Cricket is a religion in India, a passion in Bangladesh and a fever in Sri lanka which has caused serious headache for the island nation. For others like England, South Africa and Australia it is just another game and comes lower down the pecking order with football, rugby and hockey occupying higher positions. Ruthless India demolished toothless Sri Lanka by 3-0 margin and it has become history of sorts for Indian team on an overseas series in 85 years of Indian Cricket. There is little room for complacency because Sri Lanka is probably inferior to even minnows Bangladesh. There was a time when West Indies was virtually invincible. Three Ws, Sobers, Rohan Kanhai, Lance Gibbs, Conrad Hunt, Seymour Nurse, Wes Hall et al great players adorned the team. Thereafter, Clive Lloyd, Vivian Richards, Alvin Kallicharran, Malcolm Marshall and Brian Lara held high the supremacy of West Indies cricket. But now it is sunset for West Indies. In Sri Lanka team gone are the days when Arjuna Ranatunga, Mahela Jaywardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Sanath Jayasuriya, Marvan Atapattu and Muttiah Murlitharan all represented and played big role in the Emerald Isles. Today’s Lankan team looks like a fossil of it’s earlier body. West Indies, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are the underdogs in world cricket now. India shall find its match in South Africa, Australia and Pakistan.
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
