I should be dropped from the Kotak team, that too from the bloody B team. I seem to be in horrible form and like most bad patches, bad luck runs along side. The first match that I played this season I was doing well, knocking around, decent contribution. I hit a lovely cover drive on one knee piercing the offside. I am not likely to forget that shot. But then on some 20-30 odd I got run out. It was a silly mistake by the other guy and I was the one out. It was downhill from there. A few more lackluster matches thereon. On Saturday for some reason I was feeling like I was in some great nick. I knocked a few balls at the side and they went like rockets. I went in to bat with a swagger. This is my day. The first ball I got was a full pitch outside off stump. Bread and butter shot for me. Whack! Neatly hit over the long off area sailing away. I did not run. Six for sure, worst case a boundary. Now in Mumbai cricket is played on infinite maidans and the pitches are spread all over. So some pitch you will find that the offside boundary is at 35 yards and the leg side at a 100. Sometimes the long on is a normal boundary and sometimes it is defined loosely by a tuft of grass, a tree or the end of some other pitch in the maidan. The lengths can be completely random. So, coming back to the shot, I saw it sailing high and then to my horror, I saw someone under it looking at it. With over 50 - 60 cricketers on the field, you never know who for sure are the opposition fielders. Caught! First ball duck. When I hit the ball, I loved the noise of a sweetly timed shot, the trajectory, the feel. The team in the tents shouting, SHOT SHOT, six, four. Followed by the leveler – walking back into the tent without even a sweat, leave alone a score to your name.. On Sunday, was the lovely seven a side game. My traditional favorite. I normally do very well here. A few balls inot the match I was bowled by a decent Yorker. Fair enough. Happens to the beat of us. It did not help that I was in bad form. The next match I concentrated hard. Knocked a few balls around. Stroking it well. The guy bowling was pitching it well and bouncing it hard. You normally gauge the bounce in seven a side and hit through the line. With the old balls used you don’t get the swing that beats you. I charged down got to the length I wanted to swing over the top and the ball never got up. It kept low, almost close to the ground. It was the only ball in out innings that got variable bounce. Out again. When form deserts you, luck will too. Or is it vice versa. Ha-ha!
This made me even more focused on the fielding on both days. I am easily the best fielder in the side. I run the fastest, stop everything. No one ever chances my arm for a double. Now with the benefit of experience and reading of the game / batsman style, I normally know where the ball is going to go before hand. There was a key guy batting us out of the game. I knew he kept hitting to the covers. The bat face was opening a bit and the bowler was maintaining a decent offside line. I was fielding at point, just behind covers. I screaming at captain to get me one more fielder. I tried again after a few balls. I got the fielder from wide midwicket to point and stood at covers. Sure enough, two balls on and I got an awkward ball into my stomach for a nice sharp catch. Game changed. That opened their batting at the other end. We got them all out. The significance of the catch was not lost on the team who knew that they had dropped three before.
The fun of cricket for me is now completely mental. Physical is fun but the mental side is it. The ability to mentally change the game is a different high. I explained to the batsman later how I plotted him out. The seven a side game, the match can change by clever handling of the bowlers. In the B team we have many captains, but I was happy that the guy leading respected my experience and effected the changes I suggested. That way we start strong, hide a bowler in the middle and have options to finish strong. With only seven over to be bowled, it’s a rapid fire game with one mistake costing the match. We won both.
But I still need to be dropped on batting form alone. Probably my fielding and experience is letting me remain in the side. Not bad – best fielder and good experience is not something that comes together. Opposites do reconcile.
Here is Jispa's drawing and coloring. Ain't I a proud pa?
