I never thought cricket would ever have any place in my fond memories. I am one of those rare Indian youths for whom cricket is not so important. Okay, I do know enough to understand a match. When I was little, I used to follow cricket like all other cricket fans of our age. And then I grew older and grew out of it. I rarely enjoy a match and never care to watch one unless maybe India is playing World Cup final. I do not know the name of half of our players. I do not keep track of important tournaments going on. Maybe it is too long a game for me to watch and enjoy. But then, I also do not take any interest in that fast 20-20 format. Well I guess I am just not interested, that is simply it.
So, why now did I feel the urge to write about it? Well, I just happened to watch half of the latest India-England World Cup match and realized something. I may not care about cricket much and always wonder how a whole nation can be so crazy over a game, but I enjoy the crowd, the craziness, and the ‘cricket fever’. And now that I am far from it, I do miss it. Oh, on the side-note, the match was fun and interesting.
My earliest memory of cricket. A crowded drawing room when we used to live in a joint family, couches full and people sitting on small stools or on a mat on the floor. All eyes glued on the television. ‘Six’, ‘Yaaa’, ‘Out’, ‘What a shot’, ‘Arey yaar, get a spinner’ were few of the words that would fill the room in loud screams, and often would also come as screams from the neighbors. Excitement and tension filled the air. During any important game, people would leave work early to go home and catch the match. Those who would stay would crowd around the TV in the recreation room of the office. Even the display televisions in showrooms would have cricket on and a crowd of passersby outside who stopped to catch a glimpse of the score. Those were the days of pocket transistors held close to the ears to listen to the live commentary on the way home. Mobile phones replaced the transistors. Nonetheless, the question one asks his stranger co-traveler remains same until date, ‘Dada, score kato holo?’ (Brother, what is the score?). And you go to anywhere in India now, you will find the exact same picture..
For these days, strangers become friends and engage themselves in heated discussions. The newspaper is flooded with cricket news and expert comments. Common public give their ‘expert comments’ in a way that makes me think that given a bat or ball, they would make India win for sure! Everywhere it is then just cricket and cricket. The only program on TV is then cricket. When the match is over, it is time for highlights, replays, expert opinions. And of course mothers always had the complain that the important tournaments were always around the school exam times. Well, I guess they do not have this complain anymore. Now cricket is all around the year. And when it is not, the children are playing it with the aspiration to be the next Sachin Tendulkar.
I do not exactly know how or why, but this cricket fever worn off me as I grew up. I stopped watching it and taking any interest in it. However, I enjoyed my brother’s loud live commentaries, cheers, and annoyance during every match of importance (or not). It somehow brought a life and excitement in the home. It was fun. It was the ‘cricket festival’! Maybe I would drop in the room to ask the score sometimes or watch an over. But then, that would be it. In college also it was the same. The girls would get permission to watch matches late in night in the ground floor hall. Their screams would reach up in the rooms. The college inter-departmental cricket match would be one of the most important events of the year. But among all these, I just always failed to understand the craze.
And now I have escaped all of it and am here in a non-cricket country. Even Blaz often keeps track of the IPL when it is going on, but not me. The only time I read anything about cricket is when it manages to grab the headline of the newspaper. I know that the World Cup is going on now, that too in the Sub-continent. But, that is about all the knowledge I have in cricket current affairs.
Last Sunday I called my brother in the afternoon. He was in the hostel common room watching TV and came out to receive the call. All the screaming and excited exclamations that formed the background noise told me that some important India match is going on. India-England, my brother informed, Sachin did an awesome century and now the second innings just started. So, we were talking and cricket was in the background. Only from time to time bhai would say ‘Oh no, another four, what are the bowlers and fielders doing!!!’. India was playing badly and the background enthusiasm was slowly diminishing. And then suddenly there was a loud scream of excitement. Bhai exclained, ‘It must be an OUT, or why would anyone scream!!?’, ‘Who was it??’, ‘At last one wicket’.. All these comments somehow intrigued me. I searched for a website that was live streaming the match and started watching.
Then long after we finished talking, I found myself still watching the match. Even Blaž joined me towards the end. I watched the rest of the match (with quite a few interruptions in the streaming)!! Oh, it made me excited. The crowd in the stadium, the screams, the cheers, the flags, the painted faces, the crazy waving and dancing when India played good, or when one realized that he was the target of the TV camera, the complete atmosphere, and tension of the match. It was all so awesome!!
I may not care about cricket, but I love the ‘cricket fever’ in India. I miss India during World Cup cricket! I miss bhai screaming at the TV in our drawing room and banging the table. I miss all the excitement people show. I miss all the heated discussion around me, and expert comments. How much I get tired of it being the ‘only event’, I do miss all the craziness.
I do not much care who wins the tournament. Of course, India winning it would be best, and the debate if that is possible I leave to others. But I do miss the cricket-crazy Indian crowd. I do miss the Indian cricket fever. I do miss being among the madness of celebrating one of the biggest Indian festival....‘Cricket’...
Indiaaaa.. Indiaa
So, why now did I feel the urge to write about it? Well, I just happened to watch half of the latest India-England World Cup match and realized something. I may not care about cricket much and always wonder how a whole nation can be so crazy over a game, but I enjoy the crowd, the craziness, and the ‘cricket fever’. And now that I am far from it, I do miss it. Oh, on the side-note, the match was fun and interesting.
My earliest memory of cricket. A crowded drawing room when we used to live in a joint family, couches full and people sitting on small stools or on a mat on the floor. All eyes glued on the television. ‘Six’, ‘Yaaa’, ‘Out’, ‘What a shot’, ‘Arey yaar, get a spinner’ were few of the words that would fill the room in loud screams, and often would also come as screams from the neighbors. Excitement and tension filled the air. During any important game, people would leave work early to go home and catch the match. Those who would stay would crowd around the TV in the recreation room of the office. Even the display televisions in showrooms would have cricket on and a crowd of passersby outside who stopped to catch a glimpse of the score. Those were the days of pocket transistors held close to the ears to listen to the live commentary on the way home. Mobile phones replaced the transistors. Nonetheless, the question one asks his stranger co-traveler remains same until date, ‘Dada, score kato holo?’ (Brother, what is the score?). And you go to anywhere in India now, you will find the exact same picture..
For these days, strangers become friends and engage themselves in heated discussions. The newspaper is flooded with cricket news and expert comments. Common public give their ‘expert comments’ in a way that makes me think that given a bat or ball, they would make India win for sure! Everywhere it is then just cricket and cricket. The only program on TV is then cricket. When the match is over, it is time for highlights, replays, expert opinions. And of course mothers always had the complain that the important tournaments were always around the school exam times. Well, I guess they do not have this complain anymore. Now cricket is all around the year. And when it is not, the children are playing it with the aspiration to be the next Sachin Tendulkar.
I do not exactly know how or why, but this cricket fever worn off me as I grew up. I stopped watching it and taking any interest in it. However, I enjoyed my brother’s loud live commentaries, cheers, and annoyance during every match of importance (or not). It somehow brought a life and excitement in the home. It was fun. It was the ‘cricket festival’! Maybe I would drop in the room to ask the score sometimes or watch an over. But then, that would be it. In college also it was the same. The girls would get permission to watch matches late in night in the ground floor hall. Their screams would reach up in the rooms. The college inter-departmental cricket match would be one of the most important events of the year. But among all these, I just always failed to understand the craze.
And now I have escaped all of it and am here in a non-cricket country. Even Blaz often keeps track of the IPL when it is going on, but not me. The only time I read anything about cricket is when it manages to grab the headline of the newspaper. I know that the World Cup is going on now, that too in the Sub-continent. But, that is about all the knowledge I have in cricket current affairs.
Last Sunday I called my brother in the afternoon. He was in the hostel common room watching TV and came out to receive the call. All the screaming and excited exclamations that formed the background noise told me that some important India match is going on. India-England, my brother informed, Sachin did an awesome century and now the second innings just started. So, we were talking and cricket was in the background. Only from time to time bhai would say ‘Oh no, another four, what are the bowlers and fielders doing!!!’. India was playing badly and the background enthusiasm was slowly diminishing. And then suddenly there was a loud scream of excitement. Bhai exclained, ‘It must be an OUT, or why would anyone scream!!?’, ‘Who was it??’, ‘At last one wicket’.. All these comments somehow intrigued me. I searched for a website that was live streaming the match and started watching.
Then long after we finished talking, I found myself still watching the match. Even Blaž joined me towards the end. I watched the rest of the match (with quite a few interruptions in the streaming)!! Oh, it made me excited. The crowd in the stadium, the screams, the cheers, the flags, the painted faces, the crazy waving and dancing when India played good, or when one realized that he was the target of the TV camera, the complete atmosphere, and tension of the match. It was all so awesome!!
I may not care about cricket, but I love the ‘cricket fever’ in India. I miss India during World Cup cricket! I miss bhai screaming at the TV in our drawing room and banging the table. I miss all the excitement people show. I miss all the heated discussion around me, and expert comments. How much I get tired of it being the ‘only event’, I do miss all the craziness.
I do not much care who wins the tournament. Of course, India winning it would be best, and the debate if that is possible I leave to others. But I do miss the cricket-crazy Indian crowd. I do miss the Indian cricket fever. I do miss being among the madness of celebrating one of the biggest Indian festival....‘Cricket’...
Indiaaaa.. Indiaa
when you have mentioned my name here i must tell i was the only one who was clapping and shouting the whole time to back up the team....stood up and shouted for INDIA and that made others feel may b i am mad but i was the one who created the atmosphere before others got into it....i banged the tables the chairs and went on shouting till i could....afterall i am one of those mad fans who get sad and cry and dont eat anything if India loses...that day also i ate nothing to concentrate on the match... thats how i am a mad Indian fan.... afterall its world cup and its the time to shout INDIA INDIA.......
ReplyDeleteu know what!....i guess the same pair of shoes that u r wearing fits mine as well....however i just know a little bit more and that would be 'De ghuma ke' - the anthem and that its INDIA PAKISTAN at the semi finals! Bravo! I know so much!!hehehehe....I pat myself! However, I guess its an utter shame for me at least, to be such an ignorant! not only that i belong to such a parent and brother - my home that is an absolute replica of ur description of cricket crazy followers.....my destiny has brought me to such in-laws and husband who can even go to the extreme of breaking the table while hitting and shouting aloud at a FOUR or a SIX!or may be even skipping the dinner if India fails to make it! I doubt their vocal cords are all going for a toss by the end of the world cup!I seriously do!and on contrary, look at me...so illiterate and silent in the midst of a bunch of literally insane and cricket frenzy people!
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