Cricket is a religion in India. The players are treated like Gods. When we attack temples and mosques that represent the real Gods - why would the treatment be any different for the sporting Gods? We are a country of hype - no one would ever deny that. We are a country of extremes - no one would deny that either. But it seems that we are a country of fanatics too. For, who gave us the right to attack a cricketer’s house? Who gave us the right to pelt stones at the their families? Who told us that we owned the cricketers and we could treat them anywhich way we wanted?

Cricket may be a religion, it may be a passion, it may be a first love for many - but why do we insist on forgetting that above all else it is still a sport. Not a battle of life and death. A sport in which victory and loss are fickle guests for every team. A sport which is made exciting by its cliched but true glorious uncertainties and twists and turns. If everything went to plan and the stronger team were to win all the time - not only would the game be no fun - India wouldn’t ever have been the World Champions in 1983.

The Indian team has plenty of fans - nay fanatics but seemingly just a handful of supporters. It’s almost as if an army of Team India -Baiters (News Channels, Ex-Cricketers and Fanatics) just wait for a chance to start abusing the players and to push them off the pedestal they stand on. But hold on a minute - who put them on the pedestal? For the life of me, I can’t remember a Sachin or a Rahul proclaiming that they were sporting Gods and should be worshipped as such! That their place was on a pedestal! If we put them on the pedestal, let’s atleast respect their personal lives just that little bit. Criticism? Sure. But let it involve a balanced view. Disappointment? Ofcourse! Frustration? That our right. Attacks? Hell no. But amongst all the rambling - my expression of thoughts is not even a patch on Rudyard Kipling’s classic - “And if you can face Triumph and Disaster - and treat those two imposters just the same - you will be a man my son!” About time we accepted the lows of Indian cricket with the highs.