Song of 1 billion

Well I know it’s a shame being an Indian that I do not watch the game of Cricket. I used to play cricket when I was in childhood and do remember asking for a cricket bat in return of scoring some high marks. But cricket did not fascinate me as stage shows did later. May be that’s the reason I didn’t get into watching cricket.

Whenever I sit with my friends in a tea shop, on compound walls and in bars I will pray that they should not speak about cricket. I will be a dumb and I don’t know any name of the players other than Sachin, Ganguly and Dravid and had to be mum till their talks on cricket get over.

Recently I won 2 tickets to Natwest Series match in Bristol at my work place. I casually mentioned this to my bitter…sorry better half and she was so excited like an electron towards proton. Had I said that we are not going for a match and we have better things to do on that day, I am sure to have faced a row from her. Unlike other houses where the wife watches movies, serials and the husbands watch cricket match, it’s a bit other way round in my case.

The Bristol stadium is not bigger than a corporation ground in India. We sat next to a group of college students to see the power of 1 billion. As the match started our guys roared for each and every ball which annoyed the ‘goras’ sitting near by. One Brit, turned back and commented at the Indian cheerers “Guys, cheer only for real cricket shots….it is a good shot for nothing”. In the very next ball it was the first four from Sachin and the cheer turned as scream. One guy from that group politely snubbed that ‘gora’ “Sir, is it a good shot for cricket…oh yes! by the way it’s a good shot for four runs”.

I got into the cheering mood, waving the Indian flag and blowing a horn while I saw my wife jumping for all the boundaries. I could see the real disappointment in everyone’s face when Sachin got out in 99 and brought back the cheer to the opponents. The match is indeed a memorable match to me as this is the first match I ever saw and fortunately India won the match.

On the way back home I was thinking how the 1 billion follow and cheer particularly this game. I would say this tempo shooted ‘only’ after winning the 1983 world cup. But it’s disappointing to know that India did not win a world cup after gaining this much of cheer.

A female cricket insect is attracted to the songs of a male cricket, arouses and gives him the larvae to cherish. Dear Cricketers, when are you going to hear the song of 1 billion and give them the world cup…..jus like dat!