Watching a cricket match on TV is not just sitting back, with some junk food by the side, counting runs, overs and wickets [not calories either!]. Cricket is for enjoyment of both the player and the beholder. In my opinion, this element of enjoyment will be missed if we take sides while watching. It would not have been cricket if Tendulkar scored a century each time he walked out to bat, or if Anil Kumble took a wicket with every ball he bowled, or India won each and every game! This is what the fanatics foolishly expect. Siding makes one tense esp., if the favoured team does badly. I know some friends who stay away from the TV when India is playing, just for that reason! "Result-in-favour-of-India-oriented" watching is no fun. It is here people miss the wonderful nuances of this great game. We must learn to recognize and appreciate the finer points of good cricket, be it from any team. That can be more pleasurable than mere statistics. Patriotism should not be taken too far while watching a cricket match. We must always keep in mind that Cricket is a hard-fought game played between two teams and the winner is always the one who performs better than the other on that day. So much involved are many, that they watch the game as if they are commanding the actions on far away grounds! One has to experience the enjoyment of watching cricket sans siding! Foolish things and brilliant acts happen and no body knows when they are coming by! After all, not for nothing, cricket is a game of glorious uncertainties.
