Week 37: Cricket and Fun!

For those who have stumbled on my blog just today, I am on a 52 weeks adventure this year wherein I decide my own adventures! For more details, check out here!

So what happens when in an American Community, you have 20+ Indian families? Nothing much but a wild surge of cricket fever! :)

Yes, last week there was a cricket tournament in our Community with the Indian men all set to try their hands on the game of cricket on a tennis court! Yes, you read it right - 'game of cricket on a tennis court'. When you want to do something, you find out a way to do it!

In normal circumstances I would not have paid much attention to this tournament, considering the guys play every alternate day. I dismissed the tournament as 'galli cricket'  (or a game played by almost all Indian kids in small streets back in India). 

To summarize, this is what happens in 'galli' cricket back in India! 

But what caught my attention was that there was an auction for the players to be distributed in 4 different teams on the lines of IPL (Indian Premier League). Now isn't that fascinating? The organizers actually worked on an auction software which pulled out data and statistics about each player and his performance in the previous tournaments. This was the time when I could not ignore this tournament, and 'GPL' (Gardens East Premier League) caught my full attention and respect.

The amount assigned for each team was $30,000 and the captains had to bid for the players. Whoever bid the highest would get the player. The rules and regulations were so carefully formulated that I was awestruck. If the bid for a player went beyond $10,000, then the captains of the team had to send a sms with their final bid and whoever bid the highest would get the player. Now this was so clever to avoid wasting too much time on the bidding for one player. Smart move there!

This is a dummy screen of the auction software for you to rave about! :)

The fun did not end here, the real game started when the teams assembled to play the next day and then the finals at the end. The better halves of the players were also on the field, cheering their dudes to win the game! 

We are always there to cheer our husbands! :)

One of the members of the finalist team was my husband Sujoy. So obviously, it was very clear which team I would be supporting. The match was a very close one. We had 30 runs to win and in the last 2 overs we had to make 11 runs. Last over left and we still had 11 runs to win plus a couple of wickets gone. Sudheer was on the field who had won the last game by a winning sixer shot, so all of our hopes were pinned on him. But alas, our team did not win! :(

That was our cricket field!

But you know what? Even though our team did not win, I had a great time watching the matches. I reminisced the times, when I used to watch cricket with my Dad. Dad and me supporting the Indian team while my mom and sister waiting for the game to finish off as they despised cricket! It was a different time then, now cricket doesn't interest me much.

Good old cricket days! :)

Looking at all of them playing, I just realized all the years I have wasted being a bookworm and getting good scores. I never was a sports person. When I look at Sujoy today, the graceful way he accepts defeat and learns from each game - I simply feel 'respect' for him and all other who have learnt this art. Sujoy's passion for sports is admirable. It took me some time to get used to his passion. I might have the better exam scores, but he has a better perspective towards life which makes all the difference today! 

It was just a game of cricket, but in just 2 days it made me walk down the memory lane and showed me my major flaws which I need to work on! And also 2 days of mad loud cheering, feet stomping in frustration and of course a few curse words! ;)

So, who wants to join us for the next GPL?

****Special thanks to the organizers of GPL for sharing the auction software pictures. Also to all the players who displayed such great play and made the audience run for their money! I was biting my nails for most of the time. Not to forget, all the lady charm who came out to support their husbands! Kudos to everyone!****

*Sketches done by Shweta Vernekar-Navalakha. She is my sister and doesn't she have some talent there? :)*