I let my imagination go wild

If you have read few of blog posts you would know about my love affair with cricket. Cricket has, in fact, hijacked the major part of my brain. Every form of cricket excites me. I love the history of the game and am keen to know how this great game came to being. I often wonder if we could pass this heritage to our future generations or will it be lost somewhere in the tide of time. Amid all this, there is one regret that I have. The regret is I do not know how to play cricket. The fact is that I am a terrible cricketer - Not even good enough to make it into the Departmental Cricket Team of my University. 

Despite my inadequacies, I have always wanted to play Test Cricket at Lords', the MCG, the Eden Gardens and every other hallowed venue. And I have done all that - in my imagination. Imagination is the greatest gift that a human has received. It is here where a man can fly and a blind can see. And it is here where all my cricketing ambitions are fulfilled. 

In this post, I would like to describe the events that have taken place, but since they took place in my imagination, no one else but me knows about them. 

My favourite story of imagination is winning a test match for my country, battling an injury and batting with the tail in the fourth innings. It is this imagination that gives me the greatest joy. We would be chasing some 270-280 runs in the final day of test match, probably at Chennai. The pitch has worn out. The ball is turning square when the spinners bowl and the odd ball from the quickies keeps low. It is a typical Chennai day. Grueling heat and humidity would be the conditions prevailing. It would be a full-house (although it is a rarity  in the modern day). Batting in Chennai heat would make me loose a lot of fluids and I would be suffering from some cramps. The top-order has succumbed  to the spin and low bounce and we would reeling at 150-160 for 7. I would be in resolute avatar, battling the turn and low bounce- sweating it out- taking the hard singles despite the pain - sometimes limping and yet maintaining a stern face. Sometimes I would come down the track and take the odd risk. None of these stories are complete without a tense finish. With 10 runs to victory, we would loose two quick wickets back to back. I would be on strike for the fresh over. Loads of things would going through my mind. 'Should I take a single or should I go for the big hit. I can't take a double because of my cramps.' Out of no where I pull off two boundaries. With two runs separating us from victory, the field is pushed in. I am restricted, and it goes to the last ball of the over. I take a chance and it pays off. We run to the dressing room in joy and my imagination closes with emotions running high! Probably a victory lap and the crowd chanting my name.

I have often imagined myself as a young batsman probably 18 or 19 making a debut in the toughest of conditions - probably Perth or Durban. My imaginations expand even to bowlers having a go at me. Probably Brett Lee after bowling a lethal bouncer would raise his eye-brows and say a few words to be. Perhaps, he would say 'This is test cricket...not a school game'. I would simply wear a shy smile but at the same time, my heart would be pounding. The senior batsman at the other end, would come down and calm me down. Like all the other imaginations, this too does have a fairy tale finish. After battling the fiery spell of fast bowling, which had included various words being said to me, I would end up scoring a well fought 100. The innings would include everything: fierce pulls, graceful drives and even some brisk singles. The crowd would stand up in applause. I would remove my helmet and look at the dressing room which would also be standing in appreciation. The opposition players would come to shake my hand and congratulate me.

Well, there is a lot more that has come and gone from my imagination. Sometimes I have captained the side to improbable victories. At other times I have bowled the opposition out of nowhere. Sometimes spun my team to victories and at other times it was my pace that has done the job. In the God's greatest gift to mankind - the mind, I have scripted so many stories which I wish had occurred.

How many of you other cricket fans have scripted such stories? :)