CRICKET is all about passion, it is said. In India, cricket, undoubtedly, is the most popular sport with T20 being the most favourite format. However, on the flip side, this also appears to have spawned comments that look as if they are aimed more at cricketers as persons than as sportspersons. May it be the comments about Rohit Sharma or M S Dhoni or Virat Kohli or Ishan Kishan or... the list is growing longer every week. It is alright for the commentators and the veteran cricketers to objectively assess the performance of a cricketer in a match or a series. However, sometimes, even this objective assessment borders on personal criticism. In such cases, the comments appear to be glorified versions of social media trolling.

 

The over-passionate fans often turn trolls on social media platforms if their favourite player or the team does not do well. Since they are fans and not experts, their comments lack depth. But, the same cannot be said of the experts, commentators and veteran cricketers. Several comments are in public domain wherein some player is asked to retire or someone’s performance is labelled as horrible or terrible. Probably, with the growth in the entertainment quotient of T20 events, it has become a norm to make stinging comments so that they are heard in the commotion created around the high-stakes matches. Such a scenario is not going to help the cause of cricket, which is already being spoken about as more commerce-oriented than sportsmanship spirit-oriented. More commerce, more fixtures, more pressure... This is the case today. Clubbed with this pressure, the comments that are more piercing than objective assessment definitely have a bearing on the players concerned.

 

Only the greats of the game with a strong-yet-cool attitude have the ability to pass this psychological toughness test of sorts with flying colours. But, many others get affected. They may even end up making some counter-comments, which only creates controversy. Such players then run the risk of being in the headlines for acerbic comments instead of for stellar performance on the pitch. Well, the answer to this question has to be given by those deeply associated with the game. For, cricket is said to be a gentleman’s game. There is nothing wrong in criticising something that has gone wrong, but it must be done with the best interest of cricket in mind, and not a player in sight. Because, a player -- a batter or a bowler or a wicket-keeper -- is part of the game. Any player’s actions or errors must be viewed from the lens of cricket’s enrichment. Else, the fine line between social media trolling and well-calibrated comments will blur further. In that scenario, even the commentators and veteran cricketers will be viewed by the cricket-lovers as siding with or going against a particular player, and not as guardians of the qualitative richness of the sport that has become a passion.