High school, Grade 10, year 2002. There was no leather ball Cricket tournament like every year. The school administration did not want us to waste time over sports on that particular year.
As a consolation, a single match between English Medium and Kannada Medium was arranged. Our PT sir came and told me to get ready for the match to be played on that same day and form a team soon.
We had never played against them. In our minds, Kannada Medium team were rough and powerful and they could hit the ball very hard. If you had to win against them, you had to be very good.
The team was formed by me which had most of my classmates, a little bit of other section guys and juniors. I knew who played well and who did not as we used to play lots of Cricket, especially on Saturdays after school.
We went to field at 2 or 3 PM. Fortunately or unfortunately, the whole of high school was asked to come to field to witness our match as audience. So the entire students of Grade 8, 9, 10 of both English and Kannada Medium along with Teachers were there on the field. We had never played a match with so many people watching us. It was a huge responsibility on me as a captain of English Medium Cricket team.
We batted first. It was a 12 overs match. We put up a decent total which was in 70s I guess. I had a feeling we can win this if we bowl well. I opened the bowling, did a brilliant first over. My hopes of winning this match increased. Second over went well and I gave my best in 3rd over, took two wickets too.
It was from 4th over where they started thrashing. All our bowlers were thrashed including the one whom I thought was the best bowler after me. I was getting restless at my fielding position in the deep. I gave my best in my final over too, may be it was the 10th over of the match. But we knew we would lose in the next over.
We lost the match in the 11th over. I was terribly disappointed. Shook hands with everyone but deep inside I was thinking about the crowd who came to witness the match saw us lose the match. I was thinking how the reactions would be in my class the next day, what our PT sir would think who gave us an opportunity and I let him down.
That was the most terrible day in my life. I was down, completely shattered, all hopes lost. Finally, I had to tell myself I played well and gave my best but in a team game, victory or defeat will be out of one's control.
I was okay after few days, our PT sir did discuss about the match, the positives and the negatives.
I think it was after two months, our PT sir came again and told me to get ready to play another match that day. I felt ecstatic! However, he wanted me to add more juniors in the team this time.
I went to the junior classrooms, selected few and had almost half of them in my team along with my trusted five of my class. This match was not against Kannada Medium but it was a match of English Medium State Board versus ICSE Board.
We went to the field. I thought there will be the crowd again but it was told there will be no audience this time. We won the toss, chose to bat. Same 12 overs match again.
We lost many wickets early. We did not put up a decent total too. I think it was in 60s. At innings break, our PT sir expressed his displeasure with the way we batted to me. I did not say anything.
I had a chat with Rahil (my teammate) inside a school bus parked on the field and I told him the target was less but we can defend it. He believed it too.
I opened the bowling. It was a maiden! The tall guy Swarn Kamal (Junior) did 2nd over and it was a good over too. The momentum was with us. I gave my best the next over by claiming 3 wickets. It changed the game completely. Everyone started to gain the confidence that we can win this match. Though there were no audience on the ground, there were students looking at us from each and every classroom's windows.
I think it was 10th over, I bowled and claimed the final two wickets in that over. What a moment it was! What a moment it was to pull the stumps and raise it as a souvenir!!
Handshakes were done, our PT sir was happy that we won and finally appreciated my bowling and our team.
Few months after that, I was surprised when my name was called followed by my team to collect a small memento which was totally unexpected.
Yes, we won the match against ICSE and it is a sweet memory till date but the match against Kannada Medium still haunts me! I think one has to experience the defeat at some point of time to know the real taste of the triumph. No matter if it is a defeat or a victory, the zeal to play this amazing game of Cricket has never diminished till now and hope it continues!
