Barrel Strength

Short shrift is given to youngsters in Asian culture and that is one of the factors which has inhibited the development there in all spheres, including scientific, cultural and economic. That is why one sees leaders of China and India, who would feel more comfortable in a nursing home than the world stage. But here is a meme to watch.

To say that cricket is widely followed in India would be a understatement. It is more akin to religion, and moves of cricket players on the national team are closely followed. Think of coverage accorded to David Beckham and multiply that several times. The captain of the Indian One-Day International (ODI) team, Mr. Mahendra Singh Dhoni, has constantly emphasized youth when selecting the team. The triumph of this team over Australia, widely acknowledged as the best cricket team in the world, by a margin of two games to none in CB Series in Australia vindicated his approach. This fact was driven home when “Just moments after what was arguably his finest hour, Mahendra Singh Dhoni made a poignant and deeply symbolic gesture. ‘Sabse chota kaun hai?‘ (Who’s the youngest?) he asked when the team assembled on the podium to pose with the CB Series trophy. Nothing could have summed up India’s triumph better, underpinning the value of the untried and untested. The sight of little Piyush Chawla, the youngest member, holding the trophy aloft captured the theme of the series.”

Given the God-like status according to cricketers in India, this cultural meme and its evolution should be interesting to watch.