How cricket became my life

“AB de Villiers is the most valuable cricketer of the planet.”

Adam Gilchrist

1999

A 6 year old boy from India . Toshiba 29 inch Television . Cricket World Cup Final. Australia versus Pakistan. Lords, London. Wasim Akram, Shahid Afridi, Glenn Mcgrath, Shane Warne , the Waugh brothers and 15 others . This was love at first sight. This was more than just a game . This is the story of ‘How cricket became my life’

2004

I was eleven when sports became a key part of our extra curricular setup in school. Fresh of the memory of the 2003 World Cup, where the Indian Cricket Team reached the final- cricket became an obvious choice of physical sport for me. The first thing I did was to buy a SG cricket kit , then pose for an entire photo session with the complete gear imitating all my favorite cricketers.

First few days of coaching were the best memories of my childhood. We were given catching drills, sprinting practice between the wickets and how to get the perfect bowling action in place . Kill the cockroach, pull the chain and release the ball as the clock strikes 2.

After the first few weeks of coaching I had decided that I wanted to be the fastest bowler the world has ever seen. Fast bowling always fascinated me. Pure adrenaline, running in fast, blood rushing through the veins and making the batsman’s heart beat anxiously as he waits .

Over the next few years coaching took up most of my time. Weekdays after school , weekend mornings and practicing even in my sleep . When I was not playing cricket , I used to spend hours watching highlights of cricket matches, playing book cricket and running around my drawing room trying to be the next Brett Lee. My mind was always being fueled by the passion to play cricket for my country.

2007

I was fourteen when India had gone to the Caribbean for the World Cup as one of the favorites . A team with the right balance of experience, youth and perfect bowlers for the conditions. What happened at the world cup however was a complete disaster . India lost against Bangladesh, one of the minnows at that time. Eventually India crashed out of the world cup at the group stages after losing to Sri Lanka . The entire nation was in shock and grief, including me.
This was one of the lowest moments in India’s cricketing history.

It was around this time when I hit a personal low as well. The young aspiring cricketer in me finally realized that the sport was not for me. My talent was not enough for the sport. There was no lack of love or hard-work . I had spent three years regularly getting coached. I was obsessed with the sport. My life revolved around it. I didn’t know what I would do next in life.

Would I start loving the sport any less now ? What would the reality of life throw up at me ? What exactly am I supposed to do next ?

Those were important questions , but another question worried the cricket fan in me. How would India come back from the turmoil of the 2007 world cup campaign ?

If only I knew at that time that the answers to all these questions would come soon . A long haired Indian wicket keeper would rewrite history.

Joy , Hope , Happiness awaited the nation in the years to come.

Continuation of this click 2007 onwards .