| Introduction | | | | are able to work under pressure? How many to us |
| Though the National game of India is Hockey but | | | | are able to perform well, when there are high |
| Cricket is craze among Indian public. People follow this | | | | expectations? How many have excelled well, when |
| game like a religion. Many people might not be able to | | | | there is high pressure? I don't think that any of you |
| name the Captain of Indian Hockey Team but they | | | | will give positive reply. So, what was you expecting |
| know the name of a player who is playing his first | | | | from the team with an average age of 27 years, |
| match in cricket. Fortunately or unfortunately, as | | | | when there was pressure of the expectations of 100 |
| Indians are not able to excel any other game except | | | | crore people? Yes, our team failed and surrendered |
| cricket, hence the pressure is more on them to win | | | | to that pressure and stress. |
| almost every possible match. Be it media, any | | | | Role of Media in 2003 World-Cup and Expectations in |
| corporate house, politicians, everybody like to get | | | | this World-Cup of 2007 |
| associated with this game in one form or the other. | | | | Whenever there is a cricket match, involving Indian |
| Again, we are in those days, where life is going to | | | | Team, our NEWS Channels get diet for the day. |
| become standstill. People will take off's from their | | | | They have nothing to do but appraise our players by |
| office. There will be more fights and arguments | | | | sitting in the studio; criticize the performance of |
| between husband and wife for TV. Yes, there will be | | | | some players; go ga-ga over others' performance |
| Cricket World-cup to be held in West Indies in the | | | | and do unwarranted, senseless and illogical |
| first half of this year. Though there will be 16 teams | | | | comparison. That is what happened last time. Some |
| competing in this world-cup, the key contenders for | | | | of sports journalist of leading NEWS Channels , like |
| the world-cup are: Australia, England, West Indies, | | | | Star News, NDTV, Aajtak et al, went to the houses |
| NewZeland, Pakistan, India, Westindies, South Africa, | | | | of team players...interacted with their family |
| Bangladesh, Zimbabwe. | | | | members; brought Astrologists, Numerologist and all |
| Squad and Team for this World-cup | | | | such people to their studios and they did nothing, |
| My Squad for Cricket World-Cup 2007, | | | | other than building the pressure on the team. Those |
| 1) Sachin Tendulkar | | | | channels are just interested in their TRP rates and |
| 2) Sourav Ganguly | | | | nothing, just nothing else. What happened after |
| 3) Gautam Gambhir | | | | that...the Team India failed to cross the final hurdle. |
| 4) Rahul Dravid | | | | When our team reached the final, people back at |
| 5) Yuvraj Singh | | | | home, started celebrations before even watching the |
| 6) Mohd. Kaif | | | | final match. |
| 7) M. S Dhoni | | | | I still remember that evening, all shops were closed. |
| 8) Dinesh Kartick | | | | There were very few vehicles on the road and life |
| 9) Zaheer Khan | | | | was just standstill. |
| 10) Sreesanth | | | | Let's not make those mistakes again. Let's hold |
| 11) Ishant Sharma | | | | ourselves and our celebrations till the last ball is |
| 12) Anil Kumble | | | | bowled. We have very bright chance and one of our |
| 13) Romesh Powar | | | | best chances to win this world-cup. |
| 14) Ajit Agarkar | | | | There is a lot of pressure, when people play in front |
| 15) Robin Uthappa | | | | of so many people. There is an unwanted pressure |
| 16) Virendra Sehwag | | | | when someone represents his or her country at that |
| My playing eleven for any given match (In bating | | | | level. There is a pressure to succeed...to be |
| order) | | | | successful...to win for country. So, my entire Journalist |
| 1) Saurav Ganguly | | | | friends' please, don't build that extra pressure on our |
| 2) Sachin Tendulkar | | | | team, by sitting in studios; don't give our players that |
| 3) MS Dhoni | | | | extra stress and tensions. In other words, please |
| 4) Rahul Dravid | | | | don't do anything that you don't want other's to do |
| 5) Gautam Gambhir | | | | to you. |
| 6) Yuvraj Singh | | | | Even after 60 years of independence, we are still |
| 7) Mohd. Kaif | | | | considered as "Developing Country". We need to do |
| 8) Ajit Agarkar | | | | so many other things. There are so many areas to |
| 9) Zaheer Khan | | | | concentrate on. There is lot to do to come in the |
| 10) S. Sreesanth | | | | category of "Developed Nation". Let's concentrate on |
| 11) Anil Kumble | | | | that. |
| Memories of Last World-Cup | | | | India, a country of 100 crores, is not about some |
| The memories of last world-cup held in South Africa | | | | 5000 odd politicians, some 300 odd movie stars and |
| in 2003, are still fresh in the mind of people and why | | | | some 30 cricketers. India is much more than that. Still, |
| not Indian team reached the final of the cup after a | | | | there are villages where there is no electricity; there |
| gap of 20 years. Though in final, we lost | | | | are areas where there are no healthcare facilities, no |
| comprehensively to Australia. Everybody played to | | | | schools, and no education facilities. There are people |
| the best of the abilities but somehow failed to cross | | | | who stay in slums, footpaths, they don't have |
| the final hurdle. But to whom would you like to blame | | | | enough avenues to earn as much to eat thrice in a |
| for that? We don't have to blame any external | | | | day. Let's concentrate on that. Let's bring the |
| factor, not even our team but only "we, the people | | | | attention of powerful and influential people to such |
| of India" and to very large extent...our Visual Media. | | | | matters. |
| Among the readers of this article, how many of us | | | | |