To be sure, I have been sporting a lottery
winner’s smile this past week. Occasionally, despite being myself. And
no, it’s got nothing to with the fed rate cut. The closest it gets to
that eye wash is that it is in both cases reforms at its incredible
best. While the former is a false placebo that can last only so long,
my smile is thanks to cricket again having a lot going for it.



For those of us who like our bread buttered on both sides, for those
who want all the bells and whistles, Twenty20 is as magical, enchanting
and personalized a gift from heaven as you would see in light years
ahead. It is a magic potion which has – for all intents and purposes –
contemporized the game, with much of its roots intact. For what its
worth it’s got a little bit of irreverence and contempt as well .Much
more importantly, it seems appropriate.




Oh, yes, the purists, I can hear them. While it is not for me to
deride that entire lot –purist, critics, conformists – all self styled,
a general rule of the thumb should suffice. What is it that they say
about how the illiterates in the 21st century will not be the ones who
cannot read and write but those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn?
Folks, there is still time- you can do a volte-face and get away with
it. Honestly, not only have the arguments outlived their utility, they
have overstayed their welcome.




In all probability, there is one serious compromise. There is less
premium on consistency. (How many times do we see a lesser side doing
well uptil the first 20 overs and then losing its way? How many times
do we see a better side in a hole in the first 20 and then pulling
itself out of it? )




Its Christmas time for the former. Its God Sent. The playing field has
been *flattened*. It’s not for nothing that we scream that cricket is a
great * leveler*




And now, the raison d’etre of this piece. What is it that makes Twenty20 a tremendous tour de force? Three things.





One, because it well and truly drives home the point that boundaries
exist only in your mind. And to me, that’s the biggest take away. You
could be forgiven for thinking that the ropes were brought in, warts et
al. But much like a bumble bee – which, aerodynamically speaking cannot
fly because of its weight- which flies because it doesn’t know what it
cannot do, our boundaries are defined only by us, and more
significantly exist ONLY in our minds. Twenty20 reiterates that
philosophy in style 




Oh, sure, there are instances galore where the aforementioned
theory might not work, but to entertain and internalize such a thought
can do fantastic things to our hearts and minds.




Therefore, my first prognosis. In the next twelve months we will
see five- ten more scores of 400+. Period. And that would be as much a
validation of the theory proposed as it would be the game coming a full
circle.




The second is at a personal level the most gratifying. For a very
long time, I have cringed, -indeed, grimaced with a puckered brow- upon
team fanatics and jingoists masquerading as *lovers* of the game. The
kind who would trade tough, intense, passionate cricket only to see a
particular team win. Simply put the ones who still think Bangladesh
beating India in the world cup was an UPSET. 


(Whoa! Did I just open a can of worms? Do I need to get a life? )




This prognosis can end up me with the foot in the mouth, but for
its worth, this format will herald the home coming of the true blue
cricket lover, who is team neutral. Who will enjoy the game for what it
is. Perhaps, one would still root for a team, but invariably a
significant percentage of these matches will run so close, that at
sometime in the future, the result will stop to matter as far as us
watching the match is concerned. Imagine, perfecting the process, and
making the result irrelevant. In an imperfect world, that’s as good as
it gets.




Three, T20 reiterates the philosophy of living in the moment. Every
heartbeat of the game is a universe of possibilities. Its carte blanche
and instant gratification. Its adrenalin topped with dollops of eye
candy. Reality shows, Whodunits, and the like will get a serious run
for their money because twenty20 is high on drama. Every last bit of
it. Except of course its unplanned, impromptu – it’s irrelevant but I
had to put this down here - as against the kind where drama becomes the
primary motive and the activity incidental




The one factor that has made the difference is surprise, surprise;
the cricketers themselves have taken it seriously – else, the format
seriously ran the risk of being an exhibition tournament.



Of course there is the small matter of it being a marriage made in
heaven for marketers and television companies alike. I can almost
imagine a case study being made out of this where it’s a win win win
situation – exception you might say- but that takes nothing away from
the fact that it’s great bang for the buck.




The simple fact of the matter is that the game has changed.
Fundamentally. At its very DNA. Be rest assured, I can see myself
saying a decade down the line – * I was there when it
happened*.Perhaps, years down, we will look at T20 in general and this
tournament in particular as the moment of truth for the game. It’s a
potential masterstroke in that the game can now seriously get a global
platform. Imagine cricket being part of Olympics-well, one can finish a
T20 worldcup in a fortnight.




The big caveat of course is that we seriously run the risk of the
*Wham bham, thank you ma’am* syndrome afflicting the game. Honestly, it
stops being a game there, much less a contest. It becomes an
exhibition; of I dare say, batting which kills the soul of the game..
So long as the emphasis remains on the game being a contest between the
bat and the ball, more power to the game.







While the jury is still out, (Sitting on the fence somewhere ehh? 
)Twenty 20 is twenty years ahead, not in concept, but in application. Imagine, yesterday, they were beating a path to get to
our living rooms. Today, they have us eating out of their palms. It was
something that was waiting to happen. It’s truly a piece de resistance.
It signals the renaissance of cricket. Ame