I love playing cricket! In school days me and my brother were a talented bowlers.. we took wickets even with single stump! that too not a traditional stump, rather a thinner one. 🙂 I am not joking.. read further…..we were  best known for delivering balls by keeping them as low as possible 🙂 

Even now,  after touching 35 years, every year  I play festival tournaments with my village team named  “Spider Guys”. Those tournaments organized by Narasingapuram Village Cricket Team.  I enjoy playing these matches even with no practice and we loose too! 🙂

Well, why am I writing about cricket? Because cricket is an addict game, once you bowl or bat good in one match, then you will tend to make time for playing more matches. Even you may skip school, study, exams, work, love & nothing matters!

Really! we used to play lot of cricket, summer or winter, even our seniors were playing more than us… but I fail to see the younger generation not playing too much of cricket but rather they are talking of too much of cricket! Including  girl’s & housewife’s talking too much of cricket as they have been playing it for years 🙂 not bad!

For quite many years, I lost interest watching TV cricket.. I hate that too, specially when it is an Indian team, because in the name of game and country spirit , Indian team is doing too much of cricket, playing 182.5 days out of 365 days. Isn’t it!?
Specially the Indian team is becoming famous for Individual records than a team record.

It’s a good business, well you see, just after this world cup final in days gap, IPL going to start. I don’t know…India as a country itself becoming mad about it… and another worrying reason is, this is not just like football or other athlete game,  few hours of game, here whole day is not enough! It goes on till the next day! As we keep adding commentary about it as we played inside the ground. He should have bowled like this..should have batted like this..etc..etc.

Ok, coming to  the point and the reason for writing this post, I would like to share the other side of India’s sports spirit and why  it is just the cricket and that too with no standard. You all know and could acknowledge that we Indians are less  efficient to organize International game events!

After Commonwealth games, Cricket World Cup organized by ICC, jointly supported by Indian Cricket Clubs proves that, we are generations back in creating world class infrastructure like stadiums and facilities for sports development and also organising an event with a standard!!!.

Did anyone look at the ground and pitch of Mohali stadium… even Dhoni said after the match.. I read the pitch wrongly.. ha ha…what is that secret?

Let me tell you the naked secret!  I have predicted even before the tournament began, that India and Pakistan will play till Semi Finals! My Facebook friends know this! It proved to be very correct! But anyway…don’t write back to me for astrology predictions. 🙂

Interesting story about MOHALI, CHANDIGARH, HOTELS,  Well PLANNED city, ex Indian captain SRIKANTH, my friend SELVA.

One of my close friend from Malaysia,  did book the Semi final ticket a month before, he is such a sportive person, who takes lot of interest and energy to visit world cup matches, whether it is a Football in Germany,  South Africa or Cricket finals in India.

Frankly, for few weeks  he has been calling me very regularly and torturing. You know for what…ROOM!  Selva it is true right?

He was following  me and complaining that he could not get/book any hotel rooms in Chandigarh, even he tried all online sites, calling hotels directly. But no luck. since than he was dialing me to find  hotel room!.

Even two days before the event, I have tried to connect with old Chandigarh friends, but no luck . Even small lodges were full! My friend only problem was, after finishing the match at 11 PM, he need a place to rest for  5 hours as his return flight was only at around 9.am.

Even visiting star hotels was a problem as security was tight! I also tried to connect with some Facebook contacts, they also tried enthusiastically but there was no room, not even in a small lodge.

At last, I asked him to book a train ticket from Chandigarh at midnight 1.00 AM Kalka mail, which would reach Delhi by 6.00. Fortunately and luckily he got the sleeper ticket confirmation.

Well, since the beginning, I was arguing with him that Chandigarh is the best planned city in India,  he laughed at me.. said Deva.. do you know what is mean by planning?

I said,  my  dear friend. I have been to  this city 12 years back, I know it was beautiful city with broad and planned sectors and roads. But he never accepted. Somehow he landed on 30th morning 9.00 clock at Chandigarh and took a taxi to roam around hotels to find a room.. no luck. I guess his pressure was building up..he never called me.

Finally, he called me from Mohali at 11.30, he was frustrated about the situation, then he had to travel to Railway station and bought a new lock to keep his belongings including mobile phones based on the railway ticket at clock room!

He was told by the ticket seller that, not to take phones to the stadium, though he followed the advice, he was surprised & saw everyone in the stadium using all kind of electronic gadgets! Due to which he missed the Kingfisher Special Flights  announcements which was made  at 9.00 PM, I too received an email from Kingfisher as I was in Mohali, but not indeed!. I too sent him a SMS messages & forwarded email, but he could see those only after boarding the train 🙂 very funny isn’t it.

I too doubt Vijay Malya team. They too could not get a hotel room in Chandigarh. Guess so, because special flight announcement was done at 11th hour.!

Well coming back to the stadium, Selva entered inside the stadium at 2.15 PM,  which took 2 hours of queue and 10 security checks. 🙁
Now the interesting thing is that ..even after paying full amount to the  VIP lounge ticket, he could not get chair to sit, the way the crowd packed inside  the stadium looked to be double the capacity of the stadium, because most of them were standing and nobody was sitting. My friend  had to sit on the steps with few other new friends! all along he said he was singing Jai HO! Jai HO!

But even after India wining the match, he never stopped complaining about the decision of selecting Mohali for a Semi final match, as there was no renovation done or no proper facilities  were provided at the stadium, including food arrangements. It is true that for  past decade Indian cricket have grown into million dollars! but not even a single stadium has been built to the international standard!

He was comparing the Melbourne stadium  were 85000 seats sold had seating numbers, but In Mohali there was nothing like seat numbers or seat arrangements!

These things and the culture of Indian cricket raises me a big question… Is patriotism is just alone watching cricket and the country’s patriotism just lies with those 11 players.?

Why cannot we  as a developing country plan to build best stadiums and provide best environment to promote tourism and foreigners to visit the matches.? I think the ICC as a private organisation and other Indian Cricket clubs just worried about shares and money rather demanding or providing best infrastructure for all kind of sports!

I remember the quote  “When 11 fools are playing, other 11000 watch it from the stadium and other 1100000 fools watch it in front of TV’s”.

Now, in 2011 last two count is multiplied into millions,  but still only 11 fools are playing, that too showing their everyday sports and connecting it with the patriotism of this country!

I think, I should write a new and another  dedicated post about the business and productivity of the country jolted on 30.03.2011 and continued till 31.03.2011. Not bad..All took physical rest!

Well, almost every Indian is talking about cricket, an exceptional guy including me.. was talking, watching  the same by biting my nails and was scolding Dhoni for his child batting strokes! Praising Nehra, Munaf & Suresh Raina for silent efforts.

I watched the match fully, because I need to be as the other fellowman, else I would have to color me differently.

Dear countryman! This is my request…. Do wakeup from the fever of  cricket and there are lot of things we can do as an Individual and show patriotism  back to the country.  It is no good sense  that connecting the game  with religion specially India and Pakistan which are based on religion!

Let us get maturity in watching and talking cricket and let us play cricket &  pray to our ruling leaders and ICC managers to build world class facilities to conduct events without scams and show the world that we are also good in quality, efficiency and in standards too!

I think enough of it..it is 1.00AM..need to sleep. Thank you for reading this post..as well I take this chance to offer my cricket skill to join any Chennai cricket team:) Certainly only on Sundays. I am a good bowler and average batting.

Note: Imagine the experience of my friend which reflected, to write this post emotionally or thoughtfully? Hope I am not hurting intentionally 🙂