JOIN USIn WC season, it's all play, no work for B'lureans
It would be an understatement to say that cricket is a religion in India. And the cricket fever runs high in a billion-plus India when the top cricket-playing nations vie for that coveted ICC World Cup trophy.
The findings of the ESPNcricinfo’s FANtastic Survey 2015 summerises best the craze for cricket in India.
The survey revealed that 62 per cent of Indian cricket fans are willing to skip work at some point during the World Cup to watch the games. Cricket fans in Namma Bengaluru are no different from the counterparts across the country.
According to the survey, 60 per cent of the Bengalureans are planning to skip work to watch their cricketing heroes hit centuries, claim five-wicket hauls.
The ESPNcricinfo FANtastic Survey 2015 was conducted online, in January, amongst the members visiting the company’s website to learn the views, thoughts and behaviour of Indian cricket fans. Views of as many as 6000 respondents from across India and 1200 respondents from Bengaluru were obtained during the online survey.
The findings of the survey show that cricket fans will not let work get in the way of them enjoying the ICC World Cup matches.
With 62 per cent saying they will miss work at some point. When it comes to what excuses they would use to skip work, the time tested method of calling in sick appeals more to the younger fans.
About 75 per cent of fans in 30-plus agegroup are open about skipping the work in order to watch a match.
The survey results showed that since fans are always connected during work hours, browsing the internet about 89 per cent and checking for updates on mobile phones about 55 per cent, is the most common way to get a quick match update.
With only 28 per cent making the effort of finding the nearest TV set to follow the game, the social element of ganging up and watching a match with one’s peers is missing during the work day.
About 23 per cent do not talk about cricket with their bosses, and an overwhelming 78 per cent of fans are not willing to change their loyalty towards their favourite team or player to that of their boss’s.
Ramesh Kumar, Head of ESPNcricinfo and ESPN Digital Media India says, “The survey gives us a perspective on the complexities of the emotions of Indian cricket fans during the cricket World Cup.