Youth, in conventional wisdom, is seen to be impetuous. But youth is also the fount of energy; it is the sign of the future. Ignoring youth is to embrace obsolescence. It is a welcome sign, therefore, that the new icon of Indian cricket is the youthful Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who, in his debut as India’s captain, won the first Twenty20 trophy. Mr Dhoni and his team captured the nation’s imagination and aspirations at a time when both needed to be recharged and refuelled. There is something in Mr Dhoni’s attitude, body language and general joie de vivre that not only epitomizes youth, but is also very infectious. This was evident in the spirit that he infused into the team, which played well right through the tournament and thus deservedly won it. Mr Dhoni’s attitude stands in sharp contrast to that of Rahul Dravid who has just stepped down from India’s captaincy. It is true, of course, that Mr Dhoni and Mr Dravid led teams in two different versions of the game of cricket, nonetheless their styles are a study in contrast. Mr Dravid is reserved, laid back and risk averse: these qualities are the hallmarks of his personality, his batsmanship and his captaincy. Mr Dhoni carries on his shoulders, with some pride, a certain exuberance, an open abandon and a joy in hitting sixes rather than defending. The contrast is between youth and imminent middle age. The nation made its preference obvious on Monday evening.

Cricket, in India, is more than a sport. It is a symbol of the nation. The political classes in India need to read the signals emanating from the world of cricket. All the signals spell youth, a segment of the population that political parties are prone to ignore. Look, for example, at the Bharatiya Janata Party where two octogenarians are shadow-boxing over their egos. The party has no significant leader who is in his thirties. It is a party top-heavy with age and experience, but short on energy and new vision. The Congress has narrowly and only very recently escaped the mould of old age. It has made a gesture to the future by inculcating Rahul Gandhi and other young Congressmen into some of its decision-making bodies. Even as a gesture, this is significant. If even a fraction of the energy that youth has brought to cricket is to hit politics, there would be a radical transformation in the discourse and the development of politics. Give youth a chance and it blossoms.