I know I’m not the first person to observe that India is a cricket ‘tragic’ country but every time I visit here I’m astounded at the part the sport plays in the its narrative. It hits you square in the face, like a Brett Lee bouncer might.

Turn on the TV and every other channel is showing cricket (this morning they showed highlights from a recent IPL game followed by highlights from an India v Australia ODI from 1985 with no apparent connecting theme – apart from cricket) and every other advert sees Virender Sehwag or Yuvraj Singh putting Tom Cruise to shame with their subtle acting skills. Then you open any newspaper and at least three pages are devoted to the game.

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