Winning a Cricket World Cup is an extraordinary moment for any cricket-loving country, especially for a country like India. It is a monumental occasion! Cricket is not just a sport in India; it is akin to a religion.
When Indian cricket fans are reminded about the 1983, 2011 ODI, and 2007 T20 World Cup-winning memories, they still get instant goosebumps!
The question is: Are the people of India truly celebrating the cricket team's recent World Cup victory? Is winning this World Cup trophy truly comparable to past championships? Will the 2024 T20 World Cup victory be remembered like the victories in 1983, 2007, and 2011? The answer is a resounding no!
When Dhoni lifted the 2007 T20 trophy, India celebrated wholeheartedly! After the victory in 1983, India held onto hope for every World Cup, hosted every 4 years. In 2003, India failed at the final step, making the wait for the 2007 T20 title even sweeter. Many young cricketers turned into overnight stars after the victory. Each cricketer will always be remembered for that win, including Joginder Sharma who bowled the final over of the last match, even though he played very few matches afterward.
Kapil devils, as well as the 2007 and 2011 teams led by Dhoni, are cherished by Indian cricket fans. However, not many fans can name all 11 players from the 2024 World Cup final without resorting to a Google search. It simply shows the difference!
Have Indians truly grown tired of cricket? It's possible! Perhaps an excess of cricket has caused this. According to statistics, the T20 World Cup final match drew 50 million live views! While this is a substantial number, how does it compare to the viewership of the World Cup final matches in 2011 or 2007?
At that time, many villages struggled with access to satellite dishes and electricity. Now, you can watch with your mobile phone, so the number of viewers is higher. Each view counts for one person today, but in the past, there were 20 to 30 people in front of each TV on average. If we were to consider the real impact of each view, the numbers would be enormous!
The T20 World Cup was hosted almost immediately after the last year’s ODI World Cup, with a long IPL season in between. India's declining interest in cricket, the commercialization of the sport, and money-driven deals are causing disinterest, even in a World Cup win.
The BCCI may not be concerned about this, as it is only focused on making money. There should be a much-needed gap between these events!