Jersey # 7
The number 7 was very close to my heart. One can easily find 7 or 007 on the roll no & hall ticket numbers. If number 7 was not found, it was a missing feeling. The number 7 was my identity for a long time. Even had the tag
James Bond 007
Cricket is something very personal and there were good and bad moments..My parents have seen my passion for the game.. If I had a game , I didn’t need any alarms or reminders. My mom would even joke that he will wake up and be ready for the game. My dad was went one level up.. I remember there was this Phone call from a Family member.. She was enquiring if we had any conditions. The phone call was about an alliance that she wanted to follow-up. I still remember dad saying this “ we don’t have any conditions. My son plays cricket and we don’t want the future wife to bother him with a grocery list when he goes for a game.. it’s better said in the native language. They knew how committed I was towards the game.
Cricket was life.
I had the opportunity to play with great players. The individuals were true to the game and I’ve seen and experienced the sportsmanship and the leadership qualities. I grew up watching Sachin Tendulkar and for a Bowling all rounder, the batting was as-needed..
Batting at a lower order was fun coz there was hope and there was a lot of expectations from the team members.. The team expectation was that the tail-end would hit couple of sixes and that was more that enough..
Early on in my career I was the pinch-hitter for the team while batting and my other job was to bowl. Switching gears while batting was another feather in the cap and clearing the boundary line was never an issue. This gave the team a lot of hope that the tail-end can bat and the top/middle order do not have to worry about the tail when they are at the crease.
I have been in situations where the target was huge and it was an uphill task. I have given my 110% coz I had the support from the entire team. To bat with that expectation was a lot of pressure.. This was pre-Dhoni era and players who I looked up to were Sachin, Azharuddin, Jadega, Robin Singh, Moin Khan and few others. These players gave me hope that it’s possible if we try.
This finisher tag stayed for several years and I still love to bat with that pressure. It is not easy when the target is huge or if there aren’t any wickets left.. The mind and Body works differently and the pressure that builds up have to be channelized. You also have to talk to the other batsman(runner) and give him hope that we got this and “it’s not over until it’s over”
The job never ends there, we also have to remind ourselves that the cheeky singles or trying to manufacture a shot could be risky. You take calculated risks and it may or may not work in your favor. I’ve been in several nail-biting finishes and I cherish all those moments. I used to have nightmares thinking of the lost game and what I could have done differently. Losing a game also was a learning..
Years later, we have the greatest finisher of the game.. This player has been constantly winning games and people who were in similar situations know exactly what Dhoni must be going through when he is at the batting crease.. He also taught us how to be a perfect finisher of the game. There were times we gave away our wicket after doing the impossible.. I wish we had Dhoni like finisher when we were young cricketers. It was this player who showed how to finish the game in style. As Dhoni announced his reitirement from international cricket, we can only be grateful for his commitment and passion for the game. He is also called the Mr. Cool and a player who sacrificed for others. Indian cricket had this gem in the team and he could take on any opposition and could bat at any level.
For me, it was like a perfect ending...The number 7 was a good learning and Dhoni has taught us (pinch-hitters) how to finish it in style.
Thank you Dhoni for the memories. This picture would stay in our hearts for a long long time..
This is how you finish in style..
Thank you Captain Cool MS dhoni!
Disclaimer: please excuse the typos.. blame it on the phone :)