Counting the cost of cricket

The price we may have to pay for international cricket at a time like this cannot be measured simply in terms of rupees or dollars, writes Nirmal Shekar in the Hindu.

Can a starry-eyed kid who has dreamed all his brief life of shaking hands with a Pietersen or a Ponting or a Tendulkar ever hope to proffer his shivering, sweaty hand to his idol near the pavilion without a duty-bound commando brushing him aside quickly?

Can a visiting player who has always enjoyed soaking up the local culture through leisurely evening visits to the bazaars and malls and eating places ever think of doing it anymore, unmolested and unguarded and without a million fears haunting him?