The name of the game is Cricket

We are merely one day away from the final cricket match between England and India for the NATWEST trophy. Irrespective of what the outcome is, this one-day Cricket series has been the most fascinating and entertaining one I have seen in a long long time.

I am from the dying breed of cricket aficionados though I have only ever followed and played one sport religiously; Cricket. But for the last one year or so I have consciously contributed to the fast declining viewership of this sport. I would not want to get into the factors that have contributed to this change but instead talk here about the beauty of this on-going series, slated for a beautiful end.

For starters, it has finally been a battle of the ‘equals’. And this I say with all the pun intended. The two cricket teams have matched each other equally in this series. In terms of spirit, exuberance and performances. Both teams have come back to win the game from an almost lost ground and have also been supremely on the top for an arguably even number of times. A million nails have been sacrificed to the anxious heart across the oceans. A million lips have received that rare full stretch. And of course, thousands have been witness to the toothpaste deprived individuals; or should I say Gentlemen ;)

I don’t remember having seen so many runs scored behind the wickets in one series. And I have also not seen Tendulkar exude this kind of confidence and aggression in a fairly long time. He, for me, has been the second highlight of this series. It’s been a comeback of dominance. Period.

I heard crackers punctuating the end of a cricket game again. The night sky was alive with the radiant smiles from people beneath. I saw so many strangers on the road, huddle together outside a TV shop once again; making enough to room every time to accommodate that one extra joinee to their private mini stadium where all you need to enter is not a ticket, but simply the desire and passion for the game. On a regular day or should I say on a cricket-less moment, the same junta would have jumped at the opportunity to beat up the very guy they made that extra room for; and that too for a trifle. That’s what this sport does to the country. Unites us like nothing else does. Its like the Indian DNA.

But just when I thought that we were losing this sole binding force to reckon with in India, other than a world war may be, this series has made me think again. And for this I am indebted to it.