Let Cricket Be..

Let the Media, Sponsors and Fans stay out of sight,

God said let Cricket be and all was right!

(No apologies, but heartfelt gratitude to Alexander Pope for the inspiration)

It must be  a distraction and a tough going  for a team to have one billion non-playing captains, all of whom are experts in technique, strategy and tactics. To make matters easy for my “boys”, I have decided to relinquish my share of the responsibilities. By my  doing so, they will have one less person to please. Reflecting further, I felt  that by just stepping down, I would continue to burden them with the baggage of my opinions and expectations. Thus, I have made up my mind to exit completely.

It has been a joyous and satisfying journey. From the time I skipped classes for a game to arriving late and groggy for work (I fumed that the spineless BCCI could not accomplish something as simple as setting matches to convenient Indian times regardless of where they were being played), I can proudly say that my commitment never flagged.

All conversations emanated from or led to cricket. Cricket was the purpose of my existence as well as an excuse for not doing something (It is match day, yaar, can’t make it!). It was the reason why I could ignore unwelcome guests, got the inverter installed in my home and the 52inch LCD screen on the wall. In short, the game meant everything to me.

It was great while it lasted.

I now embark on what someone described as “a pursuit of life”. (Yes, that someone was Steve Waugh, a cricketer. Who else could have come up with something as profound?). But it is with more than a tinge of regret that I will not hold my breath for that Special Feat by the God of Cricket or fret over the value attached to His Abode by a stingy insurer.