Oct. 28 of this year was a special day here in the United States, and not just because it was three days before Halloween. Last Friday marked the seventh and final game of the World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Texas Rangers. Watched by an astounding 25 million people, the St. Louis Cardinals won their 11th World Series title in the sport that has been dubbed "America's pastime." It was a wonderful day for Cardinal fans, who witnessed a great series, and for baseball itself. However, how many people would say that Oct. 28 was the best day of their year, that it would stand out when they looked back at 2011?
The reason I pose this question is because if you were to ask a number of Indians which day stood out most for them this year, a lot of people would answer, "April 2." Not because it was the day after April Fool's, no, but because it was on April 2, 2011 that India lifted the Cricket World Cup for the first time since 1983. I was at home in Delhi at the time of the victory, and everywhere you turned you could hear fireworks going off and people cheering and partying in the streets.
The importance of cricket in India is something that has to be seen to be believed and understood. Cricket is more than just a game in India. Ironically, it's not even our national sport — field hockey takes that honor — but it's far more widely followed, and matters much more in the hearts of the public.
In India, cricket is often compared to religion; there are so many diehard fans of the sport who follow it day in and day out. The World Cup Final itself between India and Sri Lanka was watched by well over 135 million people in India alone. After the finals, celebrations went on for at least a week all across the country. Various prizes were given to the players from their own state governments as well as from the national government, and India's (arguably) greatest player ever, SachinTendulkar, was recommended for the BharatRatna, India's highest civilian award, for his lifetime of service to the nation through cricket.
In the United States, more sports are followed seriously, and perhaps that is why, despite baseball being the nation's "pastime" and American football being what is most watched on Monday nights, no one sport holds the heart of the nation the way cricket does in India. There are the "Big Four" sports: baseball, football, basketball and ice hockey — although hockey is followed to a lesser extent. Along with these, there are various other sports, like golf and tennis, that are followed on a much greater scale here than they are in India. This is true with soccer as well, which has experienced a recent spike in popularity in the United States.
Here the sports-watching public is far more diverse. You have people who eagerly await the end of the NBA lockout and those who are enjoying St. Louis' triumph. You could be someone who follows four of the sports listed above, or somebody who follows just one.
In the last few years, there's actually been an attempt to rouse interest in cricket in the United States, especially given the influx of so many people from the Indian subcontinent and other such areas. There was even a triangular series last year in May that took place in Florida between the New Zealand, Sri Lankan and U.S. teams. Hopefully this week's column elucidates the "cricketmania" in India and shows why during the two months of the World Cup, "One billion hearts. One wish." was the slogan that resonated around India.
