ABSTRACT
Cricket is a mistress that has consumed modern India. It has invaded living rooms and bedrooms, seduced men (and women), dabbled with money that generations of peasants toiling in the rural country side couldn’t even afford to dream about. A sport that was seen as a metaphor of Indian resistance to the British1 or the British dominance of their colonies2-depending on which side of the fence you were-has been transformed into a sport like horseracing. Indian players are either good horses or bad horses in terms of money they generate. Let’s mull over the obvious realities. The game has become bigger than the country, with close to 50 per cent of the national population either engrossed in the game or indirect participants.
