I am not really a cricket fan. So I have every reason to not share the sorrow and grief of my fellow countrymen. Instead I can give them something to cheer about. (Such is the anguish at the loss that even politicians of the stature of Balasaheb Thackeray has asked disappointed cricket fans not to attack the players’ houses)
I am a proud Indian and the welfare of the state does bother me.So if I look at the brighter side I conclude that there more reasons to thank God for the Indian Team’s exit than to get flustered.Here is an excerpt from an article in ET.
“There are about 80 million cable and satellite viewing homes in India. Now,according to Television ratings, the average viewership of all World Cup matches held till now stands at about 3%, with India vs Bangladesh touching a high of 7.25%. To reach the finals, India would have played at least seven more matches.
Considering a TV Rating of 7.25%, at least 5.8 million people would have watched the match. This would have resulted in a productivity loss of 371.2 million man hours (5.8 million x 8 hours x 8 matches), apart from stress faced by mothers during exams.
About 3% of 81 million TV viewers (2.4 million) were ardent cricket fans and would have sat through all eight hours in the remaining 28 matches. Thus overall, Indian team’s ouster would result in a productivity gain of 481 million man hours of work (28×2.4×8 man hours), if put to use.
The Sri Lankans have given a boost to the Indian economy by saving 54,902 man years of work (one year = 8,761 hours). Indians can build seven phases of the Golden Quadrilateral connecting Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai spread over 5,846 kilometres all over again, with this time saved.
A daily wage skilled labourer in Delhi earns Rs 17 per hour. If put to productive use, the 481 million man hours can produce Rs 817 crore of GDP, which is 63% more than BCCI’s annual revenues of Rs 500 crore, last year. It’s 401% more than the Rs 163 crore losses, corporate India has predicted to incur due India’s ouster.
The state electricity boards are also thanking Sri Lanka for the great favour. A TV consumes 45 watts per hour. Assuming a viewer will now switch off his TV by 12 midnight, it will save Rs 135 watts at least per viewer (not considering the electricity consumed by other appliances running simultaneously.)
This will save the electricity boards 324 million watts of electricity ( 3.24 lakh kilowatts) in just 28 days. According to estimates, SEB losses in India will touch Rs 1 lakh crore by 2008. If disappointed viewers completely switch off their TVs for eight hours, it will save the government at least 8,64,000 kilowatts, along with many more lives — at least three Indian citizens have been reported to die due to cardiac arrest or suicide after India’s defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka.”
On the personal front I can now watch soccer matches in the TV room 
. Also Im concerned about the loss to the advertisers which Mindshare estimates to be around 163 crores. Bookies seem to have lost Rs. 2500 crores for a very trivial reason, India is out of the world cup. It was also estimated that every ball bowled in the India-Sri Lanka match was worth a crore. Thats some money!
Im sure Indians have something to cheer about in the fact that Pakistan too is out of the World Cup having lost to Ireland, a non test playing nation. Atleast India lost to a test playing nation. Also Bangladesh had defeated Pakistan in the 1999 World Cup Again something that we can take solace in.
P.S: There is one way the losses can be recovered. Hold an Indo-Pak series parallel to the world cup in some third country. It will be beneficial to all;the advertisers, sponsors, ICC, the bookies and the fans :)
