OM CRICKET- AY NAMO !. Review on Cricket

Origin of Cricket :Cricket's origin is obscure. Evidence suggests it was played in England in the 12th-13th century, and it became very popular there by the end of the 17th century. By the mid-18th century. the aristocracy had adopted the game. In 1744 the London Cricket Club produced what are recognizably the rules of modern cricket.

But who cares for the origin ? ( Who cares if Darwin did not inform us about the ''Missing link '' ? )

All I know is that Cricket is a game adored by millions & nothing short of a Religion specially in the sub continents. It's a game which can whip up extreme passion and unimaginable frenzy. So much so that at the end of a game we , in our saner moments , are forced to contemplate and think .. was this game worth all this tension ??

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Scene in a typical Indian Metro/City/Town/Village ( also count the rather obscure interior villages with one B&W T.V set ) on the day of a Cricket match...India Vs XYZ ( specially the shorter version ..the '' Limited overs '' or the more popular nomenclature ' One Day Internationals '

(Note: The intensity escalates manifolds if the match is between India & our very friendly neighbour ...Pakistan )

1. Streets :

 Wear a near deserted look .

 Little or no traffic on the busiest of the roads . Roads where you could barely crawl on normal days , allows you to drive at a speed of at least 40 km/h.

 Yawning Traffic policemen (They always yawn !!so what ? ) with a look of general amnesty glance at you lazily even while you are driving with one hand on the steering & managing the mobile phone with the other.

1. T.V Shops :

 Irate Shop owners sitting at the counter with a sick smile on his face .

 A motley crowd of curious onlookers are busy watching the match from outside the shop ( all the while engaged in an animated conversation with other onlookers and of course interspersed with some sagacious ( sic ) opinions . ( Birth right of all Indians ! we live in a Democratic country ? Don't we ? )

3. Average Indian homes :

 Male members glued on to the TV screen ,

 The lady of the house periodically rambles in from the kitchen wiping the sweat from her forehead and making statements like '' I only like Daniel Vettori ...he is sooooooo good looking na ? Even Mrs Chopra finds him very cute ''

On finding that there is nobody listening to her about her likes and dislikes ,will promptly yell at her son .... Sonu !! go and study ! ( Not that Sonu will ! ).Disgusted she will walk off with a huff .

 Grand ma in the other room ( with a counting bead in her hand ) will continuously whine '' No one ever bothers about me ..oh God please let me die '' and on realizing that she won't be missed at this juncture , will immediately ask '' Has anybody scored a goal as yet '' ? ( Goal ????? )

1. Colleges & Universities :

 The attendance drops considerably ( barring the studious variety from the fairer sex )

5. Offices :

 Some who are privileged to have a TV in the office lounge will be seen hanging around in the lounge in small groups, discussing every single ball bowled and every single stroke offered. They are not scared of their Bosses..not worried about sales pressure ..not bothered about deadlines ..they are men possessed ( I am one such ' Privileged ' person )

 Offices with no TV but with internet access will certainly have couple of employees logged on to Cricinfo.com or any such sites which gives an update on the latest scores. These employees will be visited by numerous colleagues , stopping by to catch up with the latest score.

 If none of these are available ..no problems !! This is when cell phones come in real handy . Simple solution .. call up home to know the score or send an SMS to get an update from the service providers.

In short ..life comes to a stand still. Nothing moves ..nothing & nobody works.

If there is anything that can inflict a  'Social paralysis' to our country, brief , as it may be, it has to be CRICKET

Wanna bet ...as to who is going to win the India /Pak series ???