No match over till last ball

There is an incestuous relationship between politicians and cricket. Often, elected representatives rush through the day’s work, so that they can pad up – albeit in their sitting room -- for a cricket spectacle.

No wonder politicians are vying for plum posts on cricket boards. No surprise, therefore, that politicians often take recourse to cricket analogies to explain the complexities of politics.

Commenting on the political stalemate in Maharashtra, senior BJP leader and Union Minister Nitin Gadkari hinted on Friday that politics is as unpredictable as cricket and one never knows when a match will go to the wire.

“Anything can happen in cricket and politics. It may seem one is losing the match but the end outcome can be exactly the opposite. And this can happen even on the last ball,” said Gadkari, speaking at a city event.

The Union Minister also stated, no matter who forms the government, the developmental projects and policies sanctioned by the previous government will not be stalled.

Later, taking a jibe at Gadkari’s analogy, Congress state president, Balasaheb Thorat said, unlike cricket, in politics one cannot see the ball.

“In cricket you can see the ball but not in politics. You have no idea where it will land; whether it will be a good length ball that will swing and uproot the stumps,” said Thorat.

His advice to all budding cricketers and chief ministerial aspirants: Keep an eye on the ball.