TNIE Let's Debate: Cricket or hockey, which should be India's national game? Let's hear it from the kids 

This debate has been going on for ages but we haven't found a conclusion yet — Cricket or Hockey, which should be our national game? Hear it from students across the country fight it out.

The students were debating whether Cricket should replace hockey as our national game at The New Indian Express' virtual inter-school debate competition, Let's Debate that streamed live on April 15, 2021. The largest inter-school virtual debate competition was held in association with Hindustan Institute of Technology and Science, Meil and Linc Pens. The judges for the debate were Sabrina Rajan, Assistant Editor at Indulge, TNIE, and Sai Krishna Pulluru, Director at Anantpur Sports Academy (ASA).

Minerva Siddhi, speaking for the topic, said, "In my opinion, cricket should be declared as the national sport in India as it is the most popular since the past two decades and has the maximum number of fan following. People are deeply involved in the game, there is a cricket critique in each and every Indian household. and it's already unofficially the national sport here."

Samaira Chitlangia, a Class 5 student from La Martiniere For Girls, Kolkata, speaking against the topic, said, "This is an extremely important motion that our parents and grandparents have argued over the years and debated on for their entire lives. Our game isn't cricket, it was brought to India by the British, we might love Chinese food but that doesn't make it our national food. Cricket fever has overshadowed our national game hockey and there is no debate about the fact that cricket is killing other sports in the country."

Sai Krishna Pulluru congratulated the children and added, "It's important for us to bring the healthy debate back. Encourage participants to be more patient, listen to what others are sharing, everybody is making a point with some reasoning. Overall, it was a very balanced debate." Sabrina concluded by saying, "This was really interesting for me. To all the participants, each of you has done your homework, you have gathered so many facts, some were even new to me. The topic brings out our interest in sports, how we are invested in it personally and emotionally. Each one of you should be able to go to the other side of the table and argue too, that's the art of debating."

Once our online voting ends, the results of every junior round of TNIE's Let's Debate will be announced at 6 pm on Sunday, April 18 at www.edexlive.com/debate. Stay tuned!