Conventional cricket continues to matter and there are many taking a liking for European football. But when it comes to going mad about an event, the country falls for the IPL, finds out TN Vimal Sankar....
It was another sultry Friday evening in Chennai. After five days of hustle and bustle, the weekend had arrived. Rushing through last-minute commitments before kick-starting two days of relaxation and unwinding, Chennaiites were hoping the rain stayed away. They were also hoping that it did not rain in Visakhapatnam, for that’s where Chennai Super Kings were taking on Delhi Capitals, in
Qualifier 2 of the Indian Premier League.
On most Fridays, bars and pubs in the Chennai area usually filled up around 9pm or so. But this being a knockout match, one of them was already packed at 7, when the captains walked out for the toss. No seats were left empty. Heck, some were even a few rounds down. A bit of enquiring revealed this was not the case with just one place. With IPL live and CSK playing, only a fool would turn up without a reservation, according to the manager of the pub.
As CSK marched their way to their record eighth final, the crowd became euphoric. Decibel levels kept rising until Dwayne Bravo knicked one to the boundary to ensure victory with an over to spare. There were women dominating the hurrahs. With World Cup fever kicking in and more live screenings lined up, it is safe to assume that the Men in Blue will have more women supporting them this time.
Famed ad film director Prahlad Kakkar agrees. “The most important thing that has happened in cricket in terms of viewership is the increase in women watchers. About 10 years ago, only about 10 per cent of the women in the country were watching cricket. Now this is at least 30-35 per cent.” He adds that the nature of advertisements on TV has changed keeping in mind the rise in the number of women viewers of cricket.
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It was 4am on Saturday. A two-hour session of futsal was coming to an end in a facility in Chennai’s Koyambedu. The game was intense and as always, five or 10 minutes of extra time were added on. However, the caretaker of the place pleaded with the teams to stop. A few college students in full kits were waiting to hit the ground. As the first group left, the kids stormed in like a bunch of passengers trying to get off a domestic aircraft as soon as it lands.
After coming out, the man in charge says he has not slept for days. “These kids are regulars too. If you take longer, I will have to wait for more for them to finish before I can catch some sleep.”
As the kids were warming up, there was no talk of the defending champions. They were discussing how Liverpool and Manchester City are vying for the Premier League title yet again. There were no City fans in that group. But the neutrals were making fun of Liverpool diehards who have never seen their team crowned as champions of England.
One couldn’t help but notice the contrast after Friday’s chit-chat in the pub. Cricket is what they say the religion. Its viewership is more compared to other sports. But in the last few years, other disciplines have joined the race and grabbed eyeballs.
“I think kids these days are really crazy about football. But a lot depends upon the surroundings and in the way they were brought up. My children, for example, did college in Europe and they came back as fans of football and my son never misses an Arsenal game. The number of sports that kids have access to has increased from our time and that’s why they are inclined towards them,” says Saad Bin Jung, former India cricketer and cousin of Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan.
It’s not that viewership of cricket is facing competition only from European football. Even a decade ago, hockey was the only other sport Indian fans could look forward to. Now, there is badminton, wrestling, athletics. There is kabaddi in rural areas with a big fan base. PV Sindhu and Kidambi Srikanth are adored even if not in the same way as cricketers are. The number of disciplines putting India on the global sporting map has increased.
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It was a pleasant Sunday morning. A bunch of senior citizens were having coffee and tiffin at a restaurant in Hyderabad after their morning walk. They were discussing the fourth Test that happened between Australia and India which ended in draw due to the weather.
The discussion showed how deep their knowledge of the game was. They went hard and spoke about what went wrong with every move since the match had started. It was not about showing off knowledge, but more a reflection of how passionate they are about the little details of cricket. An average new-age T20 fan would never analyse the game in such depth.
“The finesse and requirement of the game has changed for the player and viewer over the years. For the viewer to enjoy, he or she actually has to have a certain understanding of the game. He needs to know what the bowler is planning, why is he going for a slower ball. There was a time when the viewer was
reading the game. Now, most viewers don’t have that kind of knowledge. The idea they form is based on what the experts are saying,” Jung says.
There have been distractions. Cricket has consistently made headlines for the wrong reasons over the last few years. There have been incidents of fixing, betting and corruption, putting a question mark over the credibility of the show. But the money pumped in behind cricket, especially in India, has only increased.
During live telecast, broadcasters barely wait for a micro-second after a wicket or at the end of an over before running a commercial. Viewers have often expressed disgust at this, but have things changed? The game of bat and ball has found ways of thriving in this country and made it its home. When India take on South Africa in Southampton in their opening match of the World Cup, none of the forgettable incidents will matter and people will sit in front of the TV or follow on internet.
“The advertisements are irritating. But it has benefited the game. And whatever happens in the federation, when cricketers are playing for their country, fans believe they are giving their best and not playing for money.
“That will never change. I don’t think the advent of other sports has impacted viewership. If there are two good movies at the same time in town, people will go for both. The same goes for cricket and other sports,” says Kakkar.
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True cricket fans always watch no matter what. But the format, in terms of popularity, has undergone a major shift in the last few years. It’s not hard to find the fanatic who gets up early to watch the first session of a Test match when Virat Kohli & Co play in Australia. But it’s equally easy to understand what people are truly mad about. Almost all IPL matches are sold out.
There are hundreds willing to spend ten times the actual price in the black market. With one generation making way for another, it’s in the T20 avatar that cricket the religion is ruling India.
“Nowadays, people are not able to watch a five-day Test. The T20 came in only because the viewership was demanding it. They wanted the game to evolve and watch a quick game like football,” says Jung.
Not that other sports are not catching up, but to catch the pulse, it’s better to be in one of these pubs which set up screens for IPL.