Millions at stake, millions wait

Just the other day, they were feted, hailed, toasted, some of them even taken home for dinner by people they had never seen before.

Just the other day, they were feted, hailed, toasted, some of them even taken home for dinner by people they had never seen before. Today, the Bangladeshis are back in familiar territory.

Skipper Habibul Bashar, who had to keep his boys from going overboard in the dressing room after that stupendous win over India, was racing towards the team bus after the Lanka humiliation. Star hitter, Tamim Iqbal, was roaming around the hotel lobby later, grim, glued to a cellphone. Veteran spinner Mohammad Rafique, who had India tied up in knots last Saturday, slipped past unnoticed. Coach Dav Whatmore was nowhere to be seen.

Welcome Bangladesh. Welcome to the cruel, unforgiving world of cricket. Heroes one day, zeroes the next.

Yes, the crowd was milling around. But that was for the Indian superstars, back in favour after the record win over Bermuda. Bermuda? Who cares.

Somebody wants Virender Sehwag to strike a note on a guitar, Harbhajan Singh is asked to pose for photographs every three steps, the battle-scarred Rahul Dravid barely manages to breeze through with a fixed smile. Lanka match? They say it8217;s sold out, they say Sunil Shetty8217;s going to come. But if we lose? The fan suddenly loses interest, turns his back on me.

Really, what if we lose? Have you ever taken a deep breath and thought about it? What will the effect be on the ad world, the MNCs that have staked millions of dollars on Team India? What about the ICC, where will they get their viewers from? The TV broadcasters, all those expert commentators holed up in studios, counting the money? What will happen to this whole business of cricket, the parasites, the wheeler-dealers, the agents, the circus?

I have to smile here. Maybe, they deserve it, for hyping this simple game to such levels that a coach is found dead after a game is lost. For luring gullible cricketers, the best among millions, into the sleazy world of commissions and contracts.

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But wait, of course, I want Team India to win. But I also want them to be able to walk around without being mobbed by buffoons masquerading as fans every other second. I want them to be with people who talk cricket, know about the game, not with agents and ad men. I want them to stay on the sports pages. I want them to be able to spend at least four months a year with their families, wives, children. I want them to put their hearts into the game, not worry about the games being played with their bank accounts by their own relatives back home. I want them to be men, proud, fit athletes, true ambassadors of the game, their country.

And that8217;s why I won8217;t jump into the Caribbean sea if we actually lose to Lanka.