting at all.
As for support for Indian cricket, it may be the case that Indian cricket loses fans to football, but from my experience, the type of people that prefer the more instant thrill of football are the type that cricket can do without anyway. These are the supporters that are only prepared to watch Twenty20 Cricket, and they are also the type to watch India only when they are winning. These are not genuine fans; they simply jump onto a bandwagon of whichever sport is deemed coolest. Just as they watch and support Arsenal today, if tomorrow Arsenal sell Thierry Henry and slip into mid-table obscurity, they will support Chelsea.
I am afraid thats just the way it is, but cricket in the sub-continent is far from dead!

Mr Mustafa Moiz, You are taking Rashid Ltif's words.? I don't think thats a good choice. He was one of those bunch of dishonest players pakistan have been producing. If Kapil's action was chicken what about the SO CALLED RAWALPINDI EXPERSS Akthar's action? One thing is sure you have never been a true cricket fan. If you were you could not have missed the Rahul Dravid's 270 n.o and Anil Kumble's 10 wicket haul to destroy pakistan. Both are VEGETARIANS for your info. Mr. NON-Vegetarian. Not to mention that murderous batting from Sachin in Centurion (You know when this was unless you have selective amnesia). So don't be an ignorant cricket fan Mr. Moiz. Cricket is still the superior sport in India. The streets are deserted when a cricket mach happens here. Cricket can't simply be ignored by indian public.

(Moratorium on further comments on Mr Moiz's post. As someone pointed out, he's withdrawn them. I thought it was intended to be funny rather than offensive: that last, stand alone 'Vegetarians!' was nicely timed. Still, it's probably best to avoid anything that might come across as a collective slur-- Mukul)

Having actually grown up in London, the concept of teams such as Arsenal or Chelsea being 'cool' is quite alien to me. Hopefully Mr Kesavan's son will see sense some day, and follow Indian cricket - or at the very least, Queens Park Rangers!

You can just watch a game because you like it, rather than being fans and all. Thats where the jumping bandwagon argument dissipates. If being an Indian fan is so very important, why don't we queue up to watch India playing volleyball? Simply because the game is not visually appealing. And that is what has happened to cricket.

The predictable run feasts that ODIs are these days, it is become extremely boring. But hang on, when there is a fair contest between ball and bat, like the 2nd ODI between Ind and WI, it is riveting, I watched the entire WI innings, even though the demi gods ganguly sacin and dravid were not batting, just because there was a visual appeal.

Football, cool? Soccer? It's a girls game for sissies. Cricket may never be cool, but at least it's not an effeminate game where people fall over screaming if someone comes too close.

People who like soccer should try rugby. It's like moving from dry bread to caviar.

cricket is cricket,do yuo ever see football fans stuck to the computer all night long just to read live scorecard commentry,

I am a die hard cricket fan and shall remain so till such time that there is good cricket played anywhere. I believe that test matches are the most exciting form of cricket. Imran Khan said it well when he compared one day cricket to a motion picture and test cricket to a suspense novel. Case in point Pakistan versus South Africa 2nd and 3rd test. There will always be other sports but Cricket will always be religion. For India and Pakistan to get the youngsters back to cricket sporting pitches have to be made, not flat beds where even I a school team No. 11 can get a hundred. There is nothing more exciting than a fast bowler tearing in and trying to intimidate batters, or a leg break bowler getting turn and bounce, if the batsman can survive that and then play his shots thats what would make the match exciting

But where are the comments made by Moiz Mustafa? I just saw an apology posted by him. As far as Kesavan g's blog is concerned, its fabolous as he ignited the hottest debate on cricinfo ... and cricinfo's subcontinent readers have been provided with some better thoughts then that of Kamran Abbasi.
In my opinion, cricket is dying in subcontinet's metropolises while it flourishes in rural areas. Now in mid-30s, i played cricket till college level but i'd not like my son to waste his time in playing or watching cricket as it is more than a fulltime job. Cricket takes so much time that a normally-busy person or boy can't afford to play or follow it. Even a 20-20 match takes 3 hrs to produce a result whereas an EPL thriller can satisfy your sporting senses in less than 2 hrs. Match? no match! its 21st century where time is everything.
And plz show me Moiz's comments so i could make a comment on that. Dear Moiz, we all are humans and we should respect others' beliefs, habits, choices, prefrences etc. Disagreement is another thing and satire is other. cheers

oh yes other sports like soccer etc are gaining popularity with starsports espn F1 most of my age group have also followed F1 racing keenly and schumacher was an idol as much as anyone..BUT....CRICKET defenitley is not out...other sports are short lived infatuations Cricket is almost a religion for us atleast INDIAN cricket is as manjrekar wud say

Very few of the posts really touched the issue at heart...the need to be "cool", to belong with the "in crowd. When I was in my early twenties, EPL was catching up in India. Beckham was a big name, Man Utd was ruling. I woke up one day (not literally speaking) when some of my well-to-do, so called high life style friends used to discuss Arsenal and Man Utd as casually as you would discuss a Shahrukh Khan film. My basic questions like "Who is xyz(some footballer)?", used to get me a where-did-you-come-from glare. Finally, the pressure caught to me and I started following EPL. I learnt the names of the top clubs and some footballers. Today following EPL has become second nature but it did not happen out of love for football. It happened out of need to belong.
Today kids face that much more pressure. F1, EPL, Spanish & Italian leagues, tennis grand slams. The coverage is incessant.These games have glamour and a global appeal...two things missing in cricket.Trust me, the kids do not do it for the love of the game or for the hate of another.

*But please also remember that Football for 1 hour 45 minutes is so exhilarating that Cricket can never match that -*

Exactly, I am not a huge football fan myself but I do by my best to follow it, most of the matches in last years world cup were just awesome. It didn't really matter who was playing, you can take the Germany vs Poland match as an example. While cricket once in a blue moon seems to get that exciting, every 2nd football match seems to produce the one of a kind magic.

There are a lot of things causing cricket to become unpopular among the younger generations. And I guess the main culprits are the crazy fixtures, every other day you see a match between two countries who you could swear you saw play against each other just a couple of weeks back! ICC must cutdown big time on the number of international matches played and should instead focus on club cricket like the think tanks from FIFA do.

Every country has some awesome club teams but they go widely unnoticed thanks to the lack of media coverage, before a year back I didn't really know much about Pakistans club teams but thanks to the televised 20/20 club annual series, it has captured my interest! And frankly speaking, I am looking forward to Pakistan's 20/20 club cricket more than Pakistan playing against India again...

I would be happy if the same indian kids following EPL doesnt stop there and start playing that game to emulate their heroes (Henry, Rooney etc)...Atleast India ll stand a chance of getting into Football WC sometime in the distant future...

Interesting comments.......but i think the shift that has been descibed is more a class issue, very integrally linked to the global aspirations of the metropolitan elite (and its tendency to divorce itself from the masses) than a question of death of the game. Cricket fans must be humble enough to admit that there are several structural flaws with Indian cricket. A dull domestic competition, poor pitches leading to a thin bench strength and lenght of the game would make viewers go for other choices. Therefore, it is imperative that BCCI stop countings its cash and start addressing these imbalances. However, in spite of these flaws, cricket is way ahead of any other sports n India.....The good news is that just as cricket is losing its ground in the public schools of metros, new doors are opening in the small towns and villages........

And after interacting with a lot of the young 'football fans', I must say that most of them come as fair weather fans.....for whom football is just another product like a cosmetic cream......and for whom, Christiano Ronaldo is the greatest winger in the history of the game and Chelsea, the club with the most glorious history.........

Jonathan......now I know...why India got bowled out for 42 in the Summer of 74 :)

Alok... studying in Indian law school..... Alok Prasanna ....is that you??

Small corrective comment to 'Non-Vegetarian Third Party' - Munaf Patel is muslim (meat eating as far as I know hehe). You may have been mislead by the last name but Patel is a common Muslim name in South Asia.

Well said, Alastair - I try to get into football every four years, but it is hard. You have to like a sport where bouncers are (mostly) legal.

I started watching cricket during 1987 world cup as 9 years old. I still remember my sister hearing news on radio for results of 1983 world cup matches. I too watch tennis, hockey, football but Cricket is like my bread and butter. I will always watch it. I bet all the people who have written a blog here are surely cricket fans otherwise they would have not visited a site dedicated to cricket.

i used to watch football matches, but now i have stopped. The lack of sporting spirit, diving, cheating drove me away.Even when i was watching it never matched cricket's excitement.Thoses shots, catching last minute thrillers. for me 90 minutes of tendulkar is more entertaining then 90 minutes of any football match.

...As regards cricket v/s other games, I think cricket is still no. 1 sport by a long margin and will remain so with the explosion of television coverage from all over the world. We need to streamline the administration in order to market the game better and give opportunities to talented players at the right time.

I CANT ACCEPT THIS

Indian cricket is so 'uncool' now. To get the spectators and fans roaring on their feet again, the players need to do pick up entire chapters from international football and learn new tricks. Maybe the commercial value of the game has increased during this period prior to the World Cup. But if the Ozzies take this one home too, then cricket will die a painful demise in most countries. We need star players. Most of our players are hardly interesting off the field. They are not involved in any scandals! Dont have star wives! Their lifestyles are so ordinary. An average farmer's son from Punjab has a glitzier life than an Indian cricket player! So come on guys .... throw in some flame into the game!

I don't know whats going on in India (coz i liv in australia) but my dad said every1 used to play it and his parents said it was hockey........ im only 11 and.....so yea ...GO CRICKET :P

i think that cricket currently in pakistan, is at the same height of popularity as football.

To give my own opinion: i luv cricket the most, then goes EPL, next to come is F1, A1, hockey and ofcourse tennis. I luv all sports but certainly the coolest of all these is football.

To some extent the controlling board of cricket, ICC, needs to be blamed for this as well.

Some one here made a comment anout Kumble's 10wicket haul in Delhi test some years back. As someone who has been watching ccricket for the past 45yrs, and amd dispassionate in my assessment, and who watched each ball of that innings, i can absolutely say it was the Indian Umpire who got 6 batsmen out, not Kumble!!!! but then who did not watch would not know that would they??

This article smacks of elitist over-analysis.
cricket support is not suffering in india.
the least of indian cricket's problems is in it's viewership.

the problems are in the develeopment systems and a stuggling sporting culture that is not delivering elite athletes at quantaties India should expect.

cricket is great the way it is.it doesnt have to penetrate countries like china,usa....etc or be a global game like football,and therin lies its uniqueness,cricket will remain the number 1 sport in india for another 100 years.
and btw the "vegetarian" indians have beaten pakistan in all the 4 world cup games played between them and that i'd say is the same as winning 400 odis.

I find there are a lot of parallels between the Indian national cricket team of the past few years (sans recent signs of reversal) and that of the English national football side.

Am I the only one that finds it ironic that a the youth of a country of such potential has gone from cheering for one underachieving/over-rated national team for another (albeit a different sport)?

Why not have the same level of disappointment/controversy, but in 90 minutes instead of 5 days?

D.A.

im am in complete accordance with this article. mr kesavan has beautifully posted views respresenting those of millions worldwide. i am in currently studying in school where cricket has the facilites but no audience. the audience is limited and thus, so is cricket. with regards to the indian cricket team, they have been on the decline for a long time now. and as much as my love is for cricket, i have stopped following them because of their endless ability to disappoint. the younger players who come in perform initially but are caught up with endorsements and money and thereafter, cricket takes a back-seat and performances on the field become mediocre. the older players are no different. it seems as if money is everything for indian cricketers. they come to india and hearten people by performing in india, but once they venture outside, their performances are extremely poor. in my opinion, they will perform very poorly in the upcoming world cup and only then will they realise that they have to life their game. and perhaps afterwards, once the indian cricket team lift their game, people in india will be more motivated to take up this beautiful game whose heritage and history in india is being wrecked.

Thanks Mukul for posting my reply albeit after a severe edition. While the editing is justified, you are certainly not being fair and consistent. How did you allow Moiz's comments through ??

(Mr Moiz was provocative and funny. He was also my first response! Now that I have some sense of what gets people wound up, I'll screen consistently.)

Folks,

Let's leave Mr.Moiz alone...he... has already filled his boots by bravely apolagising!

Also let's leave this idiotic veg-non veg issue well alone as well. I note that somebody has now thrown Fish into the picture! This blog has really givne a lot of entertainment by way of totally veering off course!

Good keep these blogs coming they generate very good feedback and bring people from across the globe together in the name of the beautiful game.

And I don't agree with another feedback: I have been reading and reacting to Kamran Abbasi's blogs and I think they are superb!

Cheers,

Nirbhay Singh.

Let us face it. Cricket is a game played by whites or their ex-slaves. People have time these days to know only the results. It is dying game watched by mostly Asians who have plenty of time at their hands; employed or unemployed makes no differene!

1 thing i would like to add here, is most of the young kids world wide learn a lot from video games. soccer has loads of quality video games with intriguing graphics, promoting the game even more. while, the cricket game, is poorly made and thus gains no publicity.

A word of some hope.....I live in the US and my 9 year old son is bombarded with a bunch of non-Cricket sports - in fact he plays football("soccer" to us) - however - I have him hooked totally on Cricket. As Mukul so eloquently says - it is silsila - I am a die hard fan, and so shall he be. There is no negotiation on that! So, Mukul - maybe you should focus on what our fathers did to make us fans and maybe what we should be doing to our kids to continue hat tradition.....

The sub continental teams for that matter all teams except australia are afraid to take risks. this could do with their poor win loss ratio. look at pakiistan they have not produced a half decent cricketer for the last twenty years and what players thay have r more intrested in minor squabbles and egos. we, in india shld be thankfull that we atleast have some of the most exciting batsmen. for the new generation 90 mts of football is like a quick fix and they do not have patience for five days of test cricket, which for some one in thier 30's like me has no substitute.

as for moi's comments guys i donot think it merits any reply he is probably a pakistani supporter. a country that has been unsuceessfull in beating thier arch rivals, india till date.

You said the "never said". The emperor does not have any clothes, neither blue nor white. It got killed when the Dalmiyas of the world mined cricket, but then you have to nurse an oil well carefully otherwise ...I used to be a cricket fanatic, started out making unreserved train journeys and Rs 30 tickets from my small town for Pongal matches, but I just about watch the highlights, maybe a biffing in the slog, but cricket sucks..my two year old son to my eternal disspointment revels in "kick the ball!!, but then life has moved on..cricket is as passe as Doordarshan they serve up Krishidarshans!!

vinay
"England is poor in all the other sports (soccer included, where they have superstars"
We're not talking about Rugby world champions, top 10 football nation and top 2 Test Cricket nation, world centre of Formula 1 and boxing power house England.
We're talking about Cricket and hockey also rans India...

Thanks for another wonderful piece. Cricket is no longer the holy sport it once was. We had a half empty stadium at Eden Gardens for India-Windies, even India-South Africa. Cricket has competition now from football not just in the form of EPL but nationally as well. Zee Sports are doing a great job of broadcasting football and there are some very positive steps being taken for the development of the game. Football has strong roots in the country (Bagan-East Bengal sees crowds of over 1,00,000, Goa-Bengal rivalry in the sport is strong) and I do see India improving in due course - upon which the popularity will soar. Then, there are other sports which are being marketed in innovative styles - hockey in the form of PHL, chess is ever so strong among a section and shooting is gaining in profile every day.

A very significant factor is that it is impractical to follow 5 days of test cricket. If some one has 35 hours of free time in a week, he will much rather go on a holiday than sit in front of the tv. Cricket is still a spoilt son because it enjoys monopoly but I see genuine competition because of football - signs of which we are already seeing.

It isn’t a death for Indian cricket though the way I look at it. It is competition which is always a good thing because competition improves standards and gives people kicks in the backs like little else can manage to. Test cricket though it seems, is losing out and will lose out further in this fast paced world - some thing which did not seem to effect the crowds 10 years ago in Indian grounds. As a lover of test cricket and a fellow cricket tragic, I do moan the slow death as well.

Imagine Ponting being squared-up by a searing out-swinger from Brett Lee or a marauding Gayle pulling Jerome Taylor high and wide over mid -wicket. Imagine a format that throws up contests never seen before on a cricket field.

It’s not fantasy. It’s the great Indian 20/20 league. 10 domestic teams, each with a maximum of 3 overseas players, in a month long slugfest played out across the length and breadth of our great subcontinent. You are talking a billion plus worldwide television audience, another billion vying for tickets, overflowing pubs and deserted streets and various parts of the nation for the first time divided by cricketing allegiances. If there is a place, where this is possible, it has to be India. All the necessary ingredients, the infrastructure, the domestic set-up, the organisational skills and most importantly the sponsors that will bring in top cricketers from all over the world are in place. All it needs is for someone to dig in the stumps and call “Play”. A few questions first. Is the Indian Board willing to play ball? Is it willing to take a fledgling new format and own it to benefit themselves and Indian Cricket on the whole?

Think about it. The benefits are manifold. Most of all to the board exchequer and various local associations, which Mr. Lalit Modi and Co. will be most willing to recognise. But to the common cricket fan, it’s a chance to witness match-ups that the international game will never deliver. It will be a chance for millions of city folk to catch live cricketing action without interrupting their normal working day and still get home at a decent hour. To many, it will be another option to the mundane “movie and dinner” routine. Bot most of all, watching the world’s most destructive batsmen slam the shit out of a hapless leather ball might just be the perfect way to wind down a stressful working day. But that’s just for the fans. The purists, any of who are still reading this article will also find their silver linings.

While global stars would play their respective roles as the big draws, it would be our domestic players who would be reaping the biggest rewards. Remember, the league would remain in essence a domestic league. The local players, notwithstanding the 3 overseas stars in each team will be required to play stellar roles in most games. Not only will these guys improve with this exposure, they will be better prepared when thrown into the deep end of International cricket. It also goes without saying the wise old men of the selection committee will feel a little more comfortable backing talent that has proven it’s mettle in this league. And if our administrators play their cards right they might just be able to rescue the domestic game from the throes of obscurity it currently finds itself in.

After all the talk about Indian companies bankrolling global cricket this league might just prove to be what it takes to bring the global game to India. The 20/20 game has already proved its worth in certain parts of the world. There is no reason to think that it wouldn’t do the same in India. But still ours is the only board in the world that baulks at this new form of the game. A league such as this may just be the panacea Indian cricket needs to be delivered. More importantly it could be the catalyst that delivers Indian domestic cricket from the mediocrity it currently suffers from.

Football is far more democratic and race-blind than cricket. It is fast and furious. It is the favoured child of the global money elite. It attracts at this time in history the brightest and the best talents in the world, lured by money and fame.

Cricket is dead. Killed by English mandarins who would rather see the game die than relinquish their own control over it. The excitement generated by Sobers, Proctor, Richards, Miandad and Gooch is long gone. Once Sachin and Lara go, the game will be seen for what it is - an English bureaucracy kept afloat by the goodwill and labours of ex-colonials.

What the rich kids of Delhi think about this is neither here nor there.

Its funny how soccer is mostly viewed as this game played in the US mostly by schoolchildren and more noted for brining communities and people together etc ('soccer mom' in a minivan notion) while in Europe it becomes this game of hooligans.

Having read your post once again, I would like to draw the attention of the readers to the more pressing problem of lack of crowds in games not involving Indian national team. More and more, it seems that fans love is restricted only to the stars and not to the game. The empty stands during the Champions Trophy (though caused in no small way by ICC's incompetence) was worrying. Domestic Cricket never had much crowd in the last two decades. However, the present situation (with the exception of Challengers)is really disheartening even by the thin standards of domestic cricket. I remember watching Wills Trophy final in a packed stadium in Guwahati in January 1993 (when there were only 2 international players - a discarded Razdan and a very young Jadeja). One cannot similar crowd anywhere in domestic cricket right now.

Going thru some of the posts one thing is for sure out of 1 billion we can't even produce one great fast bowler. How is it that our neighbor Pakis have a crop they just seem to pop out of everywhere. And we took like 20 years to win a series abroad. We have to face it the commercial aspect the political aspect and the selection process never lets the real players through. I am sure we have the talent but who cares about them, you need to have pull to get any where. The selection and grooming process need to be examined. I think we might enjoy the Aussie Pura cup more than anything else in cricket these days.Anyways Indians are PUSSIES when it comes to anysports.

Most comments made here on this blog are from South Asians. Therefore let’s talk South Asian and be frank about it. We all know that the combined population of South Asia is close to 1.5 billion people, but yet from those 1.5 billion people we can’t produce one proper athlete? May he/she be a vegetarian or a non-vegetarian? My definition of athlete is Michael Jordan, Troy Aikman, Derek Jeter, Wayne Gretzky, Lance Armstrong – all Americans. They look like athletes not like Inzamam, Gavaskar, and many a South Asian cricketer don’t strike as an athlete yet we idolize them. We need athletes that make a cricketer cool and sexy.
A Cricketer is an athlete but doesn’t have Global recognition. Wayne Rooney – though he does look like a skin head - is an athlete but does have Global recognition. You go to any part of the world and they will know who Pele, Maradona, Platini are. Yet go to Iran, Burma, Indonesia, France and they wouldn’t know who Imran Khan, Kapil Dev, Steve Waugh, Andrew Flintoff are even though they are the neighboring countries of Cricketing Powerhouses.
Summary: Cricketers don’t look like Athletes and Cricket is not a Global sport. Therefore comparing Cricket to Soccer, Baseball, American Football, Basketball, Ice Hockey – all these are Olympic sports - is like comparing Apples to Oranges.

When we are on the topic of discussing sports why do we get individuals ? I would like to believe that its not about cricket & football. Its about marketing. Spanish league is quite fascinating while most people prefer to watch EPL. & what are you saying here ? All the names mentioned are the top teams in EPL - so they are going to win most of the times ! Arsenal did not win the league for the last 2 yrs & nor did Man U. Did your son shed a tear ? Paying for clubs & countries invokes a different kind of passion. Footballers can play for the zillions of $ for the clubs & move to another club in couple of years but how do they fare when they play the World Cup ? How many goals does Henry or Ronaldhinio score & how many do they miss in a single match or a single season ? Whoa & how many know the name of Liverpool's goalkeeper ? The heartbreak of watching your own country lose is infinitely much higher than watching Arsenal lose the premiership. Baseball is adored by millions in US & they even have a world cup for that. In 11 innings or so, a team can wi if they make 2 runs ? & due to marketing it still attracts millions. I wont be surprised if not this new gen but the one after that start wearing a Black Caps uniform !

having read the article posted by Mukul Kesavan .i totaly agree with this as the same problem is now in major cities in pakistan e.g lahor and karachi karachi is useed to be called nursery of cricket.and at it was easiert to make
in pakistan team then in a karachi team but things are change as boys in these cities are more fav to sports like football,teniss etc.I thik expand of medianow people know ka their r more game which are more popule then cricket in the other part of the wold

It just so happens that 'kids' - or even for that matter those who grew up watching cricket - in cities are exposed to many more things than those in the heartland. This would be true of any country/culture. And when people have that choice, they may just prefer soccer or tennis or whatever else that seems to offer them a better experience. The global nature of those games also means that the competition is fiercer and the star quality is higher. As quite a few have pointed out, there will be more diversification of interests with more avenues and especially so for somewhat affluent young adults. As for cricket, it also has an emotive appeal to the majority and they will flock back as and when India start playing good cricket.

OK mate - maybe they didn't fiddle the ball - but afridi did scruff the pitch and the 2 blokes did do the drugs. oops sorry - be polite now.

"The heartbreak of watching your own country lose is infinitely much higher than watching Arsenal lose the premiership."

Well, I am pretty sure you don't suffer the same heartbreak when India loses a volleyball match. If you do hats off.

Lets take our rose tinted goggles off and admit for once that we watch something when we like it, not because we are passionate about India. Equating watchoing India with patriotism is stupid. How many of us would put our life on the line to watch India play cricket? None. Lets face it, quality football offers a greater spectacle than cricket, thats why it is more popular evreywhere in the world. In India the exposure was not there, once it is in place now, the loyalties are shifting. It is just not about looking cool and patriotism does not come into the picture.

bad article

As an outsider could I offer some (friendly) criticism? Indians seem very prone to exaggeration and hyperbole. Indian Cricket is either "a religion" or "Dieing". The team is either "great" or "hopeless". Tendulkar and Ganguly are either "Superstars" or "rubbish". Some perspective is needed.

Sms generation :)

I dont agree with faisal, Just because you dont look muscular doesnt mean that you are not a good athlete, certain sports require certain physicality, Jordan cannot play Cricket and Sachin cannot play BB that doesnt make any of these players less of a legend. And how many ppl in Canada or for that matter mexico know about Wilt Chamberlien, Karl Malone, Hakeem Olajuwon or Larry Bird that doesnt make them any less of a NBA legend.
Name a famous footballer from a Korean team or Japanese Team?

Coming Back to the Article.. Cool is what you perceive cool, ESPN is cool DD is not. Believe it or not ESPN/SS drives the cool factor in India as far as sports are concerned, they got back dying sport hockey back into the sports radar with PHL.

I think this is a class thing, it's certainly 'cool' in upper middle class circles to follow the English Premier League, you're being bombarded with var. examples of a 'globalised' culture anyways, football is just one of many. But outside of the 'posh' crowd, cricket rules in India, and that is a good thing for cricket, for too long in India (and England) cricket has been a game of the elites. People keep criticising the Indian team for not being world-beaters despite the large population, but the vast majority of the Indian population never really had access to the national team. It's only in the last 10 yrs or so that it's changing somewhat, BCCI needs to use its millions to make sure that the game reaches far and wide..

Cricket is like sex. It is not as much a spectator sport as Football, Basket Ball, or Rugby. Regardless of whether I am watching Lara's crushing cover drives against Warne or whether I am watching Murali's perfect doosra against an arrogant but clueless Yuvraj - nothing compares to the pleasures of I myself sweetly timing a square drive from the middle of the bat (on one knee) against a fast bowler and then watching it roll down to the boundary, while continuing to stay on one knee to savour the moment (without worrying about running singles, doubles, etc.). ... For this you need to be playing (or have played) decent cricket to understand the real pleasures of the game. The sound, the feel and the timining of impact between wood and leather during a viscious pull or a cracking cut shot of a moving object that is round and red is exhilarating when you are the batsman. Something about that whole physicial and visual experience triggers primal instincts - like sex....

Unfortunately, most South Asians are cricketing virgins who get off on just watching... And therein lies the real risk of Indian Cricket. A large % of the subcontinent fans are mere spectators who can analyze the game to death and write articulate articles advising the Indian Captain and the Coach of what they need to be doing right but can't really even hold the bat properly in a street match with neighbourhood boys! If and when this situation changes (especially among the middle-class urban/suburban indian boys who are obsessed with their academics to get into their IITs and IIMs and have no time to attend cricket practices at school or play street cricket with the neighbourhood boys) then the risks faced by cricket may not be that high.

Moral of the story, we watch (and talk about) the game more than we play it. Guess what, the Aussies and Caribbeans do just the opposite. It is not race, religion, color of skin, dietary restrictions (Vegetarian or Halal!) but it is the lethargic attitude of the average cricketing fan that may spell the death of this orgasmic game in the subcontinent.

One always fails to understand what is Mukul Kesavan's point. Clarity and cogency are not his strong point. Why qualifies him to be a blogger here? What he writes most others cannot write?

Its a nice comment mukul, but its just a fear i suppose, how can we suppose football will take over cricket in India or pakistan , theseare the countries which have never achive any thing in footballing terms. AT least in cricket they are the world champs at their times.By the time these indian kids start playing fotball and really begin acheiving something in this sport , i bet the whole world will be playing another new sports creating a whole new craze.SO chill out Mukul can enjoy the INDIA cricket match. IF u are still worrying , i don't know who said that , but have heard it "IN THE LONG RUN WE ALL ARE DEAD" so chill out and forget indian kids not playing cricket.

This article is a complete hogwash. More than 80 % of cricket watching people, who live outside the cities do not have cable tv and even if they do, certainly do not watch EPL. Such city-centric articles are not only myopic but smack of ignorance too. Coming to EPL.... apart from chelsea, man utd and arsenal, i do not see any contenders. Man utd in the EPL are like Australia in cricket.
And the EPL is in the same state like world cricket. Repeat winners with no real opposition from weaker teams. That one supports Arsenal is not a matter of choice, but rather a product of marketing. I can tell you 100 hundred teams in Europe which are way better than Arsenal. So to say that they have great teams in EPL is...well. hog wash...unless of course a chelsea/man uts/arsenal vs bolton wanderers excites you.

EPL was formed in 1992 and the initial euphoria is long gone. If you are trying to tell me that football will replace cricket in India, that is not going to happen, unless of course DoorDarshan starts showing EPL...which is, again, hardly going to happen..as they always clash with our 8.00-10.00 p.m. primetime spectacles.

Cricket is not a game thats predictable.
If you try to predict things you will not enjoy the game.Any game if the team wins team is good else bad.so watch cricket like a game and enjoy it.The game is much interesting as it has ups and downs.what fun do we have if a game doent has ups and down.Indians love cricket and for me and all my friends and my brothers and everyone I know all other games not as much important.Guys have fun of the game.

Mukul, this is only a sign of the times, signalling a shift in the way the middle class/upper class imposes its dictat by linking with western sensibilities. When the british imported cricket, then shunning cricket was, well, "just not cricket". Don't get me wrong, as an avid player and follower, I too revelled in the class-identifier. When we underlined our privilege by alternating between exoticising and turning our noses up at the few who broke into the bastion of middle class frolicking (see Kambli, Pathan etc) I followed suit. And now with ESPN etc., the center of western sensibility has shifted. I look enthusiastically forward to joining your kid in celebrating the "global multicultural" teams of the English, European (and coming soon) North American leagues (even though for anyone who has ever watched them, the Brazilian, Mexican, Argentinean and even African leagues offer a far more breathtaking form of the game). ah, but "coolness" is not something that shifts that multiculturaly. What a "world of meaning" in such a (again, thanks to Star TV)ubiquitous teen term

No, cricket is never going to dead in India or the other countries with Cricket as their main sport. It just a phase.

What Cricket are you talking about? Most Indian fans hardly ever get to see any cricket on TV. Everytime a series comes on, there is a broadcasting ruckus. Now where is the remote? Let me switch to Formula1 instead. No patriotism, no care about who wins or loses, just enjoy the sport!

Mr. Kesavan does bring out the gradual shift in India's cricketing support-base. The Upper middle-class, which so badly wants to identify itself with the recent super-stardom of a select few areas of the Indian Milieu, such as the Info-tech boom, upwardly mobile Indo-US relations, etc., finds India's recent miseries in cricket as a justification for jettisoning the game. A lot of Indians, most of them in the US, are beginning to a find a strange sense of chutzpah in talking more about the NFL, College Football, or Superbowl rather than following what once was their most passionate avocation.

Nonetheless, what Mr. Kesavan misses is another, more compelling counter-trend that the so called "haute salariat" are not a part of. This trend is reflected no better than the likes of Irfan Pathan and Munaf Patel (or even the erstwhile greats like Kapil and Azhar) who have come from not so privledged bacgrounds and achieved stardom. True, Cricket today is not longer the prefered game for those who can afford to send their kinds to the nearest tennis camp or the golf driving range but it certainly is the new found vehicle of instant glory for the far more numerous economically and socially underpriviledged classes of India. In a strange way, this trend reflects the same mentality that guides the Indian polity and corporate world in their dealings with the world---trying to find that ephemeral leap-frogging bandwagon to achieve instant international repute and glory (as if, we have have some divine right to get it). Cricket today for the "non-white goods driven" masses is the preeminent social vehicle which manifests so brilliantly their dreams of making it big in a single life time.

Cricket is not dying. Its genes have simply found new hosts, those boys and girls in the small villages and towns of the real India. They are the ones who can and will reproduce the game for us.

Good God my dear man, are you saying there is still a longer version of this vitriol. I had to run desperate to suck on oxygen just reading the garbage. I cannot imagine you writing this piece without a pair of oxygen tanks tied behind you.

Now a few word about the topic at hand. From what I could decipher out of this coded manuscript of yours. Your son is quite representative of most youngsters in India, Pakistan and for that matter most of South Asia. Correct me if I am wrong, don’t most youngsters In India and I know for sure in Pakistan idolize or in some way emulate western stars from the world of either sports or entertainment? It is the continuation of the same phenomenon. First, cricket in India is not dying, second, if there are signs of deterioration that is directly attributable to BCCI, for not promoting and providing the necessary infrastructure away from the cosmopolitan areas. Look, BCCI has more money in its coffers then perhaps the entire budget of certain nations. Give me a damn break here!

Sir your son, is doing exactly what you and I did when we were that age God know when! I don't see Cricket dying in South Asia for a while. Our need for instant gratification has not yet reached that frantic stage.

Consider this if you would, perhaps this preoccupation with western football players, might spark enough interest within kids residing in the highly urban areas of India to take up Football as a sport and lo and behold 15 years from now India may end up producing rising football stars of their own.

That could mean only one thing; more money! And now here is a double whammy, while you continue to rake in money from cricket use that as your cash cow (no pun intended) and use it to promote both Football and Cricket in the rural areas. Ain’t life just peachy!

What the author says is true. I, myself, grew up in Bombay (I prefer to call it that) and have seen the rising popularity of football over the last few years.
I am in my mid-20s now and, I have to admit, I like watching football more than cricket. Main reason?
Cricket takes too long,has too many rules,and the skills of the players out there don't seem to be that extra-ordinary when
compared to "galli" cricketers sometimes. Try explaining the LBW rules to people in the USA, where I live, and you will start wondering if you understand it yourself. Anyone who has played cricket at least once in their lives, know how hitting a six feels, how bowling a good batsman means and how winning a match means.
How many people have played 50 over games (forget a test match over 5 days) unless they have played club cricket? Not many I believe! I have played a 16 over game, that's the longest one!
Also, I have to say, Indian culture doesn't really promote too much involvement in sports in schools and colleges. No scholarships, etc.
So, any investment in cricket training and kits (which used to be considered expensive in the mid-80s by most middle class parents - I heard that from my parents) was a big risk and a career in sports wasn't really much of an option for many.
All this explains why cricket is losing popularity (besides the fact that India isn't really much of a team that gives you wins in return to your support).
Now, football is a different ball game altogether. When you get to football, the players in all those European clubs are really skilled and its hard to even get close to their skills, forget matching them. Almost all games in those leagues seem to be competitive. Even if it isn't, you don't waste too much time - 2 hours at the most, unlike in cricket, where you can waste your entire day or 5 days due to a bad game.
And, finally, the glamour and money related to EPL, Premira Liga, etc is a lot more compared to cricket. Multi-million dollar transfers get front page news many times. We don't see such things in cricket. True, Sachin has his share of glamour and money but that's not even close to the Beckhams, the Ronaldos and the Rooneys. The same thing holds true for Formula 1.

The only way I think cricket can survive is by making Twenty20 a global sport in a club format where clubs can buy, sell and transfer players across countries ... But, I doubt if ICC has the infrastructure or the skills to achieve this, or even the willingness. For them, it's still "a gentleman's game".

Cheers!

i think its ridiculous the amount of $$ the Indian cricket team receives...not one player deserves it...and he did he does not anymore. In truth the Indian team is aging, most get wiser with age...but India seems to be diminishing and the problem doesn't lie with the players, its more so the conservative bureaucracy who are not willing to try a more radical approach towards Indian cricket, so that maybe India are a formidable force overseas... but thats just a fool's hope. Honestly i love playing cricket, and i loved watching the Indian team when they challenged Aus in Aus...loved... now i really don't care of their success

Get real guys, it is an insult to the bowlers like Akram or Imran, to say that they were great because they were non-vegetarians. My guess is, they were great because they worked at it like any other great artist in his/her profession. Takes more than just beef to get there..as a beef eater, I can tell that much!

dont understand why most of the people fight each other and sa this player is good this player is better than him......... you can never compare a lara with sachin or a sachin with inzy or a lara with kallis or with mohammed yousuf all are different classes sachin si an opener whse job is to score fast and big....kallis job is to esnure he stays at the end same as inzy and yousuf lara again started a career as an opener and now he holds the middle order....... i was born and brought up in a place where football was huge in dubai and now in uk its high too...... but i still took up cricket and is till remember the 1992 the 1996 world cup finals being layed in my school and the whole of my school watching it.......

cricket was alays interesting when ambrose used to celebrate a wicket with passion when akram used to punch hsi fist getting dravid out when ganguly winning in england and taking off his shirt..... when warney gets a bt tough with he likes if ian bell by calling him sherminator..when shaoib come at roaring pace and makes ponting a bit hesitate or when dhoni isnt bullied by shoaib and hits him fro boundary ..........passion si the answer blood is required liek in football i always enjoyed games where Imran khan captained and ganguly captained for india fighting spirit ,..... unliek virender sehwag not giving 100% and please saying that vegs cant be fast bowlers dont know how much of a diet plays role in being fats bowlers as irfan pathan isnt a veggie for sure but he isnt passonate too now he was earlier when he had pakistan going on the run..but he lost his touch........ i love cricket when a batsmen like shahid afridi or dhoni or lara hit brett lee or mcgrath hit for a six because when you see a giant falling eveybody loves it ohh the charm is gone between india and pak i would enjoy more pak beat aussies rather than india or vice versa passons is the games which is lacking .......................... shoudl ring assion into it ad t willc oem back after a hwile onc india start winning matches.........

as far as what is more cool either watchign arsenal playing or india i wud say india coz a slum in dharavi mumbai or a slum in karachi landhi wudnt know what arsenal is and the kids there wud take out a bat mae out of a piece of wood and a stolen ball and play that rather than cricket ....the onlyc ool thign applies to people who have access to media and are inc omplex with the western world ohh they watch this we wanna be cool like them lets watch them .........i ahve several indian friends they will watch football but when there is even a county match they will switch it there rather than a football match.... go to a high society school in dubai or karachi or mumbai all will have same habits wanna look cool act as fi u are a westerner yourself :) thats what kool is all about mate

Saurabh... is that Saurabh Bhattacharya?? Yup this is Alok Prasanna, in NALSAR!! Cricinfo is probably the oddest place to meet ex-Nalsarites!!

An exciting article with such well-knitted comments makes me feel proud that talking about Cricket brings the best out of us (hardcore cricket fans). Here are my two cents on this topic…

Its true that most of the metropolitan kids in India are losing interest/patience in watching the ‘Men in White’, courtesy

a) the length of a cricket test match (except when Australia plays it). Its hard to attract a new audience to go through the 5 day Test when they have the shorter, faster and more entertaining (I would argue on that) ODIs and Twenty20s readily available at hand. Hence, in this fast paced run, only true cricket connoisseurs (like me) are glued to their seats to enjoy the charm of those 15 crucial sessions of a Cricket Test match.

b) the random/fluctuating form of the Indian cricket team in the past half a decade (sometimes they present a ‘batting line-up to die for’ while other times its ‘to die without a try’ attitude). With a billion people in anticipation that the ‘Little master’ will score a hundred each time he steps on the field, this is bound to happen.

c) most important of all is the competitive streak that the soccer teams provide. Its fun to watch the EPLs, La Ligas, Champions leagues, etc because they are so darn unpredictable. No team is considered as a cold duck and every team is almost equally capable of lifting the title. It’s hard to say that with cricket lately. Australia, with their nearly 10 year dominance has caused much damage to the game than the match-fixing saga. Any series with Australia involved is much likely to be a one-sided affair nowadays.

Long story short, the cricket watching enthusiasm (for those who have lost) can be retained only if the entire cricketing furore rises up to the Australian calibre. Till then its Arsenal vs ManU tomorrow at 8:00 pm IST on ESPN, don’t forget to watch it mate!!

I see a wheel turning, whetn i look at the Indian Cricket scene. We have a talented team in the international arena, because, people want to play for India, from an early age, in their lives. This is due to their love for cricket, fueled by the successes of the Indian Team, and the adulation, and financial gain, which follow it, for the benefit of the team. As is well known, a wheel has to be round, for it to operate. Steps should be taken to insure the shape of the wheel.
The BCCI should be more actively involved in the grassroots level, which is, the school level. Pride and interest felt for the school team, should be as intense as is felt for the national team. It will naturally follow that the interest for the local Ranji team will also increase. Australian domestic cricket is quite popular, maybe due to the reasons mentioned above. Winning a game is important, but appreciating the game is even more important, in my view.

If our team change mindset and go aggressive, we can earn status again. even we would go beyond that to defeat aussies. Its every match scene when we are in a good position such as 120/1 in 21overs and if one wicket fell then next and the old batsman on pitch both start to defend for some time. but i think new batsman should try to settle and the old batsman on pitch should go attacking. it will make easy for new batsman to settle down. So my only suggestion to Team India is "Make minds more tough and start aggresive style." e.g. if we bat first and scores 168 all out. there should be one discussion of team they should fix that we have to restrict other team within 129 runs. and targets for bowlers should also be given such agarkar needs to pick 3 wik, anil to take 2 wiks etc....

Firstly, let me say that I'm a huge fan of both Indian cricket and EPL. That all's not well with cricket in India was made abundantly clear by the vast swathes of empty seats adorning the various stadiums (stadia?) during last year's Champions trophy. And the habit of creating ODI pitches designed to produce 600 runs during the day isn't doing much good to Indian cricket either. This has led to a dumbed down cricketing culture desirous of instant gratification where performances of only the last couple of weeks seem to be important. What else explains the Little Master being booed by his home crowd or fans almost being impatient to see him give the strike to Dhoni even while he’s (Sachin) on course to a 76- ball hundred?

One of the problems with Indian cricket is that most fans lack a sense of cricket history and tradition. There is little knowledge or pride in India’s past achievements (except the ’83 World cup win) or yesteryears’ cricketing heroes (except Sunny and Kapil). In the EPL, I’m pretty sure if any player refuses to play against a particular club for almost his entire career, he wouldn’t be terribly popular amongst that club’s fans. But in India, Geoffrey Boycott is treated like a rock star and his arrival here to appear in a cricket ‘reality’ show makes primetime news. Many Liverpool fans (in England) still don’t buy the Sun newspaper as a protest against the paper’s incorrect reporting of the Hillsborough disaster in 1989, while hardly any cricket fans here even remember the could-have-been-so-much-worse wall collapse in the Nagpur stadium which killed eight people in 1995.

The Ashes remained cricket’s premier series despite the ritual pounding received by England at the hands of the Aussies for nearly a couple of decades (till Oz lost it in 2005). This clearly demonstrates the importance that tradition and the legends surrounding an event have in enduring its popularity. Sadly, Indian cricket lacks any such associations and is concerned purely with the here-and-now and not it’s glorious past or its long term future.

I'd just like to offer an alternative to the suggestions put forward by Sid and Musti. Instead of creating a league where the players basically turn mercenary, why not create an internationl 20/20 league between the top domestic teams in the world? India would certainly be a good place to host the initial event. But I think Mumbai vs. Victoria, or Barbados vs. New South Wales would be very interesting to watch. It's also an idea that Barry Richards put forward, which I think has a lot of merit. The effect would be similar to the very popular Super 14 Rugby Union series between state sides from Australia, New Zealand and South Africa (which might grow to include Japanese teams by 2011).

Secondly, I have to say that I'm an Australian who's never been anywhere near India in my life. But it seems to me that if they're basing a reality TV show around the game- which has led to thousands trying out- then I think that Indian cricket can't be in that much trouble.

Contrary to the generally held belief One day cricket is a time consuming sport.100 0vers in about seven hours aginst six in a first class match and the seven hours do not include innings break.When cricket was played in a defined season from say Ovtober to March in North India, it had advantages of cashing in on number of academic holidays.Now with local cricket having no spectator interest whatsoever and TV being the main source of cricket for many,EPL is broadcast prime time in India and lasts only long enough for the TV time set by IIT obsessed parents.Cricket, however will have competition the moment Indian football team breaks into the top thirty or so.Till then a team which is there after all will have supporters.Around the time Mr. Kesavan moved from the JCR to SCR in his college basketball had clearly become the major spectator sport there.But cricket has made some kind of a comeback.Maybe EPL is a passing fancy.I for one follow ICC WCL scores more keenly than any football including the world cup but my daughter in another Delhi school knows of Old Trafford associated with manchester united and has never heard of Lancashire CCC and its very own Old Trafford inspite of Andrew Flintoff.

Sachin is mthe most selfish player I have ever seen. Just scores centuries!! against zimb.. bangla... kenya, scotland, canada, small dubai pitch and subcontinent pitch.. ONE Thing to say
IF cricket is religion and Sachin is the GOD, than LARA is GOD Of all GODS!!!

Well this is effect of globalisation,i dont see anything wrong with it because that will eventually generate interest of sponcers to these other sports which are not encouraged in India. Cricket is good but football and other sports are shorter and more exciting, think of spending 5 days watching some test match ending in draw.

Arsenal are marketed better in India than Indian cricket is. Not to mention that the image proferred by Indian crickets's management as tawdry moneygrabbers who have no interest in the sport other than profiteering doesnt help a bit. I'm from Trinidad and I can see this. Imagine how Indian schoolboys feel.

I remember the days when we used to bunk school/college to watch cricket matches involving India. Those were the days when the amount of cricket that was being dished out was much less and there existed a sense of romanticism towards Test cricket as against one dayers that we are being inundated with today. Personally, though my love for the sport still remains, I am not passionate as before - a sign of the changing priorities in life.Indian team has not won any significant cricket tournament in recent times and I guess the kids of today are more discerning about the results. I guess with the amount of information access kids have today, it is more likely they will be more inclined to be interested in other sports and other heroes worldwide. Today kids in India speak about Tiger Woods and Schumacher and they have reel off statistics about them. How can I have imagined to be knowing something other than cricket - a religion in India?
This is a healthy development and I only wish that we drift more from cricket to other sports than be be maddened by cricket and the antics of the players.

why don't india and pakistan reunite - bring down the wall. what a cricket team ! as an added bonus they may stop banging on about kashmir.

All said and done, I find it difficult to compare skills between various sports.

This gentle man here talks about "the skills of the players out there don't seem to be that extra-ordinary when compared to "galli" cricketers sometimes."
and proceeds to say
"Now, football is a different ball game altogether. When you get to football, the players in all those European clubs are really skilled and its hard to even get close to their skills, forget matching them."

What rubbish. and may I ask, for whom is it difficult to match the skills of European football players, your galli cricketers  ?

Let us bring in some perspective to our comments

Amen

come on guys! don't misled by your kids. For them, Dad is also not cool. If a game like Golf can be cool, why not Cricket?

Regarding Pakistani Cricketers, their passion, and their diet, its actually quite hilarious:

1.) Shahid Afridi is very passionate and a meat eater, but poor guy has an ODI average of 21! Great.

2) Pakistani cricekt team has not one even a single game against India in World Cup.

3) Last time Pakistanis played against India in ODIs, they lost 4-1. Pathetic!

4) They don't know how to field, and no batsman apart from Javed Miandad was any good.

5) Some bowlers have been very fast, but only when they were not broken, which was 99% of the time. Whether it was Imran or Shoaib Akhtar.

5) Right now most the team suffers from some malady or the other: split fingers, hamstrings,
or may be plane arthritis!

6) They will be beaten black and blue by South Africa, just wait and watch.

7) Couldn't even qualify for super sixes in the last world cup

8) More later on the adventures of the meat eaters...

Ha Ha Ha

An apparantly insightful but narrow and irrelevant analysis. Yes, your sample is really small and you are laying too much importance on the preferences of a section of urban kids. Your article is essentially about the expanding viewership of the EPL, which is correct, and rightly so. But because more people are watching EPL games does not mean cricket is 'dying'. I guess you couldn't resist the dramatic headline!

In fact, cricket viewership in India is at it's highest ever and growing. The growth, as you point out, is mainly in the towns and villages. That's where most of India lives, right!

I watch the EPL with great interest but that has not stopped me watching Indian cricket at all. Having lived in the UK for 5 years in the late 90's I have followed Arsenal as closely as the Indian cricket team. The two are not mutually exclusive.
As far as the preference of many city kids and 'cool' choices are concerned, that stems not from a distaste for cricket, but from a desire to stand out and be different and more 'cool' than the masses. That, Mr. Kesavan, has always been the case. When I was growing up it was billiards, later golf, now the EPL. Who knows, it may be the NFL in 5 years time!

Variety, as they say, is the spice of life. Do not worry, cricket in India is certainly not dying!

this is for all of those who are targeting pakistani sports.

can you please tell me the furthest sania or a karthikeyen has gone in their respective sports.
sania to asecon dround at most in a grand slam, karthekeyen wass not even part of f1 for half a season.
as far as football is concerned, i would like to mention that for the past three years india have even not been able to win a low grade tournament like the south asian games, where on the other hand pakistan have reached the finals in 3 consecutive occasions and the last 2.
and not to forget that india have not even benn world champions in any sport other than cricket while the super pakis!!! have had atleast hockey and squash to enjoy world record succes.

Dear Ajay Singh,
Forget worrying about Pakistani team becuz whatever you say, Pakistani team is still much better than Indian Team. Don't forget that India couldn't even win a single ODI in South Africa. They lost 4-0. Pakistan still holds 3rd position both in Tests and ODI's, what about India? lolz. I just wanted to tell you that don't get jealous, if India isn't doing well in cricket, then it doesn't mean that you start talking about Pakistan. Let's talk about young cricketers. Over the last few years have india produced any world class player? either in batting or bowling? Now go and check the stats of Mohammed Asif and you will realize that what Pakistan have produced.

haha ajay all i am gonna say is...........how can you cuss us pakistanis who is ahead of who in the icc odi and test rankings you fool we are ahead so get your facts right indian cricket is dying because you dont have no exciting players apart from sreesanth who is ok and you have no fast bolwers and we have two in the top3 shoaib akhtar number 1 and sami number 3 ur bowlers have the same pace as kumble naa abit faster lol

Nice article.

As long as the kids are ignoring 1-day cricket, which is probably what has happened, its good, for it has long since served its purpose - that of reviving test cricket.

The next edition of commercial cricket will be 20-20, and the kids will return to the game, and a few of them will also get interested in test cricket, which, finally, is all that matters.

Football, that strange ritual where they intentionally dont use their hands, competing with cricket? Gimme a break!

hey, why not have young Indian boys interested in football? Maybe we can actually start fielding competitive football teams, as opposed to the entire population of young, athletic men aspiring to compete for 11 slots on the national cricket team, and then getting lost in the bureaucratic machinery? I'm all for a more competitive India as a footballing nation

Oops. Vegetarians many of them might be, but not all of them play cricket. Sreesanth, like me, eats beef. And pork. Unlike certain other subcontinental teams, our win-loss record against Australia in the recent past is awesome. Notice that we haven't been dismissed for two-digit scores in both innings of any test match against Australia. We smash Shane Warne to all parks of the ground. As we do other legspinners, even Hindu ones.

And oh, Mukul, let the new generation at least patronise macho games.

Oh Please! Cricket and Football competing for the same place? Like the person above said, GIVE ME A BREAK! Being too interested in cricket isn't "cool" because being different is "cooler." If you like football in the Sub-continent, everyone will say "Oh that's so cool, how did you start liking it? Why do you like it" and so on. It's not that cricket is being lost in the hearts of people, it's just that football is the face but cricket is the heart, if you will. Most people who watch football don't even know half the rules or the strategies that go into it, or the names of players, but they'll know everything about cricket. Reason? Like I said, football is the face, cricket is the heart.
FOOTBALL = FACE
CRICKET = HEART

One hopes for genuine insights, new angles that one might not have thought about, a robust point of view. Alas what one gets from Kesavan is shallowness , not even worth reacting to. Total waste of time. Who on earth can say Indian cricket is being replaced by English football. Cheap provocation. Please remove Kesavan from here. And may be put someone like Ram Guha, well if you insist on academics, or ... well you can find zillion other is India.. which proves cricket is well and alive.

I wonder if people actually bother to fathom the reason of such discussions. This is sport & we still end up bringing gender, religion & nation into this kind of debates. Why drag the laurels or lack of Pakistan & India in to this ?
The fact remains that we are just not been able to market the sport of cricket globally ! We are just comparing club sides & leagues with national teams. So if someone comes along with mega bucks & starts to make leagues for cricket where Sachin, Lara, McGrath, Warne, Gilchrist, Inzy, Shoaib etc play for the same team would we follow them ? Lets face it volley ball or cricket, you got to compare apples with apples. Else you would hvae fun watching the Davis cup & not just the Grnad Slams !

Great Article. I've crafted a response to it on my blog which is too big to post here. Do let me know what you think.
http://www.oddmanin.blogspot.com/

Today we have wider choices. FOr a nation which could see a cricket match from only 2 or 3 cameras not long back today we have all the channels at our frontyard. Thats a starter
It is also a story of golden goose. When we grew up we used to wait for cricket series coz they were in the right proportion. TOday every team is playing for almost 80% of the year. So it is Boring to watch them consistently.
It is also Fad for our younger generation to talk abt Ronaldos and Baldacci and rooney like how it was some times to talk abt Rock and Metal Music.
Also today we dont have time to sit for 8 hrs to watch a cricket match, where as a EPL gets over in 2 hrs time. So times do change

But having said all these, I had been to the stadium at chennai, and if I were to believe what I saw in the crowd, There is only one Sport in India and thz cricket. For others your time may not come.

I love how you put it Muhammad- cricket is definitely the heart.
i was in mumbai when the Soccer world cup was going on- people showed interest. But the interest people show in cricket is 20,000000 times more. people worship cricketers in india- Pakistan- football is just another game for them like field hocky, maybe a little more famous than field hockey.

cricket is part of the people's souls in the subcontinent

well
football ends in 45 minutes cricket is just too long 8-9 hours a game is just boring
the 20-20 format is better
even if dhoni is batting at his best it gets quite boring in the middle

Jay...do you remember when did last time you won a ODI series in Australia??? We won it 2-1 in 1998 or 1997(Don't remember the exact year) but we won the ODI series in AUS. Once again i would say that i really don't understand why Indian people are getting jealous with Pakistani team...i think becuz of the fact that they know that Pakistan is still much better than India.

Why are India's selectors turning a blind eye to Bengali cricketers? (I am not Bengali but I strongly believe Bengal, like Karnataka and Delhi, can produce great players). In Ranji Trophy. Ranadeb Bose from Bengal has had an amazing spell - he gets tons of wickets every match he plays, with an economy run rate of 2.5! Even Jaffar and Tendulkar had difficulty playing him. Manoj Tiwary, just 21 years old, scored a century almost every innings he played. Why are they not being seriously considered? Indian selectors need to rotate players like the Australians, and keep a balance between seasoned and promising players - irrespective of region. India will regain its greatness, and give Australia a run for its money. From Los Angeles, CA.

this discussion is getting more and more stupid by the minute,wonder how people drag sania mirza and kashmir into this!

I love this.. same thing happened in USA , when people started questioning.. and they are doing great now..no matter how different you are .. atleast you are speaking...i m an engineer (living in US) from a middle class family and cricket is still the most important sports for me.. i love soccer but still i have to say that what you said above only applies to a very small percentage of indian people ..go to a small town ( whr i m from) and no body will recognize who is ronaldinho...but people will still talk abt the great inning by srinath and kumble in titan cup or the yuvi- kaif special against England... cricket is still flowing like blood in the vein of this nation and nothing can replace that…

though the author himseld agrees on the fact that the sample that is talking about is too small, the reality is that there will be less than 1% population interested in othersports where as the remaining 99% are more inclined to cricket. I live in Germany. We have a group of indians who follow cricket at any cost and i don't think it is any different with in india either. Just few elite schools or children of indian high classes who are more mesmarized by every thing western are the ones who watch MAN U or any other club. COmibg back to extinction of cricket in india, till date you can bet that indian team is one of the most talented team probably slightly behind pakistan. So the stroy mentioned is just too far from reality.

There is no match between Cricket and Football. Football is a crude game which is played with every part of your body except your hands.There is only 90 minutes for players to exert themselves, that is when they have the ball usually 10-15% of total match time. You can't compare this with a solid life threatening sphere hurtling towards a batsman at 90 mph and met with a solid clunk of the bat, eye hand co-ordination, grace elegance and power rolled into one. As for the English Football they can make as much noise as they like but the fact is they usually fall at the first hurdle in world cup or international tournaments to teams like Romania, Cameron, Argentina and USA.The wages paid to footballers and what they would do with the money also make it obscene to watch.

well, cricket is alive and kicking in india.
the reason is that india have performed well in the games that really matter,ie world cup games vs pak and test series against Aus.
india have won 3 of the last 6 series against aus since 1995,the year Aus reached no 1.whereas a much more hyped team like pakistan has lost all their test series against aus in the same period.besides india are 4-0 against pak in world cups.so our much maligned team has actually done justice to its fans and their money earned ,certainly better than the likes of shevchenko and ballack of chelsea f c and others of his ilk in epl.so all critics of the indian cricket can just shut up and watch and traditionalists like mukul need not worry about cricket losing to epl.

Well, in the end i would like to say that cricket is still alive. I am a cricket freak...and despite of disappointed performance of my team(Pakistan) i still don't miss even a single ball. I know most of the people must be laughing but that's true...cricket is my passion. But yes this is also true that you won't find more people like me who love cricket becuz people are losing interest in cricket and the major reason of this thing is EPL. EPL has really taken the interest of large number people from all over the world...and the reason is that neither Pak nor Ind is doing better in cricket. People expect more with their team but 9 out of 10 times, team does disappoint them.

every time indian cricket is in trouble, a dhoni or pathan or yuvraj or uthappa comes along to keep the public morale high.winning and losing is part of the game but the passion and commitment frm our youngsters is exemplary,we can never see this from our footballers or hockey players.and a foreign league like epl,with no patriotism or appreciation and with just pure hatred towards their own countrymen .eg wayne rooney and gary neville get booed every time they go to liverpool or arsenal.will u see that in india,maybe in kolkata that too for different reasons,but wat u c in epl is pure hatred and loathing!!

Nah. cricket should be fine in India. They have a HUGE population. Even if some people like soccer, plenty of people will like cricket. Start worrying about the West Indies

Hi Hamza, Yeah. Indians are pathetic in one-day cricket. Say, when was the last time Pakistan won a test (a single one, mind you; not an entire series) against Australia? Mwaahaahaa.

Statistics mate:

Football is all about a 90 minute show with great display of athletism, style and team game. All you need is one ball and the world fights over it. It doesn't allow you to slack for a moment or yawn for two.

The closest cricket can come up is when watching highlights or the new version of 20's (street cricket should be introduced too).

Wait for the FIFA president to come and you'll see the heaping interest of football surging. Although I hear they pour in 60 crs a year, just wondering where the money's gone? or who's buying new cars !!

Verdict: People expect a bloody good display of the fighting spirit in any game. For god sake that's why the "junta" are expected to make it for. Almost every football match (including the indian leagues) give a moment for the lucrative involvement, unlike the longer version of game which I still respect. The issue being the pace of the world seems a lot faster and socially we would like to do a lot more things than watch a one sided professional match.

Let me know..

The lack of interest in Cricket among the children of the 'elite' class is sadly true. Watch the quiz show on ESPN/STAR and it is evident - participants (school kids) can readily spot any Tom, Dick or Harry from the obscurest of English clubs but fail to recognise or quote a statistic of Vijay Merchant!

It has got to do with what I can call as the 'fast food' mentality - Test cricket, or even one dayers for that matter, are not the kind of stuff which would excite this kind. Sport, and every other entertainment has to be 'fast', 'cool' and all such adjectives which amount to nothing in itself. The notion that a game can be watched for the pleasure in the act itself and that it needs to 'sink in' in the five days of Cricket is not something 'they' would understand.

The claim that EPL is more watchable than Cricket since it is of a higher standard is laughable. We have all seen how EPL 'heroes' like Lampard fare at a penalty shootout in the World Cup.

Also, the lack of respect shown towards players of the caliber of Gavaskar and Tendulkar makes for painful reading. A European football follower (with Beckham in it) calling Tendulkar selfish is ironic indeed.

No i dont think so,yesterday we went to eden gardens,there were mora than 90,000+ people....cricket is truely our religion...even our grandmas keep track abt india's score.....wen u show a cricket match in tv ,all the hindi serials trp come down,we r all indians ,main thing abt us we r emotional and cricket is our passion,dus even if sourav fails to score in eden gardens,spectators cry there,does they have this in england....n tell u 1 thing sachin is given greater adoration dan any other european players,ppl here see him as a semi-god.....good luck india for the world cup....we will keep ourselves awake till 4am to support our beloved country....as rabindranath said"sarthak janam amr janmecchi ei deshe"......jai hind.....

Being a Pakistani, I cannot say that I am in a position to comment about waning interest in cricket amongst Indians, but it IS surprising considering the fact that 50 million people turned up to catch a glimpse of mahindra singh dhoni having a haircut! We would never have that in Pakistan!

I strongly suspect that football has become the obsession of a select class in India. Generalizing it would be foolish.

As for all comments made by my fellow Pakistanis -why do we always reek of apology? It is entirely unfortunate that we all feel the need to defend and apologize actions/comments/behaviour of people only because they happen to be from our country. We are not going to get anywhere with that kind of an attitude! Stop apologizing!

As for Indian cricket, I happened to follow the recent south african series quite closely. The striking thing was all the damn analysis. Honestly, Indians need to take their cricket a bit less seriously! All this over-analysis about technique and game plans and strategy will certainly lead to the death of the Indian cricket team. It seems as if the whole team is playing for the opinions of a select group of armchair cricketing experts who happen to have sufficient clout for whatever reason. Sreesanth is a case in point. He might have had a fine series, but to hype him up to the extent that has been done is just inviting failure. One good series is only a good start. Lets see what he does now.

Finally, about our fast bowlers. Yes, Shoaib Akhtar is injury-prone. Yes, he is an administrative nightmare. But when a man can turn a match on its head in just 11 overs in one innings (on a consistent basis), you cant help but respect his ability.

hmm.. cant India find 11 players of this of thiss million population to make a football team????

I come from an elite, urban school from Karachi, Pakistan and have been witness to the gradual shift from cricket to Premiership football. However I genuinely believe that the reason cricket has suffered is that it has become way too repetitive. 8 competitive test teams means that these teams play each other very frequently and that just drives the attention of the fickle teenage mind away. Also, the fact that in the Premiership you have transfers ( i.e. player switching from clubs) means that the viewer remains engrossed both with the on and off field action. You can't exactly say that about cricket.

As per Indian cricket, I agree with Omar's comments about over-analysis. Just watch ESPN's SportsCenter. They follow every single move of the Indian team, right down to the motivational dressing room reading material. Such proximity just drives up expectations and ratchets up the pressure. It also ultimately leads to waning interest because the average Indian youth will probably be disinterested with what Saurav Ganguly has for dinner, or what incorrect shot Sehwag played in a televised nets session. Come on, give your cricketers a break! They need to get away from the media blanket.

Today,most people Italked to from Gorakhpur to Hubli,were channel switching to get rajkot and sydney match intermittently.I think EPL todau would be an anticlimax after what England did at sydney.

I think a lot can be attributed to the Match Fixing scandal, I am in late 20s, my entire household used to be very passionate about cricket including my parents, brother, cousins. After that disgraceful chapter in Indian cricket I think most of us lost that passion except me.

Also, with the advent of satelite channels, formula 1, EPL, UCL became part of life and provided entertainment as well as thrill.

This can also be a possible explanation to the situation we have now !

Except looking forward to that day when the twin scourge of indian cricket- sehwag and tendulkar- will be removed,there is no hope.. They may have a wonderful past but cricket victory on the field is not driven by reputation but present form and performasnce. Till they cross their shady patch cant they be laid aside and taken only when their performance is at least a shadow of their past glory. It is the overwhelming national consideration that shd determine selections and not blind allegiance to selected players who have become more a burden and outlived their utility.

Why do some people have prejudice with football?

Do you remember that football has been played in India for the past century and since cricket has taken over we have seen decline in other sports?

Reality is that:

1. India cannot win one gold medal in the Olympics and you're complaining abt cricket losing popularity.

2. Football involves skills and fitness, it is a MAN's game not a lazy slow game like cricket.

3. Football is the people's game...Working-class game that is cheap, easy, and accessible to everyone whether they are playing in a slum or street, and in rain and sun. Cricket has and always will be an upper-class game

well i think its not decline in indian cricket, kids love football not ONLY CRICKET!!! SO WHAT!!!??? cant they? who wouldnt watch thierry henry over dravid, cmon man are you indians soooooooooooo crazy over this, improve on your football, CRICKET ISNT LIFE!!!!!!!!! GET OVER IT!!!!!!!!!!

Me too was a hardcore cricket fan ,until few years ago . I remember leaving my coaching claass early to watch INdia -pak match in johannesburg . But since long i have los tthat zeal for the game & have noticed the same change in many of other guys i meet [mind you , they are from all backgrounds] . F1 took over & atleast at this moment crickethas taken a backseat . There may be many reasons for that . Laissez-faire attitude of administrators , poor sposrts infrasctructurre [they tell BCCI is the richest board ; but of no use] . It is really embarressing to watch news channels doing those stupid "Cricket ka junoon" type programmes after every damn match where every players'performace is dissected by some retired cricketeer . it is as if the country has just never known anything else than cricket [it is partly true though. For me it has been F1 that has taken over . Its a supreme sport that demands the highest standards in everything viz. Sportsmanship, physical health , team spirit , pracitce [just try understanding what an Pit-stop means & ull know what i mean] .
maybe this is a passing phase & the WC in Windies may help a bit . however one thing is for sure. BCCI cant take the game for granted anymore . They have serious rivals now in Soccer, F1 , etc

he is weird. believe me, i have to live with him

cool it guys! take sports sportively.I'm in my mid 20ties, I love cricket no doubt.but I would like to watch games like tennies,football,table tennies,shuttle,F1,gymnastics..& say wat not with lots off passion than my chilhood days.
the reason could be country is itself fast developing,globalisation etc...many people getting access to different sports, understanding its rules,taken by its thrills. so this is a phase that has to be looked upon as a development rather than speaking about death of a game.
1 Rathore, 1 Sania, 1 Anand has bought tremondrous impact over the people to follow that sports closely.
my next generation would like to look upon sports in its heart,wats wrong in it, no patriotisum,no religion...only LOVE for the sport.

remember wat father of olympics said "Winning is not important, participating is"
I would replace participating as fighting till the end, jus to enhance the thrill in a game & not its madness.
I eagerly look forward to the WC in Windies, I would be thrilled to watch my kids watching any sports as eager as me.
don't bisect a sport..analyse it or exagerrate it jus follow it with passion by heart.
ofcourse analysing the tricks, tactics,techniques is all fine.but recently wat is happening to cricket in subcontinent is manipulation of the sports for business motives which is not a healthy sign.
well no sports will or shud die, after all this life is by itself a big game :)

india will win the cup......come on india come on.........himalaya victory waiting for u.....with our team members