Rain Rain go Away
Growing up with Cricket
The love for any sport has to begin somewhere. For me, the love of cricket began when I was 9. Too late, some of you might quip. But there is nothing you can do to change facts. To make it more interesting, I played cricket even before I watched it for the first time, and it had nothing to do with India’s technological backwardness then (I am just 20 now).
One memory which I have strongly etched in my mind is that of the rains. Aarghh! RAINS! Damn Rains! If ever there was something which could stop a cricket match most often, it was the rains. Often, on summer days, when the cricket match would be at its exciting best, or I would be on the verge of a milestone, it would pour. Poor me, I did not even knew how to swear back then!
Post summer, came the monsoons. Living in a monsoon affected country can have its disadvantages too. For over a month, the entire ground where we played on would be submerged by water and algae. Looking at the picture would give you a fairer idea.
People in India who played cricket in their childhood would relate to it. Sometimes, when the water had not fully receded, we would still go out and play. Diving in the puddles to take a really simple catch was one of my favorite actions. Returning home with bruises and stained clothes, was however not one of them. Mom used to be furious. But then, those were the days. These days, practicing in the University’s lush outfields sometimes brings nostalgic tears in my eyes. I get a feeling of where I was and where I have reached. Such is Life. A corner of my mind still tells me that those were the better days. We played for fun. Today, we play to win. The skills are the same, the attitude has changed. These days, playing a four day match, sometimes we relish some rain, something which would have been criminal during the formative years. I really miss and admire the way I started my cricket. This post is a tribute to the time which taught me the game I am so passionate about.
The love for anything depends a lot on the origins of the love, and I love the origins of my love for cricket
Thanks a lot for reading this article, it is a special one for me.
Yes rain does play a spoilsport but there is Kanga league in Mumbai (not too sure about the name) wich takes place during rains only.Its very difficult to play cricket during rains. I think its 20 overs or 10 overs a side and a score of about 60-70 is a challenging score.
Have never had an experience of playing competetive cricket in rains hope to play someday.Being a bowler i would relish those conditions.
thanks for rekindling the formative love of cricket in me… :)
you are welcome :)
Interesting ;)
One of the most surreal moment’s I’ve had on a cricket field involved rain.
Twas the Grand Final of the Bankstown District Cricket Competition - B Reverse Grade. We were batting first. So as usual (I’m number 11) I was down at the net bowling to the other batsmen. It was an overcast day, and then out of no where we heard a rustling kind of noise. It gradually got louder & faster. We looked to the source. What we saw was like a wall of rain just moving across the field towards us. It was awesome.
For the record - we won the match :D
yeah, rains do play a major role in cricket. Let us stop and pay tribute to the biggest game stopper in the history of the game.
atleast they give employment to statisticians like Duckworth and Lewis …Remember Mishra we studied tht method of calculating scores also.
that’s a really sweet and nice post Ankit. I can really feel your earnest passion and love for cricket.
I feel that rain is a blessing in disguise for modern day cricket. There is every effort to monetize from cricket in India. The monsoon is the only time when you cannot play cricket even if you want to. Well, indoor stadium cricket is perhaps only a season or two away.
yeah anurag, i very well remember it…
thanks a lot Michael, would love to engage in a wrestling bout with you sometime…. (of course i am kidding). But really, Cricket is my life…
And, Asian (of course thats not your name), indoor cricket has started in small leagues in Oz and South Africa. It is only a matter of time.
Thanks guys for all the wonderful comments. Really appreciated.