Hyderabad/ Bengaluru, Aug. 6: Adam Gilchrist’s idea of introducing Twenty20 cricket at the Olympics has evoked mixed response from non-cricketing sportspersons who have competed at the world’s biggest sporting theatre.
Some were all out for bats and balls at the Olympics, others were guarded in their comment while some at least one was dead against it.
Tennis ace Sania Mirza threw her weight behind Gilchrist. “I love cricket in any format and I think it’s a great idea to include the Twenty20 version in the Olympics. But why wait till 2020? They could start in 2012 in England, the country that taught the world the game of cricket,” she volleyed.
Bronze medal winner at the 2000 Games in Sydney, Karnam Malleswari said cricket at the Olympics would enhance India’s medal prospects. “It would be great if cricket can make it to the Olympics. Our country being one of the powerhouses in the game, we can at least be assured of a medal that will make us all happy,” she said.
“Moreover, it would be good for sport if the game spreads to different parts of the globe. I’d love to see cricket being played at the Olympics,” Malleswari added.
Athlete Ashwini Nachappa, who competed at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, too welcomed the idea. “Any sport is welcome to be a part of the sporting extravaganza. But I guess the trouble lies with fact that not many countries play cricket. That may be a hurdle for cricket in the Olympics,” she said.
Swimmer Shika Tandon was guarded. “One way of looking at it is it will help globalise cricket. Apart from India only a handful of countries play cricket, whereas a sport like swimming is popular in about 200 countries. It will be a good move in the direction of popularising cricket. But you never know how feasible it is considering there is a restriction on the number of sports at the Games. In India it will definitely overshadow other sports. Most people would watch Olympics mainly because of cricket,” Shikha, who represented India at the 2004 Athens Olympics, said.
However, three-time Olympian and former Indian hockey captain Mukesh Kumar was averse to the idea. He felt Olympics was an entirely different ball game. “The idea (of cricket at multi-sport events) has been tried and tested with negative results mainly because of lack of commitment from the players,” he said.
“Cricketers are professionals and are money-minded. They would lose crores if they play at the Olympics. Besides, they will have to be goaded to give their best at such events
where there is no prize money as well as, I suppose, match fee,” Mukesh said.
“The country’s top sports administrators have told me that the cricketers just did not perform to their potential at the 1998 Commonwealth Games,” Mukesh went on