Jay Shah, the head of the BCCI, has bent the entire sport to his will. Sunday could be his country’s crowning glory
Cricket Mania With Sachin Virat and Beckham. Two days on from David Beckham’s appearance in the stands at India’s World Cup semi-final triumph in Mumbai, the Bombay Times was still running adoring spreads on Friday morning, with supplementary pictures of Beckham mooching and beaming and attending a very fancy party, dressed as ever like the reigning world over-45s BMX champion.
The Times noted that Beckham had been seen “interacting with Sachin Tendulkar”, a choice of verb that makes him sound like a rescue dog or a mute Victorian child. Much was made of Beckham’s role in India as an anti-poverty ambassador, the classic parable of a very, very rich man sitting in very, very expensive seats in a city where nine million people live in slums – and doing it all in the name of the poor, who will no doubt be delighted when the news finally filters down.
Written by Barney Ronay in Ahmedabad
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2023/nov/17/world-cup-final-is-a-coronation-but-crickets-rulers-are-not-in-doubt under the title “World Cup final is a coronation but cricket’s rulers are not in doubt | Barney Ronay”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
