What do non-Indian fans think about India?

[longranger]

This is inspired by Jonathan Agnew's recent Twitter post where he asked English fans whether they would support Australia or India in a match containing the two. My rough counting saw the English responders at 5-5, which made me think, what do non-Indian fans think about India?

Specifically,
- What do you think about India's cricket pedigree?
- Do you dislike the 'bullying' done by BCCI?
- Do you think it is justified for India to have such a sway over world cricket?
- Do you think India's importance in the cricket world will keep increasing?
- What teams would you support vs India (apart from your own)? What teams would you support India against?
- Finally, do you ever expect India's obsession with cricket to drift?

Obviously, specify which country you support and try and estimate how nationalistic you are when you watch the sport.

 

[Adders]

Dire thread. Not sure what you hope to achieve here but I can see no good coming from this topic whatsoever.

 

[mr_mister]

I love their fan's passion for the game, their crowds are electric


but I hate Kohli's smug face

 

[HeathDavisSpeed]

I would pretty much support any team over India, apart from perhaps Australia.

Mainly because of the BCCI's attitude over the years and the kind of an eye-for-an-eye thinking which has pervaded their decision making.

I'm also more of a fan of bowling than batting, particularly seam bowling and India have barely had a seam bowler worth mentioning in my lifetime. I mean, Srinath and Zaheer were decent, but they seem to have been the exception rather than the rule. Perhaps this thinking doesn't extend to individual players though; I can only think of Harbhajan and Raina of the Indian team that I actually dislike.

 

[longranger]

I would pretty much support any team over India, apart from perhaps Australia.

Mainly because of the BCCI's attitude over the years and the kind of an eye-for-an-eye thinking which has pervaded their decision making.

I'm also more of a fan of bowling than batting, particularly seam bowling and India have barely had a seam bowler worth mentioning in my lifetime. I mean, Srinath and Zaheer were decent, but they seem to have been the exception rather than the rule. Perhaps this thinking doesn't extend to individual players though; I can only think of Harbhajan and Raina of the Indian team that I actually dislike.

Yeah, I expected this rationale from an English cricket fan. Obviously disliking Australia more (because of the rivalry), but would probably support any other team over India.

I can understand why a number of fans would dislike the BCCI - it certainly doesn't give the impression it cares much about the sport as a whole. Also, I agree that India has produced abysmal fast bowlers. You can count the good ones on one hand.

 

[Prince EWS]

Specifically,
- What do you think about India's cricket pedigree?
- Do you dislike the 'bullying' done by BCCI?
- Do you think it is justified for India to have such a sway over world cricket?
- Do you think India's importance in the cricket world will keep increasing?
- What teams would you support vs India (apart from your own)? What teams would you support India against?
- Finally, do you ever expect India's obsession with cricket to drift?

1. I'm not sure I agree that 'cricket pedigree' in that sense is actually a thing.
2. Yes.
3. No.
4. Short-term yes; medium-term no.
5. I usually remain pretty neutral on match results these days unless I've bet on them; I tend to support individual players instead. I do enjoy cheering on teams from outside the top eight though.
(it should be noted that my answers to all the questions here would be the same if you subbed in 'England' or 'Australia' for 'India').
6. Ever? Yeah, probably. I don't expect it to happen in my lifetime though.

 

[Burgey]

This is inspired by Jonathan Agnew's recent Twitter post where he asked English fans whether they would support Australia or India in a match containing the two. My rough counting saw the English responders at 5-5, which made me think, what do non-Indian fans think about India?

Specifically,
- What do you think about India's cricket pedigree?
- Do you dislike the 'bullying' done by BCCI?
- Do you think it is justified for India to have such a sway over world cricket?
- Do you think India's importance in the cricket world will keep increasing?
- What teams would you support vs India (apart from your own)? What teams would you support India against?
- Finally, do you ever expect India's obsession with cricket to drift?

Obviously, specify which country you support and try and estimate how nationalistic you are when you watch the sport.

Hi longranger.

This is a great thread. I'll tell you exactly what I think, since you've asked. FTR, I am from Australia and support Australia reasonably passionately but can happily admit when they're outplayed.

Cricketing Pedigree: Appalling, second rate and ultimately a joke away from home. Always have been, always will be. It's a pedigree built upon the whinging of the likes of Gavaskar and Kumble and which evolved into the match fixing culture of the likes of Azhar, the selective deafness of Tendulkar and the illegal bookies who are the cold, black heart of match fixing in world cricket.

BCCI bullying: Meh. They're part of the pedigree. It's to be expected.

Sway over world cricket: The most disturbing part of the so called "sway" India has over world cricket is that it's led to thousands of numpties on here rating players on whether or not they've succeeded on the subcontinent in general and India in particular, when subcontinental teams and players do so poorly everywhere else. For some reason that doesn't seem to matter. Anyway, it is what it is. I won't rate India and Pakistan until they win a test series here, and I won't rate Sri Lanka until they perform a miracle and actually win one test here (shouldn't be that big an ask over 30 years or so, but apparently it is). I haven't considered Bangladesh, because I cbf as they're no good anywhere.

Importance: The importance is purely financial, so yeah it may well be the case. As for influence on the way the game is played, probably not. They haven't influenced the way cricket is played yet, so I can't see it happening in the foreseeable future.

Other teams: I'd support any other team against India, even England. That wasn't have been the case until the Sydney 08 Test, but the way Kumble, Tendulkar and Harbhajan in particular carried on was diabolical and neatly encapsulated the whole "woe is us" attitude which India has forever had on the road and which sums up why they're so **** away from home. Having said that, I would want Dravid to make a ton all the time. Love that bloke.

Obsession: I don't expect India's obsession with cricket to drift, and I hope it doesn't. It's a great game and it's good to have so populous a nation collectively love it, even if the effect of that love has been widespread corruption, match-fixing and an inability to deal with short pitched bowling together with over reliance on the effeminate art of spin bowling.

Aside from all that, I think India has made a massive contribution to cricket, and if I ever have to choose between watching a game in South Sudan or one in Kolkata, I'd have to think really hard about it before choosing the former.

 

[Kirkut]

Justify bullying.

EDIT : Cricket was promoted from a shepherd's pass time to a professional sport for serving gambling interests. If BCCI makes decisions prioritising it's monetary pursuits, then it shouldn't be labelled as 'bullying' since there is no sport in the world where the so called 'spirit of the game' comes before money.

 

[Gnske]

- What do you think about India's cricket pedigree?
It's the jewel of humanity
- Do you dislike the 'bullying' done by BCCI?
No, the weak must be destroyed
- Do you think it is justified for India to have such a sway over world cricket?
Yes
- Do you think India's importance in the cricket world will keep increasing?
I hope so
- What teams would you support vs India (apart from your own)? What teams would you support India against?
None, especially when they aren't endorsed by Pepsi
- Finally, do you ever expect India's obsession with cricket to drift?
Not unless there's a plumbing revolution in India

 

[duffer]

Heh, hook,line and sinker for some of you guys.

 

[Black_Warrior]

This is inspired by Jonathan Agnew's recent Twitter post where he asked English fans whether they would support Australia or India in a match containing the two. My rough counting saw the English responders at 5-5, which made me think, what do non-Indian fans think about India?

Specifically,
- What do you think about India's cricket pedigree?
- Do you dislike the 'bullying' done by BCCI?
- Do you think it is justified for India to have such a sway over world cricket?
- Do you think India's importance in the cricket world will keep increasing?
- What teams would you support vs India (apart from your own)? What teams would you support India against?
- Finally, do you ever expect India's obsession with cricket to drift?

Obviously, specify which country you support and try and estimate how nationalistic you are when you watch the sport.

I think this can be a very good thread because BCCI and India is a topic that seeps into other conversations about Big 3 and ICC and chucking and other conspiracy theories but never directly. However, shots have been fired already and it might be a matter of time before an ultra nationalist bites Burgey's bait.


What do you think about India's cricket pedigree?

I think this can be quite subjective and different people will understand it differently. For me India's cricketing culture and history is great, very exciting, that has given the world some of the greatest and most technically sound batsmen. They have managed to add a lot to the game, and cricket would be considerably a lesser sport without Indian contribution.


- Do you dislike the 'bullying' done by BCCI?
I don't think anyone can possibly make a legitimate argument for bullying.

- Do you think it is justified for India to have such a sway over world cricket?
I think India's sway over world cricket inevitable. There is no point complaining about the inevitable. India has respected and valued this sport in a way that was unprecedented. Having said that, it's how you use that influence which people like/dislike. I think BCCI as a governing body has mostly used that for short term gains and bully others. At the same time, the IPL has provided the cricketing world a great many things 1) Cricketers earnings increasing ten fold and I am always in favour of cricketers earning more 2) The coming together of most of the best talents in the world and competing at a high class tournament has greatly helped the game in various ways - innovation, honing of strategies and skills, and individual players growing. Just the influx of money and attention has been great for cricket.
So, in short, given that this is inevitable, BCCI can use it to really lead the way in a positive way instead of just looking after short term gains. I wish it would take a more long term approach and realize that there can be other intense rivalries in cricket besides India-England and India-Australia. I really liked the words of current BCCI boss Shashank Manohar on this " If you do not have a fierce competition, the broadcasters are not going to pay you and the sponsors are not going to sponsor your events. So whatever you generate through bilateral series is because there are good teams playing against you. If all teams are of the standards of the low placed ninth and tenth team and India is a good side, who is going to pay you; what interest would be left with the spectators to watch a game, if it's a one-sided game always. So if you reduce their corpus, their development is going to be hampered and ICC has to think from that point of view."


- Do you think India's importance in the cricket world will keep increasing?
There is a way that the sport captures the imagination of a mass population in the subcontinent which you can only dream of in Australia or England. I don't see that ending in my lifetime.

- What teams would you support vs India (apart from your own)? What teams would you support India against?
This for me is not very rigid, as I find my support changing quite a bit depending on the situations. As a general rule, given the vast amount of home advantage a home team gets and how much that has an influence on the performance and results, I almost always go for the away side. So if India is playing in England, I will go for India, if the other way around, I will go for England. Having said that, I find that changing at times given the circumstances. For example recently when South Africa were getting pumelled at home against England, I found myself rooting for South Africa as they had become the underdog in their home series.
I also have the greatest admiration for MS Dhoni the cricketer, so in general I like to see the team doing well under him.

- Finally, do you ever expect India's obsession with cricket to drift?
As I answered earlier, I don't see this happening in my lifetime. Anything beyond that is futile to predict.

 

[harsh.ag]

Mother of god you ****ers

 

[honestbharani]

Just knew the thread was an invitation for a pathetic (aka) classic Burgey whinge..

 

[Neil Young]

Unfortunately the BCCI and their autocratic ways means I am no fan of Indian cricket. I love the passion of the fans, I love the country itself and I like the players.

But, because of the stance of their board, I am never unhappy to see them lose.

 

[Pratters]

Was difficult to feel excited about the Indian team 2012-2015. Only after Kohli has come, we are seeing passion again. There was far too much soreness during Srinavasan's time. India's power will continue to rise but we can see better management of cricket. Cricket cannot always be at the heart of administrators but what we saw during the Srinavasan era, haven't seen the likes before.

 

[TheJediBrah]

This is inspired by Jonathan Agnew's recent Twitter post where he asked English fans whether they would support Australia or India in a match containing the two. My rough counting saw the English responders at 5-5, which made me think, what do non-Indian fans think about India?

Specifically,
- What do you think about India's cricket pedigree?

not really sure what you're asking at all

- Do you dislike the 'bullying' done by BCCI?

no real problem with it IMO, people exaggerate it also

- Do you think it is justified for India to have such a sway over world cricket?

yes, when you generate a majority of revenue you deserve to have a majority of sway

- Do you think India's importance in the cricket world will keep increasing?

depends what you mean by importance

- What teams would you support vs India (apart from your own)?

all of them tbh, unless India winning would help my team in rankings/tournament, or they get some likeable players

- Finally, do you ever expect India's obsession with cricket to drift?

not in the near future

answers in bold

 

[longranger]

Good to see the thread getting so many good responses after some initial wind-up comments / trolls. To the trolls, I'd say that I intended this to be a discussion about the long term implication of how this sport is linked to one country. Feel free to have a laugh and post your comments, but it would be great if you could also give your thoughts on the matter.

I think Black_Warrior summed it up best that BCCI and India always seeps into other threads but isn't often looked at directly. I just felt it would be an interesting exercise to see how people actually feel about their position, and perhaps their worries (if any).

To clarify, on my Qs:
- For Pedigree, I was looking at the angle of how England and Australia are always showered with praise as 'proper' teams. The West Indies team of old also deservedly gets good mentions. India, on the other hand, has been around but has a pretty average overall Test record. Away performances of the team as a whole have been pretty pathetic, and the team would have been downright laughable if they hadn't been able to construct a relative fortress at home. So overall, I was wondering whether non-Indian fans think India (on a cricket history) past can be ranked alongside England / Australia / West Indies, or perhaps belongs to a 'second tier' of South Africa / New Zealand / Pakistan.
- Obviously, no one likes bullying. My Q wasn't clear in that I wanted to first ask whether you actually believe that the BCCI is a bully. Do try and keep the historic influence of England and Australia in the ICC in mind before answering.
- Self explanatory. Wanted to know if you feel India has been getting it's away in cricket and whether you believe it's justified.
- I wanted to know whether you think the imbalance will increase / decrease / remain steady?
- Self explanatory. Curious to know which the most popular 'second team' would be across nationalities. South Africa?
- 'Ever' is probably too long. I meant 'in the foreseeable future'.

 

[honestbharani]

Was difficult to feel excited about the Indian team 2012-2015. Only after Kohli has come, we are seeing passion again. There was far too much soreness during Srinavasan's time. India's power will continue to rise but we can see better management of cricket. Cricket cannot always be at the heart of administrators but what we saw during the Srinavasan era, haven't seen the likes before.

FFS.. grow up.. The team was even more pathetic away from home and it had match fixers thriving under Dalmiya... What an idiotic post. The team and its performances have had literally nothing to do with Srinivasan and the administration.

 

[Gob]

answers in bold

look who is back babeh

As for the thread and assuming that this is about their cricket team, i find them extremely boring (except Kohli of course) . Cbf to go through all questions

 

[Black_Warrior]

Other teams: I'd support any other team against India, even England. That wasn't have been the case until the Sydney 08 Test, but the way Kumble, Tendulkar and Harbhajan in particular carried on was diabolical and neatly encapsulated the whole "woe is us" attitude which India has forever had on the road and which sums up why they're so **** away from home.

That was the moment of truth mate. The moment when we were told in no uncertain terms, who wore the pants in the relationship

Was difficult to feel excited about the Indian team 2012-2015. Only after Kohli has come, we are seeing passion again. There was far too much soreness during Srinavasan's time. India's power will continue to rise but we can see better management of cricket. Cricket cannot always be at the heart of administrators but what we saw during the Srinavasan era, haven't seen the likes before.

Yepp this 2016 debutant Kohli is something special isn't he.

look who is back babeh

As for the thread and assuming that this is about their cricket team, i find them extremely boring (except Kohli of course) . Cbf to go through all questions

Wow seriously? You find a cricket team other than your own extremely boring? Who would have thought. Boy aren't you a bag full of surprises