My greatest innings'... hahahha

Hahaha... You better stop reading it now, this is just for my own amusement... Watched "Chak De! India" last week and it got me slightly nostalgic. Walking down the memory lane and remembering some of my own favourite innings... And when I say mine, i mean MINE. The one's played in Vasai, with a Rubber/tennis ball. Hopefully, I remember the match situations well. Heheheh



Year: 1997 (Some time during summer vacation)

Match: Vasant Nagri Sector 1 v/s Vasant Nagri Sector 2 (1st ever Test Match)

I was representing Sector 1. yeah, I don't remember the runs or anything, but what I do beleive is this had got all of us so excited. It made us (atleast me) feel very professional. It was played for 2 days. The unique rule was that LBW was not out, so as to take out the umpire bias. So we used to gather at about 7 a.m. and the match would start by 8: 00. You know how difficult it is to get every one on time. Then we would play till 11.30 or so and then resume at 2.30 and play till the sun would set. Wow, those were the days. So I as a wicket-keeper had already gloved some nice catches. I kind off remember that. Well the match situation was that we had a batting collapse in the 1st inning and Sector 2 had build up an amazing lead. Now Day 2, mid-day we got them all-out. Again, we were headed for disaster. As always, terrible players (those who just swing the bat and clear the ground) were sent before me. I have great respect for Dinku, the only one who played like a pro and an amazing talent. But the others are all Yusuf Pathan types, king of hits in gully and whenever it comes to the real thing, they will be a damp squib. Coming back to the match, we were like 5-6 wickets down and we had to play to draw the game. Finally, I got my chance. At the other end was Vishal ( a talentless guy), but still could swing the bat. So he was taking full advantage of the No Lbw rule and putting his leg in every ball. And there I was, all serious, batting as you should. Leaving the ball, defending, driving for a single (which was declined, as Vishal's instructions were "You play 1 over, i will play another"). Of all this, there is one Square drive which I still remember. Sweetly timed and it went to the boundary. Ahh, the satisfaction! This is an important event in my life becuase after many months or so, when I was not playing cricket much, Dinku reminded me of that stroke. He was like "Itna class shot tha who, Vishal tho paka raha that, par thu bahut acha khel raha tha. Aur woh Off-side mein jho shot that, mast class tha". Actually he was at that time trying to influence me to come in the morning and play. And he was successful. Back again to the match, we both were not-out till the end and that match was drawn. And little did I know, that 1 shot will actually be remembered by someone other than me in the future and that was the instant which triggered passion for the game.



Match: Double wicket finals (Abhinesh and Veenu v/s Amit and Pradeep) there were some 2 more teams in an unofficial time-pass tourney we had on a regular evening. We never did it after that, not sure why.

Year: 1998-99-2000 (who knows and I dont care)

Yeah, the position I like the most- the underdogs. Let me tell you why, we both never had bowled in our lives and the other 2 were decent bowlers and hitters (not batsmen). They played 1st and due to some luck, they were not able put on a heavy score. Here again, I was the batsman who had to do the scoring as Veenu was a complete dud with the ball and bat. Match situation- 7 runs required from 6 balls. I was facing the 1st ball. Pradeep was the bowler. The 1st ball was dispatched for a 4 (Somehow I dont remember where I hit it). Then, the next ball I hit it for 3 (with some hesitation if I should go for the 3 or not). So now we had scored more than them but still it was Double wicket. So a wicket would mean our runs would be deducted by 2. So the over needed to be completed and Veenu was on strike. I told him "Bas, out mat ho.. Kuch bhi ho, Out mat ho, Pura body daalke khel". And he survived the next 3 balls. Wowo, underdogs were the winners. What an amazing feeling I had that evening!



Match: some random match in the evening

Match situation: It was a 6 over match. My team had about 6 players. Luckily, I was opening this time. My team had an amazing collapse. 4 wickets in 2 overs. Ajay came in. He was a decent bat. I instructed him just concentrate on singles till the 5 over and then we will try to accelerate. We did accumulate runs slowly during the course of the match. The last over was to be bowled by Sujith, a tall and lanky bowler. He bowled a nice length delivery and I dispatched it over long-on for a 6. The next bowl, I danced down the pitch and got a nice full-toss and hit it for a 4 to the deep mid-wicket region. So satisfying. We scored about 45 or 44 runs in that innings. I was so satisfied with that innings. We lost the match but maybe who cares at that time.



Match: some random match in the evening

I don't even remember the runs much but again I was opening the batting. There was a slight collapse and I was still out there. Slowly grafting runs. Then in the slog over, it was time to accelerate. Now why is this special, here it is. Anthony was going to ball. I turned around, told one guy that this will be a boundary. Then I came dancing down, making room for myself and hit one of the best Inside-out shots I ever had through the covers for the boundary. It was so special because the ball went to the boundary all the way on the ground and the 2 fielders just kept running but were short by just 2-3 more paces. I dont even remember anything else, but I know I was not-out till the end. But that shot, my thought process, my body-flow, the way the ball went, the fielders, the sun light, everything I still remember.

Then there so many, like my first 1/2 century ever, or some rear-guard action. I always been a fighter and maybe that is why I always have a soft corner for paul collingwoods, russel arnolds, Sodhis of the world. Apart from the above mentioned, there are so many instances of brilliance I remember like:
--> 9 runs in 1 over reqd to win, I hit the 1st ball for a 6 and then an easy win. I still remember my calculation for the six. I remembered Klusener's stance, I think it would let me loft the ball more, increase my power and reach. So I immitated his stance of legs being far apart and I also stood out of the crease (so that I can get under the ball). Waited till the last moment before the bowler turns back to get into the run-up to take my stance, just in case he does not see where I am standing and adjusts his length. Wowo, it is satisfying when things pay-off.
--> Some action again at the end of another rear-guard action. It was the last over and Guru (one of the locality's fastest bowler) was about to bowl. I knew I had to improvise and I remembered 1 particular shot of Manjrekar in a series down-under. So when Guru was half-way on his run-up, I stood up, came to the off-side of the stumps, and he bowled it on the off side itself and I played it across square on the onn-side for a 4. The next ball, I stood my ground (anticipating a yorker) and yorker it was. Played straight behind the bowler for a 4. The next one was short delivery, played front of square for a 3.

Wow, where is the bat? Can I turn back the wheels of time and go back there? Hehe... As I write all these words with thoughts in my mind of what could have been... :-)