The Cup that really matters: Where does India need to win in real?

–Kakali Das |

India has lost against both Pakistan and New Zealand in this T20 World Cup, and qualifying to the next round seems impossible. People on social media have not missed a chance to vent their anger and frustration out. Virat Kohli, after supporting his teammate, Mohammed Shami, received a special treatment from the IT cell. Even his new-born child wasn’t spared. After the loss with New Zealand, the whole Indian team is under the radar of trolls. The players who were worshiped earlier, are now being abused and trolled. But, let’s take a minute and think – If people treated the politicians in the same manner as the cricket team, and tracked the performance of the government, we would have become a superpower by now. Haven’t we? What would have been the scenario if the government was under similar pressure to be the best in the world as the cricket team?

Let’s discuss where India needs to win in real, other than on a cricket pitch.

As we know, the Indian Cricket Team scored less than even the price of petrol against New Zealand. In terms of actual Vikas (progress) too, we are far behind New Zealand. In the Democracy Index released by EIU (Economist Intelligence Unit), India is 53^rd, while New Zealand is 4^th. So, the people in New Zealand are visibly free to express their opinions, and the courts, oppositions, media houses are able to work in freedom, without any interference and surveillance. Democratic institutions, there, are strengthened, unlike us.
Losing to Pakistan is extremely hurtful for India. However, there are things far more serious than a cricket match. In the Hunger Index, our country ranks 101, whereas Pakistan is at 92 out of 163 countries. In this case, neither is the government questioned nor any boycott campaigns are run against it. In fact, as per the government, the ranking itself is flawed.
Narendra Modi ran a slogan of “Make in India” in the year 2014, after he came into power. But nobody here paid any heed to it. Bangladesh, on the other hand, took our slogan seriously and today, it is a textile manufacturing hub in the world. Their per capita income is more than ours and by a large margin. We did not expect that to happen, but it has happened and it’s undeniable. So, we must return to winning ways again.
In India, one can be silenced by UAPA or sedition or jail. If not, one is told to go to Pakistan or Afghanistan. It might be tough even to secure visas for those boycotted Indians. But in Ireland, the Irish can go anywhere in the world even if any of them are boycotted by the country, since their passport is ranked 5^th in the world. As per Henley Passport Index, we are 90^th amongst the 190 countries. The strength of a passport is related to international image and economic strength. Our passport ranking has thus fallen.
The cricket team of Sri Lanka might not be as strong as India now, but in the Human Development Index released by United Nations, Sri Lanka is ahead. The position of Sri Lanka is 72/190, and India is 131/190.
Australia has ruled the cricketing world for decades. Slowly that position has been grabbed by India. But in the Economic Freedom Index, 2021, which measures financial freedom, regulations, etc. we still have a long way to go. Australia has bagged the 3^rd position in the whole world, whereas, India is sitting at 121. So, monopoly or duopoly won’t take our rank higher or make us a global leader.
South Africa, in recent history has seen ups and downs, in cricket and in society. However, press freedom there has remained quite intact. In the International Press Freedom Index, 2021, while India ranks 142 in the world, South Africa sits at 32 – a gap which is more than 100. During any party rule in India, the press has never been fully free. As a result, our ranking has fallen over the years, and the situation must be getting worse.
Defeating England at its own game (cricket) is too much fun. But to defeat them in the real world cup, a lot more practice is required. In Global Innovation Index, UK is among the top five in 132 countries. India’s innovation is not far behind, sitting comfortably at 46. More cutting edge research and scientific minds are required to take us higher.
Now, India’s ranking in T20 is even behind Namibia, which has won at least one game in the Super 12. And, even in the Gender Gap Index, we are far behind Namibia, by a large margin. Namibia is gender equal, among the top ten. Whereas, India is 140^thamong 156 nations. While the world is inching towards gender equality, India has witnessed a record fall in this ranking.
The cricket team of Afghanistan is doing exceptionally well in this world cup. At least in the real world cup, India is ahead of Afghanistan. India won by 10 ranks in the Environmental Performance Index. Where Delhi NCR turns into a gas chamber during the Winters, where it’s impossible to receive environmental clearance, where there is no concern towards saving and preserving the environment, a rank of that kind is astonishing. In this index, India ranks 168/180, whereas, Afghanistan ranks 178/180. We are ahead of Afghanistan, but it’s not nearly enough, to be honest.

Hence, these rankings are more disappointing than the performances on the cricket pitch. Of course, soon, the team will win the remaining three matches. However, in every parameter of real world development, India has slipped, and will continue to do so if the leaders are as least concerned as they are now. Cricket or governance – The amount of attention we pay to one is far more than the other. Before trolling the cricketers, it’s better we ask our politicians about these real world rankings.