When obsession knows no bounds

Heartbroken as a distraught Rohit Sharma walked out of the field after conceding a sixwicket defeat at the hands of a robust Australian side at Ahmedabadrsquos Motera a 32yearold cricket loyalist breathed his last due to cardiac arrestJyothi Kumar Yadav a software engineer by profession collapsed watching Indiarsquos failed attempt to win a third World Cup title on Sunday Yadav a resident of Durgasamudram in Tirupati was ecstatic when the Men in Blue resurrected their inning and scalped the wickets of David Warner and Mitchell Marsh early but was driven by despair as Australia tightened their grip on the encounter Despite the best efforts of the medical team at SVIMS Hospital Yadav was declared dead on arrivalAlso ReadThe best and worsts of World Cup 2023Another fan hailing from West Bengalrsquos Bankura district reportedly died by suicide after being unable to cope with the lossResentment has its genesis in hope and violence in betrayal A wise man once said if you let the game into your heart it will show you highs and lows you never thought possible Perhaps more lows than highsHowever in all conscience Indian fans have enough reasons to be cut up with the sportrsquos apparent indifference to justice Sharmarsquos comrades were undoubtedly one of the favourites to lift the crown Not to mention statistics suggested host countries have emerged as winners in the past three editions naturally India had a competitive advantageMoreover no team has been as successful in the league phase as India who have won all nine matches to finish atop the points table with a striking Net Run Rate NRR of 2570 But the consistency meant little as the side put up a regrettable batting display on Sunday afternoon amid the deafening clamour and confusion at the Narendra Modi StadiumDesperate to make up for years of bigmatch heartbreaks and equipped with one of the strongest lineups in their history India were surprisingly no match for the highpowered Aussies Stunned and numbed many refused to leave their seats while others used the national flag they had wrapped around themselves to wipe away their tearsldquoCricket is a matter of life and death for some My boys had requested a dayrsquos holiday to recover from the World Cup defeat For some of them who have come from the rural belts of Maharashtra life starts and ends at cricket And the Indian players they see on screen are idolised as gods so it is easy to lose motivation at times As their coach it is my responsibility to keep their emotions in checkrdquo Narendra Kumar Pitale told MidDay while overseeing a net practice at Oval MaidanAlso ReadCheers to tearsIndia touted as the favourite could do little to restrain Australiarsquos plan of action on Sunday unable to win over the cruel lash of fate in the end More often than not the side has ended up bearing a mark of that lash India have not won an ICC title since the 2013 Champions Trophy a wound so deep that the cry of pain echoes in the annals of the sports greatest catastrophesCricket has been often hailed as a glorious game of uncertainty and it is the same uncertainty that charms minds into watching it over and over again This uncertainty the lack of awareness about what could happen in the next minute is one of the routes through which emotions come flooding in before one knowsIt is then perhaps no secret that fans like to place their favourite cricketers on a pedestal attributing to them a godly status As they idolise to an extreme they submit themselves completely and reason takes a back seatldquoIs it fandom No this is madness I agree that it could be tough for some to recover from the disappointment of something they had dreamt of but ending your own life means you are just going way beyond the limit I always tell my son that never let cricket be your life it should be seen as a part of onersquos life thatrsquos itrdquo explained Dr Ruchita Jain a Mumbaibased surgeonldquoI think it is fun if you are a genuine cricket lover Cricket is a nice distraction from your everyday life But mind you if the same thing becomes a cause of destroying your peace of mind and starts affecting you personally whatrsquos the pointrdquo added JainHowever despite the countless turmoil fans have faced in times of crises Indian cricket and its fans have come full circle on a rollercoaster ride overflowing with emotions sometimes ecstasy in victories or turbulence in heartbreaks Come what may the perpetual journey remains unaffected