Cricket Is Not A Game Anymore, It’s An Emotion

The road not taken in HR corridors

In the subcontinent, cricket is not just a sport – it’s an emotion. And if the match happens to be India vs Pakistan, it’s not just an emotion, it’s fervour. AND…if it happens to be a final, then it’s outright war. Allow me to put this in perspective. It’s not just a war at a macro level, it’s a very intense and personal war that every ‘cricket-loving’ Indian feels in his gut. The feeling leads to actions and repercussions that have real-world implications. This played out most explicitly when India lost to Pakistan in the finals of the recently-concluded ICC Champions Trophy.

What is a match, at the end of the day? A game, right? Someone has to win, and the other side has to loose. It’s a statistic impossibility to win every single time – even for a team that is possibly at its very best, India. So what was the recent loss all about, why did it cause such intense disappointment? Is it that the particular match was crucial and against a sworn enemy? Would it have been more forgivable if it was against a country who doesn’t stir up the emotional-worst in the average Indian? Probably.

The loss has caused staggering destruction in its wake – heated discussions, vile accusations, flared tempers and doubt. After the recent loss, Captain Virat Kohli and Coach Anil Kumble’s differences came to a head – resulting in the immediate termination of Kumble’s coaching duties. Is it still ‘just a game’ when people lose jobs and relationships as a result of one match? Players who were revered a day before the finals got accused of throwing the match away with absolutely no proof to back the claim. Match-fixing is about the most serious accusation in professional sports. We are talking about the career of champions here, should we not be a little more responsible for our words and actions? Players who have consistently displayed great nerve and passion in the past are suddenly accused of being spineless. The captain who was adored till a day ago, has now been subject to suspicion and severe criticism.

Here is my appeal to fellow Indians. Since we are a nation that stands together in happiness and grief, should we not be more aware of our responsibility – knowing that it affect the collective consciousness? I can’t entirely exclude myself from this malaise. There is a twinge of disappointment when our team loses, and the propensity to blame someone…anyone. Why look for reasons when we can look for solutions?

Why riot when some people celebrate Pakistan’s victory, when Indians living in other countries celebrate India’s victory without being victimised? An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind, as they say. Why do we answer simmering anger with more anger? What we need is to respect boundaries and accept diversity…even diversity in opinion. As a nation, we are emotionally charged. We play it to our advantage when it comes to completing a task, achieving the improbable and withstanding aggression. It’s now time to acknowledge that we should be rational about emotion. Yes, I know how that sounds, but that is the real test of our character. Can we use our emotional energy to our advantage? I look back at the 24 hours after the defeat and wonder, are we emotionally weak as a society? Are we mean and petty?

I think not. If we can act on our emotions for the wrong reasons, we can surely do it for the right reasons too! It’s time for us to control our emotions instead of letting them control us. It’s time to channel all that emotional energy into doing good and being good role models for our children.

It’s time to ask yourself who you are.

Are you the patriot who reacts with indignation, or the one who stays calm and determined?

Are you the teammate who does everyone’s work grudgingly, or the one who works with everyone to get the job done?

Are you the husband who does his duty on his own terms, or the one who listens to her real needs?

Are you the daughter who sacrifices, or the one who stands ground and makes her family proud?

Your choices should show that controlling your emotions is not a sign or either strength or weakness, it’s a decision to get the job done and keep striding ahead.

AND…it’s time we play and watch cricket in the spirit of the game. 

@KeepUpWithKaustubh

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Kaustubh Sonalkar is the most unlikely hero you’d expect to find in serious HR corridors. Disruption runs through his veins, and ideas come to him at the speed of light. Keep up with Kaustubh as he shares his thoughts through this un-blog.