Why Virat Needs To Play Cricket Again Very Soon Amid COVID-19 Threat Not Seeming To Wean Away

Sport is now a parallel economy in India, and it’s high time everyone realizes there’s more to it than just plain entertainment or passion. In fact, India is now the largest and most varied sports economy in the world.

Photo: AFP

New Delhi: In the modern era, this term has extra connotations; Sport is now a career -- a lucrative profession now branching out on various platforms. Sport is now a parallel economy.

However, in the Covid-19 era, when priorities are set elsewhere, sport is considered a luxury, a non-prioritized event or even a vice, especially when it comes to IPL. Little wonder why IOA president Narindra Batra is met with both cynicism and skepticism when he just emails his federations to prepare a white paper on road to resumption! Batra has also been pressing for his athletes to return to training, and rightly so, with the subsequent ease of lockdown as a first step forward. But cricketers or the BCCI are forbidden to even think of any such scenario of resumption. After all, how can anyone even think about holding IPL!

But why not?

Yes, Virat Kohli and MS Dhoni are billionaires, while others in Team India are just millionaires. Yes, BCCI is worth 11,000 crores while IPL has India’s wealthiest invest and gets dividends to the tune of 3000+ crores in just 4 weeks. On the face of this pandemic, when lakhs have lost their jobs, economy has taken a hit, the biggest question is how can they indulge in sport, and get even extra wealthy? And besides, there’s the issue of social distancing and precautions to take as we all learn to live with the virus.

It’s important to take a cue from the rest of the world. Angela Merkel has given Bundeliga priority and given a go ahead to start from May 15. Cristiano Ronaldo has been asked to return to Turin and return to training.

Cricket Australia has asked for special considerations, and even promised by their prime minister to accede, to stage the T20 World Cup and India’s tour to Australia, England is contemplating a July return to EPL and Test cricket. None of these countries --- Germany, Italy, Australia or England have won their complete battle with Corona, yet they have given permission for the sport to run.

Sport is now a parallel economy in India, and it’s high time everyone realizes there’s more to it than just plain entertainment or passion. In fact, India is now the largest and most varied sports economy in the world. Entire world cricket is run from Mumbai while all sports federations are making exceptions to give India staging rights for mega tournaments and giving permissions for franchise leagues to boom in the country.

Agreed, sport may not be the same anymore in the face of Covid but it should be able to coexist and adjust in the quickest possible manner. IPL just doesn’t add to the coffers of BCCI, it gives employment options to the hospitality sector, aviation sector, media, broadcast, public relations, catering, ground operations, advertising, state government and many more allied sectors. A financial institution submits that the IPL is worth 10,000 crores for the economy in total.

If India is looking to limp back, sport is a great healer, purely by its economic potential of generating revenue and employment opportunities. And surely, however grotesque it may seem, resumption of sport is far better and healthier than throwing open liquor shops and providing home delivery in face of the pandemic.

Rs  190+ crores of revenue for Karnataka government in just one day by liquor has made everyone stand up and take notice. Sport has similar potential, with no flipside on health to contribute. And if indeed, the sports economy has taken a hit in this economic depression, then sport too deserves an equal chance to resurrect when everyone else is also picking up the pieces.

That’s what Angela Merkel, Scott Morrison and Boris Johnson have realized. High time, we stop vilifying our sports federations and cricketers for requesting to reboot.