IN A NATION OBSESSED with baseball, basketball and American football, cricket has been like a stepchild, a non-starter, a mere question, "What is that?" While South Asians are one of the fastest growing segments of the American population, and there are many players from former Commonwealth countries, is the sport catching on with the mainstream?
Some white commentators in the media have written about attending the World Cup matches and they have marvelled about the carnival atmosphere, the lively music and the fact that the concession stands offer chicken tikka masala and samosas along with the standard hot dogs and popcorn. But, when it comes to finding avid white fans-or fans of any colour-who are besotted with cricket or play as a pro, it is like hunting for a needle in a haystack.
Bernard Bercik, a 16-year-old cricketer, has actually left his country in search of greener pastures. A true-blue American, he left because he was not getting anywhere in his quest. He has actually done a reverse American Dream migration to the Netherlands, where he plays for The Royal Den Haag cricket club.
Bernard is of Hungarian and Irish descent; his father was a colonel in the US army once deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. His mother worked with the US navy. There is no cricket heritage in the family. "My father has never picked up a bat," says Bernard. "My mom has never picked up a bat. They did not even know what cricket was. They just cared about what their son cared about. They were willing to do anything to make me happy."
Denne historien er fra July 07, 2024-utgaven av THE WEEK India.
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Denne historien er fra July 07, 2024-utgaven av THE WEEK India.
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Chase For The Mace
The next three years throw up a gamut of challenges for Indian cricket; winning the World Test Championship is the most important
Two-horse race
Can the NC-Congress alliance reshape the future of Jammu and Kashmir?
Man-eaters don't spare women
Critics say Narendra Modi’s decade-long rule has been one of jobless growth. Factories produced more, companies earned more, owners profited more, the government earned more; but fewer hands were hired, or those who were hired got work for fewer days. Putting the last two together, economists said the Indian economy generated fewer ‘man-days’.
Decolonising the mindset
The vision of a Viksit Bharat hinges on India T breaking from the shackles of a colonial mindset and embodying the freedom of being unapologetically Indian. The laws of any nation are the cornerstone of its growth. The legal system offers the stability and adaptability essential for a country to thrive. The laws must be simple to understand and specific in their consequence.
The making of India's Mr Difficult Words
When my publishers at Aleph invited me to put together a book on words and language, I hesitated for a brief moment.
Couture's creepy corridors
If one is spending a summer in New York, any summer in New York, an absolute must-do is to spend an afternoon at the city’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, on the edge of Central Park, just gawking in gobsmacked awe at the annual fashion exhibition the museum’s Costume Institute puts together.
Stree 2 has given us hope
The unprecedented success of Stree 2 is the best news we have had in the recent times and with an unabashedly feminist agenda, has comprehensively out-performed Sandeep Reddy Vanga's toxic masculine star-studded Animal at the box office is (to me, at least) kind of the cinematic equivalent of Awadhesh Prasad winning Ayodhya-it redeems my faith in the inherent decency of Indians.
BRANDS BEYOND RAMPS
Whether through carpets, fragrances or home interiors, Indian couturiers are defying their own limits
RESERVOIR OF WORRIES
India has a robust dam management systém on paper, but inadequate maintenance and climate change pose serious threats
INTER-STATE ISSUES HAVE NO EFFECT ON DAM SAFETY
INTERVIEW: KUSHVINDER VOHRA INTERVIEW Chairman, Central Water Commission
