"Mammam, don’t
turn off the TV. Baba is going to watch the match..” Then my dearest wife found
me looking for my writing notebook.”Won’t you watch the match?”
“No, I won’t.”
“You won’t!
Why? How much did India score in the match?”
“401!”
“Oh! That’s
why! India’s win is a foregone conclusion ……..”
The above
was a conversation between my spouse and me after India’s first innings came to
an end. I was dying to tell them about Rohit Sharma’s heroics at the Eden Gardens,
Kolkata, which is celebrating the 150 years, since the first match was played
there way back in1864!
It may be
India’s match at the Eden Gardens tonight like my wife said, but it is more of
Rohit Sharma’s match. I am a passionate cricket fan and have seen some great one
day knocks in my time. I remember India’s 1983 World Cup group match against
Zimbabwe. At one point India was reeling at 27 for 5. Most of the recognized
batters were back in the pavilion. Out came the Indian skipper, Kapil Dev, when
the fortune of the match seemed as good as lost. Kapil had other ideas and India’s Cricketer of the Century, went on to score a whirlwind 175! India won
the match and went on to win the World Cup against the mighty West Indies, the
winner of the first two editions of the World Cup, against all odds and
predictions! For the record, India scored a paltry 183 in the final and despite
the early dismissal of the openers, when Vivian Richard was going great guns, blasting the Indian
bowlers all over at Lords, I nearly went out of the room (I am a weak-hearted
sports freak and cannot ever bear the prospect of India losing a match)!
I also
remember the World Cup. when Mr. Dependable,Rahul Dravid along with the India
captain, Sourav Ganguli, went on making merry against a depleted Sri Lankan
attack by putting up a partnership of over 350! But the knock I have witnessed
Rohit Sharma play today at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata, is undoubtedly one of the
best, if not the most entertaining innings I have ever seen an Indian batter
play!
The
India-Sri Lanka fourth one-dayer took off at a precarious pace, after Virat
Kohli, won the toss for the first time in the series and decided to bat. It
looked ominous, when early in the innings, Rohit Sharma, who was making a come
back to the team after a lay-off of more than two months due to injury, was
dropped at deep third man by Tusara Perrera. Rohit was 4 at that time. The
Indian openers then applied themselves to the task and when the man in form,
Ajanka Rahane, looking solid at the other end, got out being unfortunately
adjudged LBW against the run of the play. Rahane had hit six crisp
boundaries during his stay at the crease.
Rohit Sharma
took his time and took a little more than 70 balls to score his fifty. But he
started thriving once Captain Kohli, joined him after the fall of Ambati
Rayudu, who had his off stump uprooted by a beauty from the comeback man in the
Lankan side, Eranga. Rohit made up for his slow-paced first fifty, by scoring
the second in 29 balls! The whole Eden Gardens erupted when he scored his
century. It was Rohit Sharma then all the way through! He went on to score 264
till he holed out trying to clear the fence, to the man at deep long on in the
last ball of the match!
I love India’s
former opening batsman, Sunil Gavaskar. He is one man who always had the best
interest of the country in mind, while playing for India. Besides, he is one of
those rare Indian Crickters, who showed the world that the Indians can play
cricket and hold up their fort against the fearsome pacers! Gavaskar is a
patriot to the core, but as a commentator, he rarely gives voice to his
feelings, when the Indians do well on the field. It was a big surprise
therefore, when for the first time in my life, I found him getting so very
emotional! Virat was run out by then due to a misunderstanding and as is his
wont, he grimaced while getting back to the pavilion. I do not know if he was
doing that in order to get the best of Rohit! After Rohit Sharma and Robin
Uthappa had struck up a partnership of 100 runs, in which Uthappa’s
contribution was a mere 12 (That shows how dominant Rohit Sharma was once he
got into his groove), the Little Master was heard saying:
Uthappa has
contributed. He has scored 12 runs in this partnership…….
When Rohit
made a delicate late cut, India’s former opener exclaimed: Delicate, delicate, and
delicate. Thrice!
But he was
so very charmed by Rohit Sharma’s awesome knock that towards the end of the
innings, when there were just a few balls left and India was getting closer to
the 400 mark, by looking at the viewers comments, India’s pride could not
control his emotion and said humorously:
But the
question is whether India will get to the magical figure of 450 or not! When there were just a few balls left.
I kept referring to Sunny Gavaskar’s remarks in
connection with Rohit Sharma’s heroics at the Eden Gardens, possibly to express
my own feelings. My heart was thrilled to the bits by this gem of an innings by
Rohit Sharma. I even was praying to God at one point so that this dream knock
would not come to an end! I do not know if I will ever have the good fortune of
being applauded by any of my idols or not, like the way our own Sunny Gavaskar
was doing it. But there is no doubt in my mind that I am fortunate in
witnessing history being created by this very humble Mumbyite. His knock was
special as
·
This
is the first time a cricketer has scored over 250 plus in an international one
day match.
· He is the
first man to score two double hundreds in one day matches.
He, inspite
of all his on field onslaughts, looked so calm, cool and composed when he was
being interviewed by the famous Aussie Commentator, Allan Wilkinson!
I am a die-hard Indian Cricket fan and want
India to win every match. In a very unsporting manner, I switch off the TV ( In
my childhood days, I used to break everything I could lay my hands on) whenever India fares miserably and our rock
star cricketers, have more often than not, disappointed me like no one else. So
much so that the news of cricket fans committing suicide or dying out of heart
attacks due to sheer frustration, has become some sort of possibility for a weak-hearted loser like me, But then on occasions like it was today, when Rohit’s feat
filled my heart to the brim, I thanked God for Indian Cricket and Cricketers. If
my life span has been increased even by a thin margin, after watching Rohit
play the way he did at the Eden Gardens this afternoon, thanks are due to this
gifted and one of a kind cricketer from Mumbai, nay india