Ever heard of a 'Cricket bubble' ?
Well ! Not a sportive version of 'Credit bubble' though on a lighter note ! It's the events surrounding a cricket match like India vs Pakistan (a day to go) that can create a bubble mania much bigger than the match itself.
Be it political rivalry, national security threat, game of cricket, or just an amateur sport of rural youth like the gilli-danda; India facing off Pakistan kindles the interest of massive spectators. That’s not all ! the mass media hypes vociferously about the incident in most dramatic form. Eventually, the news spreads by latitude and longitude, whether good or bad. All over the world, people tirelessly speculate on this subject and spill the beans in vivid forms. As always, the interested parties who are willing to take advantage of the situation enter into bets and odds to book profits. Mind you ! this is just a capsule of my observation.
You don't need a magnifying lens to see the spurt of events encompasing India face-off Pakistan in Cricket World cup 2011. Undoubtedly, it would have circumvented all the boundaries of political, economic or national tolerance. At the start of World cup 2011, this cricket fever was dormant in the minds of cricket fans which consequently erupted into a jubilant volcano after the quarter-final round. To catch of glimpse of this mind-boggling craze is just incredible and unimaginable !
Ouch ! can you believe it? Patients have postponed operation; houses turn hotels ahead of the clash; match tickets sold in black for a whopping INR 125,000; no fly zone over Mohali stadium; tight national security as never before; and much more drama in store yet unraveled. Sachin’s 100th century (against this Pakistan clash) estimated INR 6,000 crore to change hands on big bets. Not only is the match slated to be a firecracker; the odds set by the bookies are no less volatile. India is slated as favourites at 62 paise, while the Pakistanis are set at Rs. 1.58.
Ironically, people have liked to watch India-Pakistan as rivals more than wishing an amicable bilateral relationship. God forbid! an eternal curse to Indo-Pak ties.
To me, as an ardent cricket fan, it’s a break from my routine work, bunk my office, give lame excuse to my boss, restore my eatables provision before match-day, and watch it on television along with my cricket loving friends. Doesn’t matter what the outcome will be, (though ! I couldn’t refrain from supporting my national team INDIA) I will sure have fun !
Will India’s players succumb to the pressure ? Can Captain cool cleverly whisk away the tension factor and gel the team for a superb contest? Will the bookies benefit from the bubble surpassing the match outcome ? Else, Would the match be abandoned due to unexpected turn of events ?.....let the future decide!
So, don’t give an ear to the bubble mania and just join me to freak out at this stupendous cricket mania !
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