The 22 yard - Not so Long!

It’s funny how a game brings so many emotions together. Today, when I look back all these years as a fan and also as someone who dreams of playing cricket for long, I can well recall MS as one of the players who triggered a belief among whole lot of young population coming from tier-2 and tier-3 states, sweating themselves hard, whether it was cricket, badminton or any other sport/ game, it gave all of us a hope that yes we could be there, too

In a small town like Ranchi, where going with science means you are a respected Engineer, while commerce is treated as the 2nd choice, since you still cant be either an engineer working for an IT firm or a doctor, then, much of the reality is not known until we come out of the closet and get a reality check. MSD in the same world created a huge scope of possibilities for himself, not just by sheer luck (a lot of people believe so), but by consistent hard work and never backing down attitude, which perhaps inspired all of us. The immediate result of it was when many of the players from different sports also started getting some valuable recognition. I think this was a transition period of shift of belief among Indian parents that their kids too could be a sports star.

Back in those school days, we were crazy about his name, from leaving off the nets during our own sessions, each time he would be around in the academy for practice matches. I still feel those goosebumps looking for “Mahi bhaiya”. Yes, there are many who wouldn’t like him as much as his fans including me would do, but that’s how it is. As a fan I am grateful that I could well be a mindful follower of cricket and could relish the presence of some amazing players or rather trend setters.

If I take you back to the 90's, the name Sachin still gives us the starting point of definition of cricket, no wonder he will be always treated as the godfather, while Rahul dravid stood silently as an unbreakable wall for like 20 odd years, it was the Prince of Kolkata who pioneered the self belief and courage, not only among the players but also the fans watching Indian cricket that yes 325 is still chase able outside Indian subcontinent. If there was Anil Kumble and the Turbanator changing the course of the game in just a couple of overs, Laxman made the test matches difficult for Aussies even in their own soil.

With such wonderful batsmen around, led by Sunny Gavaskar and Dilip Vengskarkar in the 80's, it was Kapil Dev and Yuvi who stood apart from others, unpredictable complete game changers. Am still glad that Indian team once known for only producing top class batsmen is now standing out tall with bowlers like Bumrah, Shami and Umesh and Bhuvi, leading the pace attack. A special thanks to Zaheer Khan for being the pioneer to curate this Indian fast fast bowling in the right direction, teaching them the art of consistency towards bowling a reverse swing or a yorker, probably one of the finest Indian fast bowlers in all formats of the game.

Well, the names can never go out of our minds and it's a non stop list, whether we talk about the partnerships between Gambhir and Sehwag, or even Kaif and Raina saving the crucial runs in the 30 yard circle. With this younger side now having a strike rate of more than 90 and so, almost each of them, its amazing how the game has improvised, with chasing being a child’s play having Kohli and Rohit around.

But, why does MSD leave a special mark?

I believe it’s the way he led the side, he defined it how he was not taking a group of individual players, but a complete team out there within the 90 yards circle, all playing for one goal - love and passion for the country and the sport. MS led that foundation for all the players, whether it was about taking some bold steps in excluding some players or challenging the opponent with some brave moves and inclusion of young and unconventional players, he kept the game above all, and above all the individual performances, yet selfless enough to take the charge at lower down the order. For the ones who think he did not justify the efforts in test matches, well, I would request them to do a deep squat, pause for hours and then come back and bat at number 7 in the 4th innings. That average and efforts are not that bad for a wicket keeper batsman leading the side, that’s why we don't rate him at the top in test matches, though.

As a cricket fan and as a diligent follower of Indian team, I felt unmoved by MSD’s retirement, however am equally thankful to him for teaching us so many lessons for life, not only as a cricketer but also as a person, too, apart from the wonderful show of his street smart batting and leadership in last 15 odd years.

Love you Mahi.