9.25.2007

A game outside the field

Considering, what an avid blogger I HAVE BECOME in the last one month, it would be a sacrilege not to write something on the Indian victory yesterday at Wanderers. At the same time, I am also aware of the depth of my analytical abilities or rather the lack of it, when it comes to cricket. Also, I am sure there are people who can give a much better perspective from the technical and, should I say, the political angle. Economic Times, its usual boisterous self, went a step further and wanted CEOs to learn from Dhoni. Well, what can I say, I guess now it is Dhoni-time for IIM-A after the Laloo-express. Anyway, for the lack of something good to write I will end the blog here, abruptly.







Just kidding. Was trying out some blog theatrics. So I will try and talk about the excitement that was building up off the field, a game which started 24 hours before D-match, culminated last night and is now in its receding phase. The mood was simply charged after India's convincing win over Australia. For a change, everybody wanted Sunday to pass off fast. Everyone knew it, but still the same question came out up broach conversations "The match is tomorrow right ?". People took the cue and the conversation slowly but surely veered towards India's tactics, its new found confidence, J Sharma's stoic face with that rare show of emotion when the bowled the first bowl of the last over against Australia, Bhajji's crying face when he comes out to bowl (Many of us thought he was unhappy because his request to bowl only to tail enders was turned down and that he had to face Hayden and Symonds), Dhoni trying to take a second run in the last over of Indian innings - that too when the ball was lodged safely in the hands of Adam Gilchrist - what a cheeky man :-). Sreesanth's antics with the Australian players. I mean can you imagine him challenging Hayden, Symonds and Gilchrist. A classic case of David vs Goliath and history did repeat itself with David (not to be confused with Dravid) having the last laugh.

Anyway so these are the conversation topics. People barged in others' private conversations about cricket and again, for a change, nobody seemed to mind the gatecrasher. Monday morning came and the excited tension or tensed excitement is palpable among the hoi polloi. Everybody has a pointer or two for Dhoni. At this rate Dhoni will need a Big Blue to sort out the sermons in classes of ridiculous, obvious and worth-a-thesis. So everybody is working like Carnot Engine, no energy loss. There is a quiet understanding among everyone "No coffee breaks! we gotta finish our work and get lost before anyone from onsite comes online". The crowd in office thins out as the Indian subcontinent approaches 1200 hrs GMT. By 1700 IST, the office looks like a site of a neutron bomb attack - building is intact but no human in sight. The ones left behind take a cue and rush out. The scene on the road is worth seeing. Everyone wants to reach a place which has a television because if there is one, there are no points for guessing what channel is on. Obviously it will be ZOOM TV. We, as evangelists, will need to go there, educate them and convert them to the religion of cricket.

So people reach their destinations and the match has started. Dhoni has won the toss and, to the approval of the Indian fan, has elected to bat. Sehwag is hurt and the younger Pathan, Yousuf has come to bat. He starts off with a bang but then falls prey to the Pakistani bowling soon. Outside the television, people are unfazed. Gautam Gambhir is still at the crease and there is plenty of batting to come. India's batting is much more staid compared to the last two matches. Yuvraj and Dhoni fail to deliver this time and the Indian fans are a worried lot. They are chalking out plans for the Indian team. In between they also cannot afford to take their eyes off the svelte girls dancing on the Reliance podium. This T20 is a real jamboree. Also, the Indian male fan cannot stop wondering how good Indian girls look in the South African background. To top it all Shahrukh Khan makes an entry with a, what looks to be a costly camera and starts clicking away. After a considerable amount of struggle, India reaches 157. Now we can take a break. Have tea/biscuits and help Dhoni come out with a killer plan. We know the score is not very daunting and will need some good show from the 'boys'. Okay, let us assemble again, Pakistan is out to bat. Please bear with our ignorance of names of players from Pakistani team. R(i)P Singh true to his name, RiPs through the first wicket. Fans are ecstatic. Expletives and invectives are hurled at the Pakistan team. What were they thinking? Sreesanth brings a semblance of method to this madness and does some pedestrian bowling to take the score to 25 from 4 in course of an over, an acceleration that fast cars all over the world would die for. RP Singh strikes again and the match proceeds.

Nails are getting cut, naturally, at an extraordinary rate. People are offering to cut others' nails. Towards the end, Bhajji comes and gives an open invite to Indian fans to lynch him. People are hurling abuses at Bhajji. The turbanator is going to be thrown into a big crater. Sreesanth comes and surely does not help the cause. Fans are pacing up and down their rooms, Some want to put their televisons off for the last over. With one wicket remaining, 13 runs to be scored and J Shrama bowling, this looks like the "1 Karod ka question" in Kaun Banega Crorepati. 1 ball wide. J Sharma surely does not want to hear the words of wisdom being hurled at him by the fans. Then a six. 4 balls left and six runs to win.

We are now preparing ourselves for the mourning. Suddenly Misba!@#$! takes a strange stance and hits the ball back. All of us think it is a six when...lo behold..that son of gun Sreesanth is there and has caught the bowl.....

After that I am quite unable to comprehend what others are saying because I am unable to understand what I myself am saying. Fire crackers everywhere, elated faces which hide the sign of desperate relief.

4 comments:

  1. as one of my friend nicely puts it...Misbah innocently put one behind the keeper thinking he would escape all the fielders...but he forgot one basic allegation...No matter where u go...u will find a Mallayali in every corner of the world.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Well yes, who better to vouch for this than me :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ya that was one hell of a match. And thanks to you for an vocab intensive highlights, I was reading the dictionary more than your blog! :)

    (Svelte..huh? thats a good one! :) )

    ReplyDelete
  4. Well, ignorance of vocabulary is one malaise for which I have no medicine :-). But I get the point. Next time I will write two version :)

    ReplyDelete