I'm planning to retire too
... from cricket. Perhaps the day the little lad a.k.a the great man heads back to Bandra for the last time, I'll symbolically switch off the TV. I just don't have it in me anymore.Flash back to the late 80s and the early 90s. I watched every bit of cricket I could. I grieved when we lost (a lot). I learnt the meaning of the word 'exhilaration' when the Indian team won. There wasn't much in between. For a long while, my best moment in life (that's right, my own personal best) was India winning the Hero Cup in '93. Even at that age, I knew that personal highs lay far into the future - this was both an act of patriotism as well as an act of pure love (or so it seemed). As late as 2003, I was bitterly disappointed to have to travel to Ireland and in the process miss most of the World Cup. In the pre-cable days, I have spent standing on top of the sofa by the window to peek into the neighbour's TV to catch India v England in England. I loved the BBC commentary on radio. I was like that only.
I was also fortunate to see the Sachin era from start to finish. The Dravid-Ganguly-Kumble follow-up and the Azhar prelude bracketed it beautifully. I may have missed getting the most out of Akram, but I followed Warne, Rhodes, Gilchrist, the Waughs, the short-on-talk-only Windies and Brian Charles, the Flowers blooming along with the Zimbabweans (perhaps the most saddest story in recent cricket history), the natty New Zealanders. And so on. You know it's the nostalgia trip.
But I just don't identify with this team, or even with world cricket much more. There seems to be no flair whatsoever around, and there's not much on the horizon. What Bobby Simpson fears the most is happening pretty rapidly: teams aping Australia with a rapidity that is disastrous.
My friend Roshan will be pretty happy with my weariness: he always considered cricket to be a waste of time, a productivity-slaying-devil. It's just that there are so many things to do, and cricket isn't part of it. There must be other sports to watch, other passions to learn and be part of. I prefer watching arbit county cricket or Pura Cup action on the telly - guilt-free and zero emotional investment. Or play me replays of Warne switching on his array of headlights on some hapless South Africans and Englishmen. Will probably watch some of the Tests in Australia because I love watching cricket early in the morning. The promise of it all just hooks me. The rest of the day never lives up to it.
Sachin: tell us when you're going. I'm coming too.
8 comments:
IIRC, it's FORD RANGER Cup now. Sad. ;(
My sentiments exactly.
However, there is a slight difference. I think the great man is overstaying his welcome.
Well said, Ramamand, echoes my feelings too.
I just don't seem to attach emotions and involvement to every single match that India plays any more - I used to do that when I was little - esp. in the nineties (even though we used to fare really poorly abroad in those times).
One more thought that keeps crossing my mind - are we steadily losing the flair, charm and grace that the earlier generation of cricketers had? Is cricket heading the tennis way (barring the greatest exception of course - King Federer) - force and power taking over from elegance and sheer talent?
Sandeep: I really do not know, but empirically, it seems that hardly anyone can inspire any kind of excitement w.r.t their skills. I don't find the skills of Yuvraj or Dhoni to be anywhere in the league of the generation of cricketers before them.
Your point about tennis is very resonant. I was going to write in this in my post: "This echoes my fall from tennis as well, when Becker and Goran and Rafter went. But then, Federer has rescued me. Perhaps cricket's saviour is in a Swiss village somewhere, playing with cowbells and snowmen."
I hope this helps in regaining some optimism :-)
Sachin era from start to finish - On the evidence of the two 90's, the word finish seems like a typo!!!
Dhoni's batting might be agricultural but one cannot say that about Yuvraj Singh's batting. The 'class' batsmen left in the game include - SRT, KP, Yuvraj, Kallis (class, but I hate his dull dour game),Mahela Jayawardane, Michael Clarke, Gilchist,Ponting, Jayasurya. By class I mean these are the ones who would make me watch cricket instead of a re-run of a United-Arsenal game. If you look at the 'new/next' gen - then it is just KP, Yuvraj and Clarke.
Fair enough. Have always been a little critical of Yuvraj, I think. Anyway, now he's also playing back of off these days, so things have changed a little. Clarke is the only main hope left - good to see his Twinkle Toes to the spinners.
Well you were almost as nutty about as I was. Yes - 'was', but I have seen more crazier.
Talking about flair - as you have said hardly any.
May be Yuvraj in India, Clarke in Australia, Marlon Samuels in WI, AB DeVilliers and Gibbs in SA, sadly they have kicked Razzak out from Pakistan, NIL from Srilanka and England.
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