Silly M(a)id-on

So the other day I was talking cricket with NC and he asked me if I have ever played cricket myself. I recalled the following stuff -

1. Improvised cricket - the gear, a ping pong "bat" and ball. The location, my aunt's living room. The rules, only legitimate delivery is a full toss. Once you score 75, you retire. If you hit the wall below the tube light, it's a 4. If you hit above it, it's a 6. And if you hit the tubelight...you run away as fast as you can!!

I never reached the retiring score in that one.

2. Book Cricket - That does not need much explanation, does it?

3. Leg Cricket - Don't know if anyone else has ever played this one. My PT instructor used to say it was his invention. So basically, it was played with a volleyball. The bowler rolled it to the batter, ten pin bowling style. And the batter(kicker?) kicked it away for runs.

The acceptable modes of dismissal were bowled, run out and caught (yeah, no lbw's here :D). If a fielder caught the ball on one bounce with one hand, that was out too.

I did rock this one!

4. Cricket on top of Rala Mandal hill - OK. This one was a lot of fun. A bunch of us college friends hiked up the Rala Mandal Hill near Indore. Playing area was very limited (think of a badminton court). Due to lack of space, the rules were
- if you managed to put bat on ball you scored a run..unless of course, you were caught.
- You were out caught if the fielder caught the ball after one bounce.
- You could get bowled out.
- Nothing like a run out 'coz you are not actually scoring by running. You just switched strike at the end of the over.
- It was important not the slash hard at the ball, coz if a fielder could not stop it, it would defo go down the hill and that would be the end of the game! And then you would have to treat everyone to Ghamandi's Lassi (a popular place in Indore) :)

"Ok...this is fine" , I hear you say. "We've all done that or something similar...but have you ever played real cricket? The 11-players a side, being played on a field, with the normal rules applying?"

Ladies and gentlemen, I have...and here is the story of The Day I Played Cricket

For a second I thought my eyes were playing tricks...but it is true...

I need some time to digest this....

India win 2-1 as rain plays spoilsport.

Yay!!!

kthanxbye..