The Twenty20 Way of Life
Cricket is the flavour of the season and all ye cricket lovers are getting an overdose of it. A little over five months after one cricket World Cup has ended, another has just begun. The inaugural Twenty20 World Cup, which was viewed by suspicion by many, is turning out to be a darling of most critics. It has enthralled the masses, classes and critics alike. What’s making this game so relevant today? Would it have been as successful in India 5 years earlier? Probably not. There is something about the societal and cultural changes shaping India today that tells you that the timing is apt and Indians are going to lap up this snappier, jazzier and a more gripping form of cricket.
All the critics who cried hoarse that test cricket was the “real thing” and that genuine cricketers played only test cricket are being forced to reluctantly accept this new format as it moves on to become part of the establishment.
Life is transforming and so is this game of cricket. You see evidence of change reflected and manifested in life all around you.
More Money, Less Time
Today as we spend more and more time working, we are spending less time living. Time being under finite constraint, we are keeping a number of pots boiling at once. We are compressing activities into more concentrated doses, whether weekend trips, 'shopping-movie-dinner-family bonding' all rolled into one. We see our lives as a matrix with a series of little boxes that need to be filled with myriad activities. This form of the game fits-in neatly like a little cube in this matrix. It occupies the same slot as any evening out - watching a movie at a multiplex or hanging out with a bunch of friends after work. It is fulfilling the need to entertain and unwind after a hard day’s work. What ICC has effectively done is that it has taken something which already existed and refined it with the catch line “twice the action in less than half the time”.
Present Perfect
Seize the moment. With the speed and complexity of life taking a dramatic toll on our psyches and spirits, people have begun to accept, believe and internalize that the present is all we have. And that exactly is the spirit with which the batsmen go out in the field. The equation is skewed in favour of the batsmen marginalising the bowlers. Every ball is an opportunity – you either seize it or lose it. Yuvraj showcased this when he hit the ground running with 6 sixes in 6 balls.
Intelligent risk taking
Risk taking has been an integral part of business and life, but today the game belongs to those who know how to manage risk properly. The growing numbers of IITs/IIMs opting for entrepreneurial ventures hinges on the premise of intelligent risk-taking. The word risk has a slightly negative connotation to it — it implies danger, tension, and possible loss. But risk also has a positive side, the chance of hitting a big win, of getting more on the back side than you invest on the front side. The most intelligent risks are those where the potential downside is limited, but the potential upside is virtually unlimited. As in this game, success in life belongs to those who have dared to take calculated smart risks.
Attention-Deficit Syndrome
Like airplane seats and fresh food, attention is becoming a highly perishable commodity. As daily demands, cell phones, iPods, home computers, DVDs, televisions, laptops compete for a share of consumer consciousness and invade our lives; people are finding their experience of reality so fragmented that their ability to concentrate is getting drastically reduced. Going forward, such distractions are only going to intensify. Consumers are seeking out fun and engagement in just about every buying decision. Even cricket which was considered a form of recreation, today needs to enhance its entertainment quotient and provide instant gratification. That possibly explains the introduction of music, dance and cheerleaders to pep-up this “gentleman’s” game and grab attention of this fickle channel surfing viewer.
The beast in the gentleman’s game
Liberalization and developments in the last few years have opened opportunities for us to compete against the best in the world. A seething drive punctuated by energy and enthusiasm is the need to be successful. And cricket, unlike soccer and rugby, has never been considered an aggressive game - always considered a timid counterpart. This new version of the game is driven by the desire to bring out the best in individuals which we are able to identify with. Thus, energy, enthusiasm and aggression that characterize this format are set to make cricket a worthy competitor to the other more aggressive sports.
Summing up, cricket in India has at various points of time mirrored the changing faces of India from the laid-back and relaxed 5-day cricket matches punctuated by crests and troughs to the “sped-up” ODIs to the “Express” Twenty20. This lighter version of cricket goes down well with the generation that believes in equal opportunities and roots for the underdog. It is a generation that believes in the destination rather than destiny with no scope for ambiguity and draws - a generation that believes in celebrating the moment and moving-on till they find the next joy. The game is an ode to the optimistic, happy-go-lucky generation of today. The Twenty20 Way of Life
