Silly M(a)id-on

Cricket for me is more than just sport. It has acted as a backdrop for fun times spent with friends and family. I have turned to it for inspiration when feeling bogged down by circumstances. Lately, I have also found it to be a sensible way of letting off steam. Curse that damned fielder who dropped the catch instead of yelling at your boss and getting fired :D. And of course, it has given me ample opportunites to celebrate the numerous hard earned triumphs. This game is one of those things that can evoke high passions in me. A smooth cover drive, a straight six over the bowler’s head, the sound of stumps being flattened by fiery pace, the almost-nicked deliveries, batsmen foxed by awesome googlies and dusras. What is not to like about this wonderful game?

So where did it all start? It’s all in the family dude!! My dad and a lot of my cousins are ardent followers of the game. One of them runs a popular blog. Cricket and I flirted for a bit for the first time in ’92. The backdrop was the one day series in South Africa in December that year. Schools were shut down because of the unfortunate riots that had broken out in India. So, since I could stay up late, the best thing to do was to follow cricket with my dad, me with my endless questions about the game and my dad only too happy to pass on the knowledge. Slowly I picked up the finer nuances of the game and began relishing Test contests too. During family gatherings I found myself sitting with dad, uncles and “bhaiyas” more interested in heated debates related to the game rather than spending time with my (girl)friends, who would inevitably get bored and leave. And by the time the ’96 WC began, I was hooked. The rise of Rahul Dravid later that year only increased my love for...err..the game :).

This blog is a space for my thoughts about the goings-on in the world of cricket. As long as you don’t expect hardcore intelligent analysis, we should be fine :).

Uh, one confession before I end this post. Even after almost 16 years of following this game I..er...still don’t quiet understand how the whole lbw thing works. I have tried, but somehow I can never tell. There, I said it. You can shoot me now.