Sports Fiction - The Redemption That wasn't

 Year 2008 – India vs Australia, 5^th ODI, Mumbai. Series Decider

*This match is going down to the wire. 9 required now of the last over. Sachin Tendulkar has played a lone hand for India, yet again. Can he finish things off? It will be Shiv though facing up to Brett Lee, Here we go* rung Ravi Shastri’s voice

Shiv was sweating and nervous. The manic crowd atmosphere wasn't of much help either. *Sachin, Sachin clap clap clap* echoed around the stadium. The pressure was on him to take an all important single and give Sachin, his God the strike. To make matters worse, it was his debut. He was 27 years old. A late debut for an Indian Cricketer, but he had finally made it to the big league. He had given a decent bowling performance picking up 2 wickets for 45 runs. But this was much more than he had bargained for. He had hoped the batsmen would finish the job, but no. Shiv checked on his gloves, adjusted his helmet, took a deep breath, tried to calm his anxiety and took guard.

Brett Lee was charging in. Shiv had seen this on TV before. He was used to sitting with his friends and watching in awe as Lee charged in towards the batsmen. But now, he was facing THE Brett Lee himself. No, there was no way he could do this. He backed off from the delivery at the last instance. *Sachin, Sachin* had now changed to *Booooooooo*. Shiv wasn’t sure what was going on. Sachin walked up to him, kept a hand on his shoulder and said “Don’t worry man, You will be alright. Just put bat on ball, and run. Go for it, Let’s do it for our team”. Shiv nodded meekly.

Sachin walked back to the non-striker’s end. It was only then something struck Shiv. Sachin had just told him it will be alright. SACHIN had told him. Everything had to be alright then. With a new found confidence, Shiv took guard. A charging Brett Lee now looked like a Mozart's piece in motion. It could do no harm. With each of Lee’s steps, Shiv’s confidence bolstered. Lee unleashed one of his lethal bouncers. Shiv closed his eyes, semi-ducked and semi-swayed away from the incoming ball, lifted his bat above his head, shouted “jai mata di” and wafted his bat in the air. And ran. In spite of all his theatrics, the ball had dropped just behind the stumps. He ran, Sachin ran, Lee ran, Wade dropped his keeping gloves and ran, David Warner, from point, ran.

*A Nasty bouncer from Lee, Shiv gets his bat on ball. The ball drops just behind the stumps. This could be a tight run*    

Shiv saw nothing but the non-striker’s end. He had never run this fast. For that instant, he looked like an Indian Olympic hopeful. As soon as he neared the crease, he put in an almighty dive and made it. He felt relieved, kind of elated. Sachin was going to be on strike now. 8 required of 5. Easy that. But the relief was only for a wee bit. The crowd was hushed. There were a few celebratory calls, but they sounded foreign. He checked the stumps at his end, the bails were intact. "Oh Damn, don’t tell me what I think has happened",

*That is a massive blow*

Shiv got up and turned back ever so slowly.

*Shiv, on debut, might have just cost India the match here*

The Australians were mobbing Wade and ruffling his hair.

*Sachin is gone for 97. India in deep trouble. The Australians will think this is in their hatchet. But as they always say, It aint’ over till the fat lady sings*

Yes, That man with Jersey No.10 was walking back to the pavilion. The crowd was stunned. Sachin Tendulkar was run out trying to attempt a non-existent single. Shiv, on debut, had run the Little Master out.  In Mumbai. Sachin’s home ground. He hung his head in shame. Shame was too soft a word. He was standing there at the non-striker’s end feeling like digging a ditch right beside the pitch and burying his face in it. The fat lady had sung for him. 

Year 2018- India vs Australia, Bengaluru. T20 World Cup Final

*The crowd is electric here as the match has come down to the wire. 10 required of the last over for India to lift the T20 trophy. Shiv in his final match, will it be a fairytale ending for him?*

Shiv was standing in the non-striker’s end. This was his final match. He had called it quits. He had quite an accomplished career. His batting had improved drastically since his horrific debut match and had a decent bowling record to go with it. He was India’s long impending answer to the “Who after Kapil Dev” question.

In spite of having a career which included a T20 WC win in 2016, overseas test series victories in South Africa and Australia, and 10 test match tons, It was his debut which flashed in his mind as the match approached the last over. It was 10 required of the last over again. He was donning the role of a senior batsman now. No, he was most certainly not thinking of himself as Sachin Tendulkar. That would have been criminal. Nor was the person batting along with him exactly a debutant. He had 10 matches behind him. But, somehow he felt this was similar. He felt a sense of deja vu.

India had lost that match by 7 runs due to his ineptness, and hence had lost a home ODI series. The situation was quite similar today. India needed 9 runs to get of the last over with just 2 wickets remaining. Shiv was on 32 and couldn't take a single of the last ball of the penultimate over.  Prashant was going to be on strike. He had to ensure that Prashant didn't make the same mistake. The single had to be taken first ball. Period.

The stakes were much higher here. It was the finals of a world tournament. Shiv wanted to make his exit in the grandest style possible. He wanted to hit the winning shot. He was probably being selfish, but for all that he had done for Indian Cricket he felt this was pardonable. On second thoughts, he wasn't really being selfish. Shiv facing 5 balls would win the match for India. Where is the selfish here? But this was about redemption. His debut performance had always been hurting him. He could change everything with this match, or so he felt. His mind was clouded with all these random thoughts.

The stadium was buzzing. The final was in Bengaluru. Not in his hometown. Phew! At least one thing that is not similar. He looked back at who was being given the ball. James Pattinson it was. AH! There goes another similarity. A fast bowler. Why can’t it be Glen Maxwell? Shiv met Prashant in a mid-pitch conference. “I am not gonna tell anything different. Just take a single. First 5 rounds is on me tonight”. Prashant just smiled and nodded. Shiv was confident that Prashant will do a much better job of this than he had done in THAT fateful match. He smiled to himself and went back to the non-striker’s end. Edgy, smiling and somewhat confident.

*So, here we go. Pattinson Charging in. It’s the rookie Prashant on strike. Can he sneak in a single from somewhere*

As Ravi Shastri’s voice was rumbling the television sets at home, the Bengaluru crowd was buzzing with excitement and nervousness.  Shastri with his clichés was right for once. Pattinson was actually charging in. Prashant looked confident, but his heart must have been thumping.

It was a bouncer. Another similarity. Prashant brought out his best hook shot. But it was only as good as getting a top-edge. Shiv bellowed “Ruuuunnnnnnnnnnn”. Prashant ran. Shiv ran. The ball flew. Wade ran. Starc ran from Deep Fine Leg and Steve Smith ran from Mid-Wicket.

*The ball has taken the top edge and this has gone really high. Three people converging. Who is going to take it?*

Shiv knew there would be no problem completing the run, but he wanted Prashant to stay with him till the end. Playing 5 balls with just 1 wicket remaining was going to be risky. Keeping one eye on the ball, Shiv ambled on to the striker’s end.

*Would you believe it? The ball has bisected the three fielders perfectly. Superb placement by Prashant. More importantly, that brings Shiv on strike. India would now feel they have one hand on the trophy already*

Yes. Prashant was safe. Somehow, none of the 3 fielder had managed to grab the ball. The run was completed quite safely in the end. 5 balls, 9 runs, 2 wickets, Shiv on strike. Shastri had got it right again; India now had one hand on the trophy. Or at least that’s what Shiv felt.

….

…..

…….

*Shiv finishes off in style. India retains the T-20 trophy. After a humdinger of a contest, India have got the better of Australia. And it is that man Shiv again. Doing it for his team in his final match*

Shiv had done it. If there was ever a fairy-tale ending, this was it. He had slogged the 4^th ball of the final over, through the mid-wicket region for 4. The match was in the kitty. The trophy was India’s. India was now the No.1 team in the world in all 3 formats. Personally, Shiv had just accomplished a perfect retirement. His career was pretty short by Indian standards. Little less than 10 years. But he had a cricketing resume that anyone would have been proud of. Hitting the winning runs in the finals of a global tournament in his retirement match was now going to be the highlight.

Shiv was letting the moment sink into him .His team-mates had mobbed him and the celebrations were on. Shiv was struck between being emotional and elated. It was a wonderful place to be in. “Not just the first five rounds, the entire party will be on me today”, Shiv thought to himself.

…….

…..

….

"Man, why do I think so much. Shut down your freaking mind. Yes, this match is ours. Just finish it off dammit”, Shiv muttered to himself.

The Australians were taking a bit too much time to get their field right. This was the only trophy that had never adorned their extensive cabinet. They couldn't let this one slip.

Shiv took a few deep breaths. He had done this before. He had won matches for India on his own. But somehow this felt different. One, he had never done it in this kind of a tournament. Secondly, he had put himself in an undue pressure of this being his final match and all the redemption thoughts. 

*The Australians have finally managed to get their fields right. Here we go, Pattinson to Shiv. Where is Shiv gonna make this one land?”, Shastri was in his element that night. This kind of a situation was made for him*

Shiv dug his bat on the pitch. His mind was still cluttered, but he knew what he had to do here.  The fine leg was up, and he was going to scoop this. Regardless of where the ball was pitched, the ball was going up, over and between the keeper and short fine leg.

Pattinson looked menacing as he began his run-up . Prashant was in all readiness to take a cheeky single or convert the single to two. But Shiv had made up his mind; he was not going to run. The ball was going to the boundary. Pattinson in his delivery stride, Shiv made his initial movement and crouched a little. 

The ball was delivered.  145kmph. By the looks of it, It was going to be on a good length, just around the line of off-stump. Shiv made his moves, the bat now resembled a ramp and he was just waiting for the right moment to direct the ball to the boundary. The ball kissed the bat, as Shiv tried to hoick it over the keeper’s head.

*What has Shiv done here? This is disaster for India. The middle stump has gone for a walk*

The ball did not hit the meat of the bat. It did not get the elevation that it needed to. It just followed the path it was destined for and hit the middle stump at the top. The bails flew and the stump cartwheeled.

*Shiv let the pressure get to him. You got to question the shot selection here. India are now 9 down. With 9 required of 4 and the main batsman back in the hut, this should now be Australia’s game to lose*

Shiv had screwed it up again. This was everything that he feared. He had messed it up for India yet again, albeit in a completely different way. He stared away at the cartwheeling stump and sensed an elated Pattinson pass him to celebrate with the keeper. The crowd was hushed. The Indian dugout had their heads in their hands, visibly stunned. Shiv began the longest 70m walk he had ever taken/will ever take in his life. Fairy-tale endings are not as frequent as they should be. Shiv finished his career just the way he started it. Redemption was not his solace.

*But as they say, It isn't over till the fat lady sings*

Yes, few things don’t change. India had lost the match by 7 runs.  Australia had lifted the 2018 T20 World Cup.

Indian Culture : Moulded, Bred and Confused.

There have been many arguments erupting over the past month or so on how the impact of Western Culture on India is eroding our values. A few counter arguments suggest it is India’s Culture which is flawed and needs a makeover. If both these sides were allowed to lock horns, it would probably be a stalemate.

This brings us to a question. Is Indian Culture a cusp of the Western and Eastern Cultures, slowly inclining more towards the western end of the balance scale? Why is it that we Indians find it easier to live in countries like United States, UK or Australia than living in a country like Malaysia, Saudi Arabia or UAE, even though the latter is much more similar to us than the Western nations? Language is one of the most important determinants of Culture. English is the Business Language in India, and the preferred form of communication for a majority of the urban population. Isn’t that another box ticked in the Western Culture checklist?  So, what exactly is Indian Culture?

Let us try to break this down. When we hear Western Culture, USA and UK are the two countries which spring to mind. UK is different for it has always been an independent state. USA was a British state and it gained independence in 1776 from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Prior to the British Empire, which started roughly in the early 1600’s with the invasion of Bermuda, America was inhabited by Native Americans who were nomadic and not particularly “civilized”.  So, with the British settlers coming in there was a sea change in America. It gained independence from the British Empire in 1776. That is a good 230 odd years ago. So, the current USA civilization, and even the UK is quite old and has had significant amount of time to adapt, develop and cultivate its own culture, i.e. the Western Culture.

If we talk about India, the Culture is a direct derivative of the Vedas, Hinduism’s oldest scriptures. These scriptures were written way back in around 1700-1100 BC. Since then, India has gone through the Persian and Greek invasions, Maurya dynasty, the Kushan Empire, the Gupta Empire etc in the medieval period.  Moving on to the early modern era. In 1600s, Mughals and Marathas were ruling over the Indian subcontinent, followed by the British Raj from the 1800s till India’s independence in 1947. Hence, by the time India had gained Independence, it had gone through a multitude of cultures and the real Indian Culture was nonexistent. It was a new India now.

The new India is just 66 years old. In Country years, it is quite young. India’s civilization is still evolving and is just about reaching the stage when it has started adopting and developing its own Culture. If one goes through the American History, it wasn’t until the latter part of 1900s that USA truly started developing into the nation it is today. Secondly, India has had many a cultural influences on it over its history. Considering 1600 to be the baseline period for Modern History, USA had the Influence of only the British settlers. India had the Mughals, Marathas, the British Raj and many other small kingdoms south of the country. These varied influences gave varied cultures in different parts of India. There was no one single culture for India as a country. Even as of today, each and every state of India has its own language, cuisine, music, i.e. Culture.

There are also social and economic reasons for cultural cocktail in India. India opened its economy to the world in 1990, and that was also the time when the dotcom revolution was taking shape. By 2000, Internet was gaining social acceptance in India and was moving from a luxury to necessity. Young India was exposed to Western Culture and they embraced it because it was “cool”. The connect with the Rest of the World was quite literally a touch away. The same is not true with USA or UK. They were seldom exposed to the Rest of the World when they were developing as a nation. With the increased exposure, people in India were also willing to invest in foreign products and education, hence further broadening their awareness of foreign, i.e. Western Culture. All this whilst sticking to their roots, or at least trying to. Further confusions for us poor Indians.

India as of now is a confused nation caught between the “Let’s get back to our roots” and “Lets endorse Western Culture” frames of thought. Considering the various things going on in India, it isn’t necessarily a good place to be in. Going back to the roots and endorsing the “real” Indian Culture is not a practically viable option. Completely adopting the Western Culture will make India lose its real identity, and is again not the most viable option. Entering its 67th year as an independent nation, India is reaching a stage where it is beginning to adopt the best of both cultures. The New Indian Culture if one may.

It is high time India stops harping on the Western vs Eastern debate. A person going to a temple early in the morning, in a sari or dhoti and having Dosas or Dhoklas for breakfast, is as much cultured as a person going to a night club in jeans or gowns and having a drink or chowmein. The “esteemed” politician, higher authorities and a vast majority of the Indian Population who declare that India should shun Western Culture need to understand that Culture doesn’t commit crimes; it’s the individual’s mindset which does. Culture ain’t got anything to do with it. India with a mix of both cultures will do just about fine; it’s our minds which needs some cleansing. Jaago India Jaago.

Move over T20's, November is Test Match time !

After a T20 overdose over the past t2o months, which saw us sitting through 58 T20’s over 42 days, its finally some serious cricket time. Its Test Match time baby. There are plenty of test matches on the horizon. So many that, there wont be a single day from November 9^th to December 9^th when there will not be a test match played. I for one don’t mind this overdose.

So, we have 4 test series lined up for us this November. It starts off with Australia vs South Africa on November 9^th which will be a tussle for the No.1 spot. Will be interesting to see if the newly crowned Test champions do better than their predecessors against a gritty Aussie unit at home. Will the young Aussie quicks make their mark against the might of Kallis, Amla, Smith and DeVilliers. Can the Aussie batsmen handle the Saffer pace Attack. And, also Will this series be the end for Ponting? 

Next up is Bangladesh vs West Indies, starting from November 13^th. Not necessarily a contest many people will be looking forward to. The T20 champs will be in the house for the first time since their victory. Can they come off their gangnaming and switch to Test Cricket Mode? Whereas Bangladesh, Can they finally convert potential to Victory? Seriously, No more minnow talk please.

And then, is the 2^nd big series. India vs England. A battle of two “Lions at home, Lambs overseas” teams. A battle of two former No. 1 teams. And also, a revenge series. Indians will not be pleased with anything less than 4-0, England will be pleased with even a 1-1. KP “Reintegrated” back into the English team, Yuvi might make a comeback to the Indian team and of course, Could this be Sachin’s retirement series? All these questions might put you into a “spin”, so tune in on 15^th November to find out the answers.

And finally, Its Sri Lanka vs New Zealand, starting from 17^th of November. The losing T20 WC finalists will be looking for some kind of redemption. New Zealand will be looking to win a test series against a team not named Zimbabwe or Bangladesh, for the first time since 2005. This is the only series for which the result looks a foregone conclusion, Sorry New Zealand.

So, November looks all set for some really good cricketing action, with quite possibly two legends hanging their boots (My Prediction). Next up, I’ll be giving my preview on The SA-Aus and Ind-Eng series. Ciao till then J