The Cricketer

My love for cricket is acknowledged by all my friends but not my talent for the game. That is the reason even in my college days I never made it to the local team. I wasn’t therefore very keen on attending the matches featuring the team either.

Once in my life I not only made it to the local team but also played a match winning innings as well. It began ordinarily enough. I just came out of my house for a smoke only for another person from my building Raju Khakharia to insist that we troop out to watch a match being played by the local team. Brushing aside my protests that a pyjama was not a suitable attire for watching a match he almost pushed me into his car and dragged me to watch the match.

As luck would have it, the local team was a man short. The toss up was between me and Raju to make it to the playing eleven. Even I advocated Raju’s cause as he was a stroke player, while my chief talent consisted of being able to offer a dour defence to the most innocuous of deliveries. Raju for some reason was not willing and soon I was in the playing eleven.

The opposing team batted first and to be very frank I dont remember the score. It was our turn and the net result was that we had to get four runs with three balls left and with one wicket in hand. I entered the field as the last man. My team members had convinced the opposing team that I was injured and consequently needed a runner. This was done with the express intention preventing my weak running between the wickets being exposed to the opposition.

I took guard while my team watched more in despair than hope. The first ball came along and I was down the wicket in a trice lofting it over the head of the bowler. The applause of my team soon turned into expletives as along with the runner, I too had scampered. Luckily I managed to regain my crease while the runner ran two runs. Two balls left and two to get. We managed a bye of the next ball, and my team mate managed a single of the last ball for us to post a famous victory.

Needless to say I was madly congratulated by my team mates and my feat passed into local cricketing folklore. I also made a momentous announcement- retiring from all forms of cricket at the ripe young age of 27 years. After all it was better to go out when your team mates for once acknowledged your talent for cricket.