‘The threshold for satisfaction has gotten really low’- Former Indian Cricketer joins the ‘hero worship’ debate after India’s World Cup loss
Indian Cricket Team (Source: Twitter)
Several former cricketers have expressed their outrage after India was eliminated from the 20-20 World Cup 2022. The manner of the defeat was equally disappointing, with India displaying no fight while defending a target of 169. With four overs to spare, Jos Buttler and Alex Hales comfortably chased down the target.
Former cricketers are questioning India’s lack of determination in a knockout match. Indian cricketers are among the highest-paid players in the world and earn a lot just by playing a Test match, so why have they never shown any courage when things went wrong?
They’ve been rewarded a lot more for a lot less: Atul Wassan
Former cricketer Atul Wassan hit the nail on the head when he stated that Indian fans have elevated hero worship to the point where players believe they are on top of the world simply by winning a bilateral series. He sounded pessimistic when he said fans would forget and players would move on to the next high.
“The threshold for satisfaction has gotten really low. Despite losing, these players will be superstars. They’ve been rewarded a lot more for a lot less, facile wins. On IPL wins, they have become superstars. If a player performs well in a bilateral series, he is given four contracts. They think that even if they lose the World Cup, nothing is lost. Life goes on,” Wassan said on ABP News.
“All this fame that surrounds an Indian cricketer should be categorised. You need to understand that a lot of this is due to fans and the media. That we praise them so much for trivial achievements in bilateral series, players feel they have achieved everything. We haven’t won one ICC tournament in 9 years. If you pick the top 15 cricket stars in the world, 10 will be Indians – be it in terms of endorsements, name or fame – but without anything. The trophy cabinet is empty at the end of the day,” Wassan added.
