It was 2:30 in the morning, 30 minutes before start of play. He switched on the television and turned up the volume. In anticipation of this match, he had slept on the couch all night, or part of the night till then, with the remote close by.
The India-Pakistan-Australia tri series (Carlton and United Series) being played in Australia, was on and India was playing Pakistan. Ravi lived for such moments. Throughout his childhood, he like many others, had been brought up on cricket trivia, facts and figures and little anecdotes which made the game all the more quaint. He knew all about the Ashes, could rattle off the playing XI of the English team that lost to West Indies in the finals of the WC 1979, Andy Flower's Test as well as ODI stats and even Sachin Tendulkar's favorite sweet dish!But hey... so could a million other people right? After all, we were talking about Cricket - A religion in India.
The India-Pakistan-Australia tri series (Carlton and United Series) being played in Australia, was on and India was playing Pakistan. Ravi lived for such moments. Throughout his childhood, he like many others, had been brought up on cricket trivia, facts and figures and little anecdotes which made the game all the more quaint. He knew all about the Ashes, could rattle off the playing XI of the English team that lost to West Indies in the finals of the WC 1979, Andy Flower's Test as well as ODI stats and even Sachin Tendulkar's favorite sweet dish!But hey... so could a million other people right? After all, we were talking about Cricket - A religion in India.
Having heard him wake up, Amitha, Ravi's ever-caring mother got up to see if he needed a snack. "Would you like to eat a sandwich Ravi?" she asked. That was greeted with a grunt which was deciphered as a "yes". No time to talk woman - India vs Pakistan happening. So she set off to the kitchen to make her son a midnight snack. While she was at it, she also put the kettle on to boil so that he could wash his snack down with a hot cup of tea.
Outside the kitchen, some 7500 kilometers away, Mohammad Azharuddin had won the toss and this had made Ravi excited. "We're batting, we're batting", he was shouting, oblivious to the fact that the world around him was in deep slumber. Amitha, visibly annoyed hissed out to Ravi to keep it down. "Shhhh Ravi, everyone is sleeping". So he did.
In 10 minutes, just as Sachin Tendulkar was walking in to bat, Amitha brought out the sandwich and tea on a tray and stood besides Ravi, whos eyes were closed. He was saying a small prayer - A ritual that was followed before any India game.
In 10 minutes, just as Sachin Tendulkar was walking in to bat, Amitha brought out the sandwich and tea on a tray and stood besides Ravi, whos eyes were closed. He was saying a small prayer - A ritual that was followed before any India game.
"Oh god, may Sachin Tendulkar hit a century today and make India win. May Srinath break Inzamam's teeth and kumble take 5 wickets...."
This being said, he opened his eyes, stood up and groped about for something in the dark as his mom watched from a distance. He finally found his walking stick, flipped it open and deftly made his way to the toilet, waving his stick to avoid collision with any furniture. Amitha wiped off a tear, one of many she had wiped off like that in the past. She placed the plate on the coffee table besides where he was sitting and quietly went back into the darkness of her room.
Ravi was congenitally blind. Yet, cricket was his life. He worshipped the game.
If only the Indian cricket team could hear that voice whenever he prayed - And those of a billion other people who wished them well. If only that famous start-studded Indian cricket team knew the passion their fellow Indians had for the sport. If only those overpaid professionals understood that a loss in a match was way more than just a few statistics artfully woven about by mathematicians. If only.........
