Growing Up with Cricket

                                                                    

For most young professionals like us, this lockdown has actually given us something that we have always craved - “The Gift of Time”. There is now time to pursue things you always wanted to – Read those books, connect with family and friends, cook those exotic dishes, watch those TV shows & movies etc etc.

However, as a slightly modified quote from the Bible says “The Lockdown giveth, but the lockdown also taketh away”. Being an introvert who actually loves being indoors, I ask myself – What do I feel I am missing the most, this lockdown. The answer comes in a flickering instant. I miss Cricket. Yes, you may argue that there are far more pressing problems that concern us right now and I fully agree, but hell I miss the beautiful game, playing out with all its drama and emotion in my living room.

It has now been almost two months without a live cricket match, which is ironic because we wait for these two months every single year. You think you’ll come back home from another mind-numbing day at work, settle down and tune in to the enjoy the non-stop, super entertaining and sometimes marriage threatening carnival of cricket, called the Indian Premier League. But instead, you wake up and feel somewhat numb and empty, on a Sunday morning.

However, Old YouTube clips are a saving grace and keep the flame burning. These videos take me down memory lane, and various stages of my life flash in my head, just like they show in the movies, for the moments before death. But in my case, they are weirdly interspersed with cricketing events.

Today, I travel back in time and relive what it was like, growing up with Indian Cricket.

Phase 1 : The Beginning of a life time romance

Boom, it’s 1996 and you are 6 years old. Your father tells you that the opening ceremony of the Wills Cricket World Cup has just begun. He narrates stories of how he was a batsman in his school cricket team, regales you with the legendary exploits Gavaskar & Kapil Dev to spike your interest in the tournament. Now he surely regrets it, as his son turns out to be a cricket crazy fanatic in the years ahead. Anyway, you hardly understand anything about the game but you soldier on, and yes, you find a hero. A boyish looking, curly haired hero with a squeaky voice and skill like no other, who ends up top scoring in that tournament. However, India loses in the semi-final against Sri Lanka - There are tears on the field and you also choke. Your father simply shrugs it off and gets back to work, but you are not able to get over it, and are upset for days on end.  Congratulations, you’ve suffered your first heartbreak, found your first hero, saw him in all his glory and vulnerability in a space of a few days. Your journey as a cricket fan has begun.

Phase 2 : Cricket is a Religion & Sachin is God ;

1998, You are now an 8-year-old geeky kid studying in Class 3 - You now begin to devour anything, and everything related to cricket now. You understand the game’s rules, the three skills and discuss with older cousins who humor you & your craze for the game, tease you saying that this kid even watches all the highlights. You read about your hero in Sportstar and Cricket Samrat and his poster from the magazine is your most prized possession. You watch every match you can. You shadow bat at home and throw plastic balls at the wall.  You roll your arm over in public places, trying to bowl out-swingers & in-cutters with a plastic ball. Standing in front of a mirror, you imagine the opposition needing six off the last over. The stadium is a cauldron. A hundred thousand fill the stands. Can you restrict the batsmen?

Your father keeps telling you to focus on your studies and not hope too much, but you keep getting upset when India loses, and they tend to actually lose a lot. It hurts you but you now love the game and your hero too much to let go. Your father has recently moved to a city far away for work. In the pre-digital, even pre-telecom era, you do not speak to him for days. There are financial troubles and you stare at an uncertain future.

Then suddenly, in those gloomy times, you witness a miracle. You find hope for India, and for yourself and your family through the #DesertStorm.

 There are some moments in sport that live on for posterity. These are moments that hold us captive and allow the creator of the moment to enshrine his place in our hearts forever. There are stories that feed the appetite of the romantics of the game, where a sportsman is at the peak of his powers to an extent that the lines between human and "God" become blurred. A certain Mr Tony Greig has gone absolutely ballistic in the commentary box screaming, “Sachin Tendulkar, what a wonderful player!” "The crowds are dancing in the isles in Sharjah". Well, a kid was dancing in Kolkata too. Until that point, the game is just something that you obsess about. Your hero unshackles your mind to the possibilities, makes you understand the game's place in your life, teaches you its significance. He gives it shape, adds meaning, wraps it in colorful paper and winds a ribbon around the packing, and makes it a religion for you.

Phase 3 : The Golden Era

1999 to 2003, You are entering your teens as Indian Cricket is ushering in a new era.

You move from Kolkata to a peaceful, quaint but small hill town called Haldwani, finally united with your father after almost 2 years. These are difficult days financially still, so there is no TV at home for the 1999 World Cup. It doesn’t hurt much reading in the newspapers that India is knocked out, as you are already mourning your hero’s father and admiring his courage and devotion. Things improve and the TV comes home in time for the 2001 Australia Series, where you discover that your hero is not alone in his crusade to bring glory to the country – We now have the Fab Four. You become Class Monitor in 6^th Standard and try to imbibe the leadership qualities of a tough as nails, bold, gutsy and confident captain who is not afraid of anything. He will remain a leadership benchmark for you even in the times to come, when it comes to supporting and standing up for your team in professional life.

There is Natwest 2002, where you’ve given up like you normally do once your hero is gone, and surprisingly it’s your mother who switches the TV on, to find two young guns playing a new type of ODI cricket. It is in this Golden Era, with the Fab Four & upcoming Gen Z, that the 2003 World Cup arrives. There is something different about your hero this time, as he is extra focused and even more punishingly attacking given that he has good support now. The next 10 days are some of the most joyous of your life. Those sixes off Caddick & Shoaib, those fours off Akram...you feel that the cup will be home soon.

Your family plans a quick trip to Vaishnodevi during the World Cup - Amidst chants of Jai Mata Di while climbing the hill top shrine, you hear devotees shouting “Jeetega Bhai Jeetega, India Jeetega” and it leaves permanent imprints on your memory, that cricket truly unites us.  You get your face painted, wear blue clothes as jerseys are a luxury and cheer for your team in the final. Hero holes out and poof goes the dream, you simply console yourself by believing that Ricky Ponting had a spring in his bat. Oh yes, in the meantime you have your first crush at school & start listening to romantic songs like every other teenager. But you’re a geek who feels uncomfortable talking to girls and this innocent dream goes bust too.

You learn how to deal with heartbreaks, that life is not smooth sailing and one does not always get what they want.

Phase 4:  The Captain Cool Era

2005 to 2008:  The pre-college years where you lay the foundation for your life ahead.

Science or Commerce? Kota or Delhi? To call her or simply continue sending text messages, which only get sporadic replies. These are the burning questions that occupy you now and life is going to change. Your parents gift you a radio, which you solely use to listen to cricket commentary while living away from home for the very first time, preparing for IIT-JEE in Kota. Life is now all about pulleys, integral calculus, unsolved assignments and cut-throat competition as you seek to change your life.

Even the game is changing drastically now with T20 on the horizon. A new, almost un-Indian fearless dasher emerges from the wilderness, who will define a new paradigm for leadership in the years to come. India loses to Bangladesh and gets knocked out of the World Cup and you too, fail your IIT-JEE entrance. However, your hero is still at it, obsessed with his craft and now an accumulator rather than a destroyer. Despite a lean patch, he says he must go on. He knows no other way.

Inspired, you also decide to take a risk and give IIT-JEE another shot despite relatives warning you not to. You throng the neighborhood tea stall, or even try to watch matches on the neighbor’s television from your terrace. Gen Z heroics give you unforgettable moments such as the six sixes, a World Cup win against Pakistan, led by Captain Cool’s last over gamble. Meanwhile you work harder than ever and finally make it to IIT Bombay. Your father is finally proud of you. You’ve learnt that dark days are inevitably followed by a new and bright dawn and that bold decisions do have a payoff, provided you give it your all.

Phase 5:  The Best Cricket Team, but an average fanboy.

College Life begins. You are overwhelmed with the sheer talent & drive of the people around you. You discover that Mechanical Engineering doesn’t really interest you, nor does English Premier League or Psychedelic Rock Music. You are among the handful who are unplaced after a month into placements. Your one-sided love story is also going nowhere. You just wait for engineering to end.

Your lows coincide with some lofty highs for Indian Cricket. Your hero discovers a second wind and conquers a peak no one had scaled before. 200 not out. Cricinfo crashes. While you remain average, your team becomes No. 1 in the World.  You watch each and every match of the 2011 World Cup. How can you not? You feel the relief when Yuvraj exults in victory against Australia erupt in absolute joy in IIT Bombay’s convocation hall with 5000 other students when “Dhoni finishes off in style”.

Mumbai goes bonkers and comes out on the streets and so do you. These are moments that you will cherish forever. Kohli raises your hero aloft and talks of his burden. He speaks for you. He understands how you feel. There are tears everywhere, including on your cheeks, as your hero finally gets what he has cherished for so long.

 You get your own moment soon, as you crack CAT and make it to IIM Lucknow. Even though you don’t know it at the time, you meet HER – Yes, the one, who is now my soulmate. This phase teaches you to believe in the power of dreaming big and above all , continuing to dream and not losing hope, come what may.

Phase 6: “Hero” gives way to the “King”

2013 to 2019 : MBA Life and Beyond.

You’ve done fairly well in B-School and will leave with happy memories and a well-paying job. Your life as a student is coming to an end, but being the youngest in your MBA Batch, you still feel like a kid.

Your hero announces his retirement. In that rude jolt of a moment you knew was coming, you realize that your childhood is finally over. You are abroad on Student Exchange and frantically arrange an illegal stream to bid him goodbye. The farewell speech feels like a funeral. You are bawling as you do not know what life will be without him taking guard, nodding his head and straight driving past the bowler for four.

You hate your job. You begin to care for little other than your pay-cheque. You switch jobs to a role you like, but which keeps you busier still. You get married and start to travel for work very frequently. You only manage to catch sly peeks at the scoreboard tab on CricBuzz while India make the semi finals in 2015 & 2016 World Cups but fail to win. It hardly affects you as Cricket doesn’t feel the same any more. Your father is sad, that his son no longer has the time to “watch and feel” Cricket.

A new group of fearless and extremely talented cricketers is now emerging, still led by Captain Cool, but is now clearly the “King’s” Team. He has become a colossal giant in these 3 years since hero’s retirement and you almost feel guilty for thinking that “Gosh, this guy is even better”. He helps you re-discover your love for Cricket, with his energy, passion and mind-boggling consistency.

The 2019 World Cup Arrives - You are in your notice period now, moving to a better job abroad soon and hence, have all the time in the world to watch cricket. Hitman brings you immense joy with his five centuries but fails in the semi final against NZ. You pray silently but Captain Cool is heartbreakingly run out. Your entire office, including colleagues, clients and office boys are depressed, once again reminding you how cricket unites us all. Your father surprises you again, by calling you to ask if you are okay.  You laugh feebly and remind him that you are not a kid anymore. But deep down, it rankles badly. You call in sick the next day and decide that cricket is not worth the high emotional investment.

Few months later, you hear about the Road Safety World Series. The adrenaline rushes back as you watch your hero and his clone roll back the years once again. The memories flow like Bira in a Gurgaon Brewery.

“You are a child again. A child who has grown up with Indian Cricket”