Sachinnn.....Sachin!!!

Being another regular Indian, I too worship Sachin. So when I got married, I was hoping the gal knew what Cricket is, who Sachin is or at least won’t ask for remote when Cricket is on. Well, I remember asking her whether she followed cricket, and I vividly remember her nodding her head to it. And then couple of months after our marriage, she once asked me for the remote during an India-Pak T20 game. I don’t know what the nod of her head the other day actually meant, but it definitely didn’t mean that she followed cricket.  Just to ascertain my belief, she once answered my question to her “do you know who is Mahendra Singh Dhoni?” as “ya, of course I know! He is Sakshi’s hubby,right?”. So there it was validated, the meaning of the nod!

When Celebrity Cricket League (CCL) tournaments were announced, like any other serious cricket fan, I thought it would be a waste of time to follow it. But the good thing the tournaments did was helping my beloved wife get acquainted to the game of cricket. Like how the game is played. What does a four or a six mean? She started feeling the pinch of losing the wicket of the team she was supporting. I remember her asking me once to my pleasant surprise, who is Gayle? I asked her how did she know Gayle? She said,  the tv commentators of CCL kept calling one KeralaStriker’s batman as “gayle-kuttappan”.  So in short, CCL did me good.

Then I introduced her to IPL. She would watch it. But her interest would wane pretty soon. I have to keep pointing out the celebrities who have come to watch the game to stop her from pestering me too much to change the channel.

This day being the very last day that you can see Sachin bat, I took no chances and had woken up early so that I can do all my morning chores on time and be ready for the match. Not that I had to pad up and go out with Sachin to bat (wish I could!!). Because soon after Sachin’s dismissal I have to head to office. I got ready for office and sat in front of tv with my laptop to watch him bat and work during breaks. May be once he gets out, I can leave. Like every other office go-er, I was hoping it would be declared a national holiday. I am sure the billion plus population of India did think the same.

To my very surprise, my wife seemed equally charged up. She too had finished her morning chores in no time and sat with me glued to the tv. We cheered every ball he faced, every run he scored and even screamed along with me for every boundary he struck. I was awed by Sachin’s batting as all his master class strokes were still intact. Even after 24 years, he was timing the ball so well. I thought it was his finest innings from the recent past considering the stroke making he did. I was equally amazed by the way she cheered with me for every run he scored. She kept praying with me for his century and for the longevity of his innings. I thought, wow, the Sachin mania got to her as well.

 Like all good things, Sachin innings got cut short by a sharp catch by Sammy. I was disappointed. So was my wife.  So were the other billion people. But, I was happy that he scored 74. That too showing his master class yet again. So were the other billion people. But my wife seemed utterly desolated.

I never thought Sachin could mean so much to her or she really understood what it means to an Indian cricket fan to witness Sachin’s dismissal for the very last time. May be I misunderstood her “nod” after all. May be she did follow cricket passively.

Now that Sachin got out, I gotta rush to office. I got up, started packing my office bag. And glanced at my wife as she had still kept her hands covering her face. As she was still not paying any attention to my advances to the door, I told her that I am leaving. 
She didnt pay any attention. That’s my cue to go and talk to her, ask her what happened?

Well, I did that. And she just kept nodding that head. The same old nod. I told her, “its OK, he got 74 runs at least. And I am sure he is contented about it.”

She said, “so you gotta go to office?”.

 I nodded and said, of course. What do you think?

I asked her why is she getting too emotional about Sachin’s dismissal? She shook her head this time. I never understood the nods or the shakes of head.

“I was hoping he would bat all day long so that you would stay at home watching it”, she said.

Ah! Now that’s the meaning of the nod. Now I know why she was excited about his batting. Why she prayed for him to be there. So that I would be at home.

I hugged her and said, “I gotta go, there is lot of work”

She is definitely not convinced how suddenly I began to think of work when Sachin is back at the pavilion.  It wasn’t Sachin. It was me. She needed me around.

That moved me. Really did. I called up my boss, convinced him that I have to be at home and will work outta home for today.

Came back to her to tell her that I will stay back. As she had overheard my conversation with my boss, her million dollar smile was back.

And she asked me “so Sachin will be batting in the second innings right?”

I wasn’t sure, coz the team could probably win by an innings so this could be his last outing.

I told her, “I am staying back, but tv remote will be with me only.”

And she nodded!

:)