Ball, Bat, Bails and Life Lessons

My heart was missing several beats over the past five minutes. It would have missed even further. It was choking as well. The one that didn't miss, was pounding hard. Wasn't able to breathe easy. Couldn't even manage a smile. Anxious and nervous. The face stoic. Almost expressionless. Deceptive.

As I watched the monitor, I looked at the digital chrono on the screen. Another 7 minutes for the scheduled close. There! Another beat missed. And then came the final blow! And the heart exploded to a joy. I looked around. Nobody there. I managed a smile.

Five days of agony. And India had won!

For those who don't understand what that means, "Welcome to the life called Cricket." For those who say "Cricket? And Life? Bollocks!", I have just two words "Fuck Off!!!" And my middle finger to you as well Mr. Bernard Shaw! Some asses with a gift of words, seldom have gift of sense.

Cricket may not be the most beautiful game, for it is not about gimmicks and show offs. It certainly isn't any short. Even the shortest form runs for almost 4 hours. Test matches will be played for eternity. It isn't for the cheap thrills or the quick flings. It takes, as said earlier, an eternity.

It isn't just a sport. It is more than that. It reflects life. And life doesn't get over in jiffy. And nothing worthwhile ever gets over in a whiff.

Football may be the largest of sporting religions in this planet. Tennis might have larger fan following. Motorsports might make us "uzzz'' and "fizz". Basketballs may look sexy. So does Pamela. But then, greatness isn't about being "large", or "quick" or "sexy". It is about what it tells us and teaches us. What is being tested and how it is being tested. It is about what is being offered.

No other sport, ever matches cricket in terms of quantum of abilities and other endowments being tested. Football is more about skill. Yes it is also about stamina. There is grace. I admit. I have to, for I watched God in mercurial Zidane some four years back. It is one exceptional sport. But it is no match for cricket. Test cricket to be specific. And here is why.

Is there any sport, where the enrivonmental conditions have such a significant influence on the course of play? To my knowledge, no.

Consider this: Different types of pitches - some are flat, some are turners, some are pacers heaven, some are swingers den, some support skidding, some play slow, some play 'true'. Different sizes of grounds - a six hit in Eden Gardens would clear the Auckland Cricket ground by some ten miles. Adelaide Oval has got the among longest boundary straight down, and shortest squarer the wicket. Some grounds are oval shaped. Some round. Some look squarish.

There is the ball. Dukes. Kookaburra. The bat. Light weight. Medium Weight. Heavy Weight. The handle length. The variety of shoes for the player.

Is there any sport, which has so very very vastly different playing conditions? Again, no. (Except for Golf may be). Different climatic conditions. Some assist swing. Some supports drift. Some helps batting. Few helps bowling. And then, there is the grass, the outfield. Fast. Smooth. And what not. And I am not done with the various other factors. Playing conditions determines the choice of players. Nature of pitch affects the team composition. Six Batsmen Four Bowler or Five Batsmen Five Bowlers.

Then comes the fielding and field placements. Where to place them? Where to place whom? What decides these factors? Again the pitch, the bowler, the batsman, the direction of the wind, condition of the ball and the match position, to name a few.

And then, there are the players. What a wide variety of actions, styles, and mannerisms. Short run up and a smooth action of Wasim is one of the most pleasing sights from Cricket. So is Glenn Mc Graths. Shoaib Akhtar's run up is one of the most dramatic prelude to fast bowling. Sanath taking guard or Srikkanth's batting stance are equally interesting to watch. Who can ignore the helicopter shot of Dhoni? Or the brutual clubbing of Vivian? Nudges of Bevan? And of course, there is God - Sachin.

You have a variety of characters. Despite being a non-contact sport, cricket symbolizes war, and life. We are not speaking of battles; the gunslinger's five second shoot out preceded by feverish anticipation. We are not speaking about entertainment values. Just about War and Life. There is this stare from the bowler. There is this non-chalance (or is it indifference) from the batsmen. There is this "booohs" and "Ohh!" from the audience. There is this fancy umpiring antics. Each has his style of playing and expressing his anger and anguish. Celebration and ecstasy.

Is there any sport which tests persevearance? Who can forget that epic spell that Ishant bowled to Ponting at his pomp? What about Shakib Hasan and Mutihiah Muralidharans epic spells of non stop bowling? What about Gautam Gambhirs back to the wall batting to save a test match in New Zealand? Is there any sport, where there can be four results (Winning, Losing, Draw and a Tie), with each of them equally good. Sometimes, draw is a victory. Recent Test matches between England and South Africa yielded two of the finest drawn test matches, sending suspense dramas to the bin.

And people who speak about stamina not being tested in the cricket, consider this: Hanif Mohamad batted for a whopping 970 minutes in a cricket field in West Indies. Recently, Hasim Amla had a marathon innings at Kolktata ranging almost 8 hours over two days. Dhoni often spends a cool 15 to 20 hours in the cricket field over three four days. Squatting, standing, jumping, batting, running. This is excluding the amount of mental activity that goes on his head. Who to bowl, what field to place so on and so forth. Muralitharan has bowled non stop in a day.

That brings us to strategy. Cricket, to my knowledge, is among the finest example of a sport demanding war like strategy. Mind games and tremendous amount planning goes into the game. You cannot leave your heads at home and get into the game. You have to plan. You have to execute. You have to have alternative plans. You cannot simply rely on speed and skills alone. You prepare to wait. Your strategies results in opportunities which can be capitalized. You intentionally lose a battle to win a game. You lead the opposition to destruction. You often chart your path to glory destroying few adversaries. (Remember Saqlain Mushtaq? Remember that triple ton at Multan?) Often reputations are destroyed. Newer ones created.

Management Decision Making needs a lesson or two from Cricket. Principles of "Right Man for the Right Job" is often practically applied in Cricket. Horses for Courses. Swinger for Swinging Tracks. Spinners for Dustbowl. Blockers for Pacers heaven. Cross batted batsman for bouncing pitches. Straight batted ones for flatter tracks.

Even batting styles are required to be modified. You cannot play the same way always in all places. Wickets fall around. Bat patiently. Flat track, go blast. Pitch is bad, go for the swing, don't rely on the bounce. Pitch is solid, mix up your deliveries. Aggressive Gambhir toned down for Wellington. Sedate yet busy Sachin, exploded at Johannesberg.

Strategy and key decision making reminds me of an instant heard from a friend of mine long back. A test match. Between Pakistan and some other opposition. Imran Khan the captain. Pakistani team was trailing in the first innings by some 70 odd runs, and Imran Khan declared the innings! Reason: The conditions at that point of time seemed to favour the bowler. He took the new ball and with his fellow pacers, destroyed the opposition and ended up winning the match.

Mere fan following cannot be an indicator of how good or great a sport is. I consider Golf, Boxing and Tennis as among the other sports which are worthy runners to the Cricket.

I can go on endlessly speaking about cricket. For this is the greatest game on this planet. For this is the only sport I understand.