I don’t watch cricket these days. It just stopped. There is no urge, no excitement about upcoming matches, no interest to follow, no interest to read. I wonder how a childhood passion could die like that, a slow death, didn’t realize until one day I don’t feel like looking at even the headings in newspaper. I still open the last page of the newspaper to the sports page after scanning the front page headlines – but eyes don’t stop at cricket news. Is it a sign of growing up – don’t know. Due to a feeling settling in, that it is all a show, few talented and overpaid and over indulged super stars being careless? Is it sign of an era passing with Dravid and Sachin? Is it over commercialization with 20-20, IPL, scandals and love of the game dying with it? Or is it being a family man not having time to watch long games?
Whatever it is, it was probably unimaginable few years back. I am not good at playing cricket. My bowling has a hint of chucking it seems, so had tried bowling with my left arm. I never get the timing properly when I bat. While fielding, I was terrified that the ball might pass through me to the boundary. High points of my cricketing “career” has been these – I believe I have a very good reflex, I had dived reflexively to take a cool catch behind the stumps, scraping my elbows – that was a wonder moment from school days. Playing for hours alone with a coconut leaf stump (“madal bat”) for a bat, throwing the ball against the boundary wall at home, hit, collect and repeat – during high school days. Another catch that I took from close quarters by sticking out my hand at a hard knock without even me knowing that I extended my hand – this during Engineering college days. Having proper stumps and bat, waking up early in the morning to walk to Medical College ground to play – those were nice memories during Engineering college days. Hitting two fours, or was it only one, in three balls ever faced as part of Electronics B Team in College tournament. Thereafter it was even further downhill after I joined Infy – getting run out for 2 runs by a guy striking with a direct throw from improbable angle, getting hit for six for all six balls in a cubicle cricket match which was very humiliating – premature retirement was better choice.
But watching cricket games and commenting about it to hearts content – you don’t have to be a star player for that. I had my fair share, during the glory days of Sachin, Saurav, Dravid, Kumble etc. Reading ball by ball commentary, cricinfo articles, combing through score boards and knowing enough statistics to show off during game analysis over lunches and teas. Those are also over now.
Fast forward to now. I stay in a flat/apartment. There are bunch of kids here, enough to make teams. They have standard branded bats, some of them go to coaching sessions wearing whites and with full gear. We have very little space in the flat. They play there, sometimes even with cricket balls. There are continuous complaints by residents on cars getting scratched. Neighbor’s roof tiles got broken multiple times and their privacy intruded by kids going in and out all the time – they started scolding the kids and kids give it back too. Neighbors say that they have videos of kids using swear words not even used by grown ups these days – they are exceeding expectations in every field. Local councilor got involved and finally police. As responsible adults, we banned cricket within the compound. Parents are so protective of their one or two precious kids that some of them don’t believe their kids can even swear. One of the parent’s solution was to construct a cricket practice net around the flat. He took the issue so far that now the resulting issues are with police and district administration. I have come truly a long way from the “madal bat” days to getting upgraded to dealing with so called “privileged upper middle class” wanting to construct even cricket net in residential premises so that the kids for whom they earn hard earned foreign currencies can play peacefully. Banning cricket is such an easy solution.
Only consolation is that, now after successful commercialization of Kabaddi, the kids have started playing that for the first time – but in true modern style, bending and moving like professionals – not the “naadan” kabaddi we used to play in school grounds.
