#dnaEdit: Just a defeat

India’s defence of its Cricket World Cup title might have ended in a comprehensive defeat at the hands of arch-rivals and four-time champs Australia, but MS Dhoni’s men can take comfort at having notched up seven straight wins during their progress to the semi-finals. Playing Australia at home is a daunting prospect for the best of teams and the target of 329 put up by the hosts proved to be unattainable for India’s young batting line-up. But there are several positives for the Indian side that will hold the team in good stead in the years ahead. Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and Gautam Gambhir have gone out from the 2011 World Cup winning squad, and been replaced by Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane and Ravindra Jadeja — who look set to serve in the team for a long time to come. This World Cup has also witnessed the rise of three quality fast bowlers — Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Mohit Sharma — who surprised viewers with their pace and courage to bang the ball short and dare batsmen to go for the pull shot. 

The Indian cricket-watching public must also be complimented for the relative restraint with which they have accepted the defeat. This is in contrast to some of the unsavoury events in previous decades when cricketers’ effigies were burnt or their houses stoned and stadiums emptied because of rowdy crowds. But the question whether cricket has retreated — somewhat — from the Indian national imagination or the game is not commanding the fanatical following it once attracted, is inconclusive. In fact, much of the action has shifted to the social media. This is, perhaps, the first World Cup where conversations surrounding cricket have taken place predominantly on Twitter, WhatsApp and Facebook rather than on physical spaces. In fact, a prominent English news channel, Times Now’s attempt to provoke cricket fans to boost TRPs through a hashtag #ShameInSydney spectacularly backfired with cricket-loving Twitterati responding with a #ShameOnTimesNow hashtag that soon began to trend. However, the ability of trolls to capture the social media space was once again in evidence on Thursday with tweets, some abusive and others simply banal jokes, directed at batting mainstay Virat Kohli’s girlfriend, actor Anushka Sharma. The general tenor of these tweets poking fun at Anushka for travelling to Sydney to see the match and even blaming her for Virat’s failure to perform was inexplicable. But there were also many who energetically countered such misogynous tweets. As by now evident, social media is a barometer of public opinion, behavioural patterns and social mindsets.

In recent times, India’s rising prominence in cricket and Australia’s brute domination of the sport have pitched India-Australia matches at a near-equal footing as the Australia-England and the India-Pakistan rivalry, both benefitting from tense political relationships and uninhibited exhibition of nationalist sentiments. Like Australia, which phased out a generation of legendary cricketers between 2006 and 2011, and underwent a painful rebuilding process, the young Indian team of 2015 can be expected to peak in time for the next World Cup in 2019.  Generational change is an unavoidable process. Rather than comparing cricketers from one era to the next, and changes in playing styles, cricket rules or lighter bats, the question this World Cup poses is why are more and more cricket matches turning to be one-sided affairs. Close contests like the New Zealand-South Africa semi-final match are becoming rarities. Matches that sustain viewer attention from beginning to the end and the batting and bowling exploits they generate — usually become a part of the collective memory of their viewers. It is this challenge that cricketers and cricket administrators must meet.