Street Cricket - Here to stay

While watching one of the cricket crazy channels on TV, I could not help but get goose bumps after watching the new advertisement by Coca-cola. Especially with Sachin chipping in at the end with “Khelte raho khush raho” , it just sums up the passion of cricket in India.

If I were to talk about my own city, I was driving on the streets of Ahmedabad on a Sunday morning, and it was impossible to ignore the fever of cricket. Young boys with cricket stumps and bats on their laps were driving their two wheelers to go play their respective matches. People of all ages were ready to take on the Ahmedabad heat and fight it out in the middle. It was 7:30 in the morning at the University ground and thousands of cricketers had already started playing. Here is where some of the most ferocious hitters of the tennis ball are born.

This scenario would be similar in many cities where tennis ball cricket is played. The matches are pretty similar with the 16 overs per side format. The fact is that you can’t ignore the millions of cricket lovers who play day in and day out with the tennis ball. Even in the small streets where the rules of the game differ from street to street, the passion is immense.

“Pairo mein chappel nahin, aankhon mein gogal nahin” is a quintessential street cricketer. What these players have to play through is the pain of people who do not like young boys playing cricket on their streets. There will always be someone or the other who is concerned with their glass being broken, in addition to the cranky old folks who refuse to return the ball until you bring your parents over to talk.

Such is the case even on the University ground where the rules are made but are not necessarily followed. There is no Camera, so the run out always becomes a matter of debate. Sometimes I think cricket is such a complicated sport that even after playing it for the past 15 years, as there is always a different problem that comes up and leaves all the players on the ground scratching their heads. But that is what this sport is all about. It is complicated and it suits the Indian way of living.

Every format provides a different type of fun in cricket. Tennis ball cricket players are here to stay, since the BCCI does not take care of the youngsters, nor do they provide budding cricketers with the facilities that are needed. Whatever happens, we all know that a cricket lover will wake up every Sunday even if it means playing with a tennis ball.