girisopinion
A typical cricket maidan where kids in India spend their weekend mornings playing cricket
Memories are something which we always cherish and some memories always linger in your mind. For me as a kid growing up in India playing cricket was normal. The best memory of playing cricket was when we formed a team and started playing with other teams over the weekends. It was fantastic experience. Getting up early in the morning going to the ground, pitching up the stumps and playing a game of cricket, that’s what most of the kids wanted to do in India. We were no different. We had a decent team and had lots of fun playing together.
We used to set up matches with other teams and played games almost every weekend. Even though we played for fun, the fact that we kept losing played on our minds a lot. This changed when we played a game against a team we did not even know, scored just 48 runs in a 12 over game and bowled them out for 48. So not exactly a win but a tie was good enough for us. This was the first time we did not lose a game.
The memory of the first game we won as a team is still fresh in my mind. We were playing a team who had beaten us couple of times before and this wasn’t a bet match. This was just a friendly game and they won the toss and elected to bat first. We did not start that well with the ball but eventually restricted them to a decent total. It was a 16 over game and we kept them down to 95. That wasn’t a bad score to chase in a 16 over game. We wanted to win this game badly and did not do a good job at the start though.
We were 17/4 in about 4 overs (I don’t remember the exact score or the overs but remember the situation) when I joined my cousin at the crease. Needing more than 6 an over and with just few wickets in hand (We don’t necessarily play with 11 players, depends on how many players you have available) we launched a great counterattack. I have had few partnerships with my cousin before but this was the best. The fact that we kept hitting them out of the park was amazing. I couldn’t believe that this was the same team to whom we had lost before.
At the end of the 14th over we needed just 4 to win with both of us still at the crease and I was really nervous as this was going to be the first win for us ever as a team. The first three balls of the over, I wasn’t able to get it away and I decided whatever happens I am going to throw the kitchen sink at the next ball I am going to face as we had enough batsmen in the hut even if I got out. The ball was short outside off stump and I hit the ball as hard as I could, the ball sailed over the boundary over the cover fielder for a six and that was it. The first time ever as a team and we had won a game and that too comprehensively. It was a great feeling. Even though it was just a tennis ball game and wasn’t a bet match we enjoyed the victory.
We would go on to win couple more games after that but nothing as sweet as the first one. We stopped playing after that summer as people got busy with academics and I left to US the following winter for studies. But those memories will never fade away. Memories are all we carry throughout our lives and that sure was a great one for me.
