Cricket Should Not Be Saffronised

Gandhi바카라�s remark is really unfortunate, insensitive and condemnable for more than one reason. Equally unfortunate is a remark of Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav who, hours after Gandhi바카라�s remark  had said, 바카라�If the match had happened there (Lucknow), team India would have got the blessings of Lord Vishnu and Atal Bihari Vajpayee and India would have won.바카라� 

This is true that cricket has never been politicised in India the way it has been politicised by the Modi government. High-profile political leaders have always been involved in cricket administration in India. Several times the BCCI had been headed by political giants. So many former cricketers are now active politicians and are members of the Parliament and of the Assemblies of different states. But no Indian Prime Minister had gone to the extent of Modi바카라�s. Earlier, Prime Ministers used to send messages to the Indian cricket team after a win or loss and greet the victorious team at their official residences. None had entered into the dressing room of the players. It has been alleged that to satisfy the ego of the Prime Minister and to promote the name 바카라�Modi바카라� as a brand, the biggest stadium in the country had been built (and also named after him) in a city which, unlike Mumbai, Delhi or Kolkata, does not have a 바카라�cricket culture바카라�. True that many stadiums in India are named after political leaders 바카라� but no Prime Minister of India had a stadium in his or her name when s/he was alive. 

In fact, of late, cricket-researchers have been showing great concern for the rapid saffronisation of Indian cricket. For the last few years, the BJP has enjoyed a direct control over the BCCI  through its secretary Jay Shah, the son of Amit Shah 바카라� India바카라�s indomitable home minister and Modi바카라�s right-hand in the cabinet. So many other BJP leaders also hold official posts across the country in different state cricket associations which are the members of the BCCI. It has also been alleged that through Jay Shah the BJP tried to control the World Cup proceedings 바카라�as an extended election campaign바카라� to ensure a third term in office. In fact, the failure of the successful organisation of the G20 summit to have a significant impact on the commoners made it imperative for the BJP government to make the best of the Cricket World Cup to propagate the narrative of the national resurgence under an able leader like Modi. Some were even apprehensive that an Indian win in the final would make Modi call for the general election six months before the BJP바카라�s term ends in June 2024.

Political concerns indeed seem to have governed the choice of the venues of the World Cup since the well-known Punjab cricket-ground, Mohali, which successfully hosted memorable World Cup matches in 1996 and 2011, had not been given a single match this time. It has been alleged too that in addition to hosting the opening and final matches, the Narendra Modi Stadium had been allotted high-profile matches such as India-Pakistan and Australia-England so that the name 바카라�Modi바카라� consistently catches the spotlight throughout the tournament. Unfortunately, it is also that venue where a Pakistani player Mohammed Rizwan was heckled by some Indian fans who chanted 바카라�Jai Shri Ram바카라� as Rizwan was going back to the pavilion after getting dismissed by Bumrah. The Indian government also delayed issuing visas for the Pakistan team which resulted in Pakistan scrapping plans for a two-day training camp in Dubai. In fact, it has also been alleged that because of the support that Kapil Dev (the skipper of the first World Cup-winning Indian team) gave to the dissenting Indian wrestlers, he was not invited to the final of the tournament. The saffron colour of the new jersey of the Indian cricket team (despite its smart look) has also been questioned as no Indian cricket team had been given a jersey of this colour previously.  Modi바카라�s entry into the dressing room with a camera after the defeat in the final, cricket researchers have argued, is an assault on the sanctity of that space. ICC rules also do not permit such an action. The video of the Prime Minister consoling the players has also gone viral. It has allegedly been done only to promote the image of the Prime Minister as a motivational guru. 

Those who claim that cricket should be dissociated from politics perhaps forget that cricket has always had a deep association with politics across the globe. Cricket philosopher CLR James in his book, 바카라�Beyond the Boundary바카라�, rightly observes, 바카라�Cricket within the boundary and even beyond it is linked to the complexities of a socio-political cultural mesh. The history of the West Indian land for the last two centuries is also the history of Caribbean cricket. The game became a political weapon to fight against racism as much as any other artificial artifact or political rallies. This is not to belittle the latter, but to speak of the importance of the game.바카라�  Problems begin when cricket is used for narrow political gain. Former Indian cricketer and World Cup winner Kirti Azad, who was also a BJP Member of the Parliament before leaving the party, poignantly says, 바카라�There is nothing wrong with having a politician [in cricket administration], but the problem is when they start using the game as a tool for their own means.바카라�

If the BJP is guilty of using the game for narrow political gain through the secretary of BCCI, the opposition leaders have failed to resist the saffronisation of the gentleman바카라�s game because of their wrong strategies. Gandhi goes wrong when he calls the Prime Minister 바카라�Panauti Modi바카라�. Instead of criticising the saffronisation of the cricket administration, he has made a comment that smacks of blind superstitious beliefs. The rhetoric of hyper-nationalism that the BJP deliberately wants to create around cricket can never be combatted by making silly comments, playing to the gallery and fanning superstitious beliefs. Yadav바카라�s remark also fuels the common public sentiments that for winning a cricket match the skill of the players is not enough, rather the blessing of a god is a must. The opposition leaders should understand that saffronisation thrives on superstition and blind faith. Comments of Gandhi and Yadav, unfortunately 바카라�instead of fighting바카라� contribute to intensifying the process of saffronisation of Indian cricket.  

(Views expressed are personal)