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 f cricket had its tune, it could be more popular in India than the National Anthem. Cricket runs in the blood of Indians as it transcends every barrier of
region, religion, caste, language, class and age. Such is the homogenous appeal of
this game in India that even a highly remote place that could be termed as
Timbuktu of India is well versed in cricket terminologies! Terms like off side, wide ball, LBW and silly point are so easily used in places where even words like
soccer could be alien. So what if India Vs Zimbabwe becomes India Vs Zimbavbey or India Vs Gymbombay! In a country like India where even electric power and telephones havent reached every home,
Sachin Tendulkar and Anil Kumble have absolute reach. No wonder then that these players are seen endorsing everything from toothpastes to cars.
 In India, cricket is not just a game its a serious sport. Practice sessions and tournaments are integral to every team be it a registered district team or a local
gali-muhalla team. The greatness of a game is judged by the number
of its spectators. India's spectators make cricket a truly spectacular
sport. They watch even a local kids match quite enthusiastically. And if you find a huge crowd gathered in front a shop in the bazaar it is not a mishap, it simply means that the shop has a television and a cricket match is being shown live. If its an India-Pakistan match then everything comes to a standstill, streets bear a deserted look and bets are heavy. Stadiums bear a carnival look; trumpets, caps, snacks, hooting, all goes on.
It is not only Indians who do this. Enthusiastic cricket lovers from all over the world come as spectators, keep track of the series and move along to whichever Indian city the match moves on.
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