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India should start losing cricket matches !!!

India should start losing cricket matches !!!

Shashank Purandare

Well, I mean no disrespect to our cricket players. They are hugely talented and I hate to see when they lose matches like every other Indian, but look at it from another perspective.

Before the 70’s, Indian cricket wins were rare. In 70-71 India beat the mighty West Indies and England in their own backyards when Sunil Gavaskar emerged on the scene. There was no television around that time and the matches were followed on All India radio and the BBC. Yes, there were die hard fans, but not crazy ones like those who died recently trying to steal a glimpse of a certain Virat Kohli after winning some stupid IPL trophy.

Between 1970 and 1980 Indian wins were a few and far in between. It changed when Kapil’s devils won the 1983 World Cup. Though the team had tough time getting together the return airfare even after winning the World Cup, the popularity of cricket started rising. Then Tendulkar happened followed by a lot of stars.

Then BCCI, found the scent of money and slowly started cashing in and has never looked back since.

Today, the BCCI is rolling in money. It does not pay tax. Yes, you read right, under some clause of income tax, I forgot which. And BCCI, de facto, controls ICC.

Subhash Chandra of the Zee group along with Kapil Dev started a cricket league. BCCI soon caught on, debarred Kapil Dev and co and Lalit Modi started IPL.

Today IPL is minting money and so are Indian and international cricketers. The money comes in various forms like the gate collections, as the tickets cost thousands of rupees, the broadcasting rights, the in-stadia and TV advertising rights, the sale of IPL merchandise, the viewing corporate boxes and whatnot. The BCCI officials roam around in private jets. People like Sharad Pawar, Aashish Shelar and Jay Shah who know nothing about cricket have been BCCI and ICC office bearers. And here is a clincher. BCCI is a private body and does not represent Indian nation in any official capacity.

And finally, whose money BCCI is collecting. Yours. Yes, general public is funding all this thanks to its paranoia about this cricket bat hitting a cricket ball.

Do you recall BCCI fishing out money for the needy, to the charity, or donating it to a national cause? Zip, zero, nada. It only goes to the greedy.

Yes, there was a time I was hooked to cricket. It is a game of skill, power and stamina. But then, it is only a game like others. Now I watch it only as a pastime, since I am retired.

But there are crores of youngsters who waste their time after cricket. Just like film stars, cricketers have become larger than life. No wonder India is poor when it comes to other sports. Do you even know who is the fastest 100 meters male sprinter in India today? Or what is Indian record for a marathon run? No sir, you don’t.

What about the money that you guys are losing on illegal betting on cricket matches, or on apps like dream eleven or my circle?

How many countries in the world really play cricket? Eight, ten? Others are there to just makeup the numbers. The whole world plays football and India is now losing to Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

So stop wasting your time and money on cricket. It is not worth losing your life over some larger than life cricketer.

No, I do not blame the cricketers. They have put in real hard work to get to the top like any other sportsperson. But the money they earn is disproportionate to a person working equally hard in other walks of life.

That is why, I really would like to see India start losing in cricket till this craze goes away.

Shashank Purandare 29/12/2025