D213 is our apartment, four of us
share it. This Friday evening residents of D213 were putting some pretty
intense thinking for the game of cricket planned on Saturday morning.
Weekend cricket is informal and
not played with pre-determined teams. However there is a clear informal line
which separates the two teams – one team considered as naïve and inferior by
the other team implicitly. Four of us who share an apartment ended up playing
on same side. We were the ones considered naïve and inferior.
Previously when we four were
playing from same side, we lost a very close game – a bit like India’s loss to
Australia in Sydney under Anil Kumble’s captaincy. Since then the desire to win
had only sharpened among us, and though no-one directly spoke of it, we were
looking to win and set the record straight. There is a special joy in startling
the opposition, who has written you off as an inferior side, with stunning
performance in any sport; more so in cricket!
Our opposition team started
rather well, with scoring almost 6 runs an over without losing a wicket, and
were looking to put up a good total. Unfortunately we dropped a few catches and
that allowed them to score a decent total of 71 runs in 10 overs. Ram who has
transformed from a stop-gap bowler to a regular strike bowler bowled full quota
and took crucial wickets to put some breaks in the free flowing innings from
the opposition. I also got a wicket and bowled rather tight last over of the
game.
In steep chase of 72 we lost a
wicket on score of 0 and in walked Nilesh, who is famously known as Shahid
Afridi of D213! His innings though was very unlike Afridi, this time. He nudged
the ball around and dealt in ones and twos.
On the other end was his best friend and an ideal partner – Satish. He
also has a reputation of a big hitter but today he applied himself like never
before. His stroke-play was amazing, with a reverse sweep to a pace bowler
being the highlight of it! Both of them were going 6 an over, and looked in
complete control while they were on crease. After 6 overs we were 38 for the
loss of just one wicket!
7th over was the one
when Nilesh and Satish decided to go after the opposition. Both of them got six
each, and their sixes are not normal sixes, they are monstrous hits that make
bowlers feel weak in their knees. With two sixes and a boundary, they amassed
16 runs in 7th over. This made the equation 18 runs in 18 balls.
However on the first ball of 8th over Nilesh got out against a run
of play.
Memories of collapse after his
wicket in last game haunted me as I walked in, with side needing still 18 in 17
balls. After taking a dot ball, I took a single and Satish came on strike. He
played couple of dot balls and got out on the last ball of 8th over.
This wicket allowed our fourth flat-mate, Ram to enter the match at a crucial
time.
Before 9th over, when
we were in the middle I told Ram that between the two of us, I will chance the
arms and he will try to bat through the innings. 9th over started well for us with a
double and a wide. Bowler was the quickest from the opposition but I kept
driving and cutting all through the over – we ran well and took 4 twos in the
over and got one wide as bonus!
With last over and 8 to win, it
was still anyone’s game. Especially in Denver where grounds have very heavy
outfield and ground-shots typically are not always well-rewarded, 8 runs was
still defendable in 6 balls.
Between the overs, Ram told me
that he will now go for it from the first ball itself!
First ball of the last over went
straight over the bowler’s head for a six! I was thrilled and told Ram that it
was perhaps the best time to pull out the straight six. Fueled by a lot of
intent and aggression he sent the next ball also over the bowlers head for the
same result! We had successfully chased the target and won the game!
Next week two of our friends are
leaving for India, for holidays. This was a wonderful way to bid good bye.
