Is cricket killing other sports in India? Are cricketers getting more than they deserve? Are they being pampered to such an extent that every other sportsman feels like a pariah?

Sport per se, has evolved into something more than a competition or entertainment — it has become a way of authenticating national pride. Anyone who has watched the Tricolour flutter in a sports arena will vouch for it.

We will always follow the sport in which we excel. Indians are at a natural disadvantage in sports requiring power, speed and endurance; skill would be the best bet. The Europeans would naturally outplay us in power hockey on astroturf.

While the better built Americans would give us no chance whatsoever in basketball and the Africans would dominate on the track — cricket is one game where we can hold our own, no matter what our size is.

This is one of the major reasons why cricket is so feverishly debated in the Indian media. Cricket is a language understood by every guy who lives in the galli and the offshoot of this is, cricket is no longer an urban phenomenon.

Talent from smaller towns has found its place in the sun, which makes for a powerful storyline. Cricket lends itself to discussion, debate, argument. It can carry the Indian masses with it due to which it is easy to market as a product.

And money flows in. At the same time it is important to remember that money cannot buy audience; only a steady stream of exciting talent can ensure that.

Much of the following of the game in India revolves around celebrities, with few followers of the game concerned about its nuances. Cricket administration is so organised that they make the right noises at the right time and reap the benefit, in terms of sponsorships, TV rights, advertisements, etc.

To blame the cricket administration for turning the game into a commercial success would be unfair. The cricket board can give on-the-spot sanction of lakhs of rupees because it generates crores of rupees.

What do other sports federations generally do? They depend on the government for their survival. They wait for the government to release funds for every venture of theirs. And when the government and politicians get involved in running a sport, it never seems to work right.

If the government gives to one association, a second one will be waiting in the wings. Thus the government and the federations are caught in a vortex of their own making.

Cricket, on the other hand minds its own business, quite literally, and gets on with the job. The result: while the politicians make a beeline to be photographed with cricketers, other sportsmen have to wait for the politicians to give them an audience.

The T20 success and the subsequent reception the cricket champions got has led to a lot of soul-searching among other sportsmen. The largesse distributed among the cricket champs has made other champions feel deprived.

If hockey players feel ill-treated after winning the Asia Cup, playing alongside three best teams in the world, they are justified. If collegian cueist Pankaj Advani is honoured with a state award, years after winning the World Championship, years after being awarded the highest honour in the country, he is justified in feeling slighted.

If Asian Games gold medalist Ashish Ballal is critical of his state honouring him seven years after getting the Arjuna award and after his retirement from the game, he definitely has a point.

This situation had to come about some time because, champions in other sports have been denied for far too long. Recognition delayed is recognition denied.

If a world champion is expected to apply for an award, for incentive, has to forward his or her application to ministers who are ignorant of their achievements, that borders on an insult. Sportsmen should be spared of this indignity.

The powers that be had this coming; only they were blind enough not to see it. A sportsman, who trains hard anywhere between six to eight hours a day, day in and day out, cannot be labelled selfish for expecting  some appreciation for the laurels he or she earns, some recognition for the hours of sweat and toil.

Setting guidelines and having a centralised system of recognising achievement is an idea worth considering.

Instead of blaming cricket, federations of other sports should learn to promote their games professionally. In fact, they can take a leaf out of  the BCCI book on how to treat their  champions. Medals are not available on the streets.

It takes years of toil, sweat and tears to earn them. And in return for that if our champions ask for some praise, some monetary benefits that can help them raise the bar further in their chosen sport, it is not too much to ask for. All they are asking for is for the bureaucrats to redefine their attitude towards sports.