Sunday Cricket Games

The alarm goes off at 8, which I turn off, thanks to the wonderful snooze option that some brilliant dude invented. When it goes off again 15 minutes later, I know its time to go. But I sit up and my head is swimming with last night's revelry, and its a Sunday and I wonder what on earth I'm doing up at 8 on a Sunday. Then I remember that we've a game. The 3rd years.


They were a decent team, made up of bits and peices players. No one who can turn the game around on his own, but a formidable side, nonetheless.


So I trudge to the loo with a cigarette, bleary eyed and blank. But as the cigarette finishes and my bowels empty, it begins to dawn on me that we've a big game today. We've lost 3 on the trot and this one's more about pride than just numbers. I'm psyching myself up because I've an important role to play on the team. I'm keeping wickets, opening the batting, might roll my arm over, if required and I'm part of the think tank.


I finish up, put on my tracks, the quintessential white collared t-shirt and keds. Looking for my cap, I run into some loose change. Perfect. For a Nimbu Paani and some smokes at Mamu's Dhaba. Then, I head to my friends' rooms to wake the lazy bastards up. Well not so lazy as drunk. Then, its off to another, while I check on another friend on the way up. Its funny how little issues pale when it comes to a game of cricket, or any kind of game. There are people on this team I don't talk to, but when it comes to that game of cricket on Sunday, I feel like I have the right to walk into his room, kick his little butt and ask him to get kitted! And he doesn't mind.


We all know, without having to say, that we're going to congregate in the cafeteria in the institute building for a quick brekka. So we have a healthy breakfast of cornflakes, eggs and hot choc and have the minions of the team pick up the kit and mat and hail autos, heading out to the ground. This one's at the Jhalani tools ground. A beautiful round ground, with a turf wicket and tall trees skirting it. The wickets a belter this morning so we're hopin we win the toss. But as Mickey and Chandhok go out for the toss, I get the feeling that the toss is not going to go our way. And of all my predictions, most of which are never on the mark, this one is.


No matter.We run out on to the feild and are ready for the loud mouthed, sledging seniors. I'm opening the bowling with Anish. There's a big Surdy, Rutinder who's good with the wood, he times the ball well, got a good eye. Ashirwad is at point, Beri at cover and Mickey's keeping wickets. We're not allowed to sledge cos we're juniors. You might say it shouldn't matter in a game of cricket, but that's how it is. We can't sledge. Period. but that never stopped us anyway. We were scathing and relentless, often leaving the seniors fuming and actually breaking and bullying us into stopping. There were constant calls like "Khadda hai", "Milega, Milega"


Our team is made of astute cricketers. Beri's got nearly perfect technique and a wide range of shots and as a bonus is a fast fielder with safe hands, but a chicken wing for a throwing arm. Ashirwad, on his day can be lethal with the ball and more than useful with the bat and again, a pretty good fielder. Anish is tall, a good 6'1'' and has a nice, clean action and delivers the ball from a height of about 8 feet, getting good bounce.He's pretty nippy and gets good bounce. Rahul Singh was the suprise package. He was weak, introverted and a pretty fuckin good off-spinner. With a lovely arc, flight and decent length. Mickey is the captain. Good with a keeper's gloves and very good with the short ball, pulling everything a shade short of a length, well along the ground and usually in the gaps. More than any of his skill, it is his desire to win that makes him a good captain, with conservative and sharp field placements. He can go a little over board with that desire to win, but more often than not, his decisions are objective. Savio, the Goan, a solid, dependable opener who is more than handy with his medium pace.Siddharth, a fun guy to have on the team and a very decent bowler. Mahindra, again a helpful bowler and decent bat.


I'm the one with immense potential but no real weighty performance, yet! I'm handy with the gloves, a quickish, thinking bowler and a good long feilder with good hands and a nice flat throw. This is as objective as I can get.My batting was the most frustrating- good technique, decent range of shots, but no patience or shot selection. Opening the batting, there was a lot on my shoulders.


Back to the game. Anish takes the new ball and the first over passes without event. I bowl the second over and strike. Negi edges a ball outside off and it loops straight up to Ash at point. Lots of jubilation and the traditional Mithun Da dance in the middle of the ground with Anish.


Soon, wickets are falling all over. And before we know it, the pompous 3rd years are all out for 72 and I've got a 5 for. Anish's bagged 3 and two run-outs.


Rishin opens the batting. Very Very strong off his legs, glancing, driving and turning everything on middle and leg to the boundary. I opened with Rishin, scored a quick 10 or 12 and got out. But the ball was swinging a bit, but the senior bowlers were all over the place. Beri came in one down and with Rishin, finished the game off. In 11 overs.


This was a BIG WIN. We beat the thrid years and we beat them hollow.


So, we're sternly warned that there will be no trash talk and making fun of the seniors, just cos we're born a coupla years later. But again, like the sledging, it never stopped us.
We ended up putting the score board up on the Cafeteria Notice board with movie-like warnings about the next game.

While it was so much about the cricket then, its more about the ritual of it all, now. It was each man for himself, but at the same time, we were such a tight ship. I mean, we'd to find our own means of getting to the ground, or risk losing our place to the several hangers-on who came in the hope that they might play, but never did, cos none of us ever gave our places away. Neckless had a CBZ which can take three people at the most and he did the ground booking and everything because he was from Aurangi and he knew people. We'd fight for who's going with him, to get out of sitting in cramped autis and carrying the kit around. Whoever booked for the journey to the ground, basically had him for the rest of the day, till it was time to get back into the hostel.

The Hostel..another story altogether..