Sachin Tendulkar has perhaps said what cricket writers, including the author of this piece, have been saying all along. Throw the doors open and let in the children and let them develop the taste and pleasure of Test match cricket.
For long, it has been a rather painful sight to watch empty stands with such good display of Test on offer. Whether it is the ticket pricing or the timing, it has meant that many have missed the opportunity to watch the game up, close and personal and develop the interest in those impressionable years.
As a wide eyed kid, every result is a fascination, the journey of how the Test unfolds a revelation and the pure happiness, ecstasy of having been a part of a great game is unmatched. It stays for the rest of one’s life which is perhaps why India’s grand maestro is once again urging the people in charge to take note of the youth who could one day lead the way for the sport.
Tendulkar was heard telling people of the media at his felicitation ceremony organized in Mumbai, “My suggestion is that a couple of stands in the stadium should be thrown open, absolutely free, to the school and college students on Saturday and Sunday. It is very important for them to get a feel of Test cricket. Their first memories of Test cricket will stay with them for the rest of their lives. Gradually, they will begin to appreciate the nuances of Test cricket. We have to focus on the next generation that has been exposed to one-day and Twenty20 cricket.”
Indeed in the days of fast food and Twenty20, the only way kids will also learn to appreciate Test cricket is when they are allowed to be a part of it.
