cricket

why not?

On the popularity chart of hot topics is our blind — almost complete — devotion to cricket stars. India is a cricketer-crazed nation; our passion driven by personalities and everyone (from chaprasi to the chairman, from corporate czar to corporation karamchari) is a fan. In this maha bhakti, Tendulkar is shreshta, first among unequals. If he sneezes it is a cause for national concern, if he gets injured it becomes a national emergency.

I dont agree. Linked to player adulation is our fascination with cricket statistics. We, as a nation, are masters at recalling cricket records. Kids and grandmothers have PhDs in this field, they can instantly recall strike/economy rates of players, their career profiles and every other kind of irrelevant detail.