Cricket to me is all about the eleventh hour nail biting finish, a do or die situation with tension building up and shouts and cheers (not to mention the crackers !) coming from every house in the street.
We were a team of 11 proudly calling ourselves ‘The Teachers’ Colony 11’; Appa as captain, VKR, Ahmed, Vijay, Murali Anna, Balachander, Rajiv Gandhi (yes!), Nishanth were the key players. I was there in the team too, but for modesty reasons let us not delve anymore on my extraordinary performance in batting that gave others a complex, they had to make me an errand boy.
We had had great 10-10 matches and some Kodak moment catches. Ahmed fell flat on the gravel for a successful catch and had to be treated but not before he finished the rest of his overs. Talk about dedication ;)
We were a fully equipped team with a tennis ball, a coconut branch for a bat, and bamboo sticks for stumps until VKR won a complete Cricket Kit out of a Boost Refill Pack. We decided not to write to the Boost Company if they were wondering about the sudden increase in demand for their energy drink from a particular colony in a small town down South.
The match fever rose exponentially now that our prized possession included a pair of leg pads (u fell down more than u scored runs wearing them), Gloves (too big for any one in the team), a cork ball (don’t get me started on this one). Come what may, we never missed an opportunity to call ourselves the most sophisticated team in the neighbourhood. Apparently, we lost count of the broken windows, light bulbs and a few foreheads.
But, we must admit, no one till date complained.
Then, there were the board exams, college and hostel life, and the big rat race of life that kept these cricket moments alive only in memories. One’s holiday is another’s working day. A new team formed up in the street and VKR with a heavy heart gave away his kit to them. Appa is their umpire now; the advantage of residing in your native town.
No regrets. After years, I stood pitching the bat against the lush green ground, managed a meagre 5 runs and bagged a catch. The Indian community in Adelaide plays Cricket every Saturday evening. Monsieur is introducing his colleagues to the community next week and the team will just get bigger.
Ok, I’ve gotta practise. I don’t want to be an errand boy here too. Do I!
We were a team of 11 proudly calling ourselves ‘The Teachers’ Colony 11’; Appa as captain, VKR, Ahmed, Vijay, Murali Anna, Balachander, Rajiv Gandhi (yes!), Nishanth were the key players. I was there in the team too, but for modesty reasons let us not delve anymore on my extraordinary performance in batting that gave others a complex, they had to make me an errand boy.
We had had great 10-10 matches and some Kodak moment catches. Ahmed fell flat on the gravel for a successful catch and had to be treated but not before he finished the rest of his overs. Talk about dedication ;)
We were a fully equipped team with a tennis ball, a coconut branch for a bat, and bamboo sticks for stumps until VKR won a complete Cricket Kit out of a Boost Refill Pack. We decided not to write to the Boost Company if they were wondering about the sudden increase in demand for their energy drink from a particular colony in a small town down South.
The match fever rose exponentially now that our prized possession included a pair of leg pads (u fell down more than u scored runs wearing them), Gloves (too big for any one in the team), a cork ball (don’t get me started on this one). Come what may, we never missed an opportunity to call ourselves the most sophisticated team in the neighbourhood. Apparently, we lost count of the broken windows, light bulbs and a few foreheads.
But, we must admit, no one till date complained.
Then, there were the board exams, college and hostel life, and the big rat race of life that kept these cricket moments alive only in memories. One’s holiday is another’s working day. A new team formed up in the street and VKR with a heavy heart gave away his kit to them. Appa is their umpire now; the advantage of residing in your native town.
No regrets. After years, I stood pitching the bat against the lush green ground, managed a meagre 5 runs and bagged a catch. The Indian community in Adelaide plays Cricket every Saturday evening. Monsieur is introducing his colleagues to the community next week and the team will just get bigger.
Ok, I’ve gotta practise. I don’t want to be an errand boy here too. Do I!
1 comment:
Errand boy!! O boy!! I'd say you make a good athlete.
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