A broken bucket for stumps and a bunch of rags tied together for a ball; a pair of brown, dusty legs, scampering across what appears to be 22-yards of pallid, decadent earth; the face breaks into a large grin at the end of the sprint, makeshift bat in the air. To top it all, boys of all ages and sizes surround the ‘match’ venue where impromptu commentary has given the whole setting the feel of a gladiatorial battle between bat and ball. From the dust bowls of the Indian hinterland to the urban sprawls that grow bigger by the day, cricket in the country seems to have shattered a number of myths in the past couple of months, the Chappell-Ganguly spat notwithstanding.
Heroes with the bat, ball and, of course, the gloves have risen to dizzying heights from absolutely nowhere. The resurgence has been both surprising as well as gratifying for the millions who are glued to every match that India plays. A new hope pervades India, that of being able to make it big without being part of the cosmopolitan mainstream. Watch Suresh Raina flit across the cricket field ball in hand, positioned perfectly to take a shy at the stumps or sample Mahendra Singh Dhoni lofting the ball over the stands into the street behind and you will know what it is to be a star. Endorsements and corporate deals are raining thick and fast and why shouldn’t they? After all the era of the subaltern is here to stay!
The rapid spread of cricket into rural India is both fascinating and intriguing. Recent events remind one the blockbuster Lagaan wherein a band of energetic and well-fed men from the dusty outback bring the mighty Englishmen to their knees. Did Lagaan inspire the Indian cricket team? It most certainly did by the looks of it. Rudra Pratap Singh, the rookie left arm seamer from Uttar Pradesh certainly seems to have taken a leaf out of Bhuvan’s (Aamir Khan in Lagaan) book to emerge as a perfect replacement for the out-of-form Zaheer Khan.
The Hindi heartland has seen a transition from boys to men in many in the span of the last couple of years. Be it the sardar from Ludhiana (Harbhajan Singh) or the chhora from Allahabad (Mohammad Kaif), Indian cricket has been witness to new stars making the firmament their own. A unique phenomenon, the subalternization of cricket in India just about looks complete. It seems to have shed its elitist tag though a long road lies ahead.
Dhoni, with his rockstar hairstyle and immaculate strokeplay has suddenly become the symbol of a young, resurgent India. Cricket meccas like Mumbai are now passé as Ranchi and Rae Bareilly seems to have captured the imagination of the cricket crazy country. The thin red line between Bharat and India is now fuzzy with the aspirations of many making a beeline for the next cricket coaching centre, trying to emulate these talented young men who are the toast of the nation.
Once the preserve of Maharajas, the British occupiers and the privileged landed English-educated gentry, cricket today has left millions craving for the top spot. Not only are Dhoni and Raina new-age cricketing icons, they inspire a whole generation of youngsters with stars in their eyes. Cricket fields are the dream factories of the many who see themselves every ball that J P Yadav plays and every run that Venugopal Rao scores. The great Indian middle class is the new hunting ground for young talent.
The subalterns are making it big. A sociological revolution seems to be taking place in Indian cricket. A classless, non-religious fraternity cricket now has come to be a level playing field. The sand castles have been falling away as cricket turns into a melting pot of sorts. A victory for the proponents of a classless society, the bridging of gaps has been smooth and complete. Perhaps Indian cricket can show us the way.
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