Yeah I’m bored – bored of cricket! It has never happened in my 19 years of following this game that I’ve not followed a match – that too a match involving India and a test match!
I’ve always been glued in – to the radio, to the television, to the news, to the internet at any given time – office-home-school-college did not matter! If there was a match on, I was tuned in; especially if India was playing. But this time around, believe it or not – I’ve forgotten the days the matches begin, no idea what the schedule looks like and not opened the explorer in office to logon to the sites that provide me live score.
I was therefore, beginning to wonder if there was anything wrong with me – people even suggested I see a doctor. I almost did, until I diagnosed the cause – BCCI and Ind-Sri Lanka series.
I’m sick and tired of seeing these two battling against each other. If there is a single soul I know, who can come up with any memorable moments except the 293 by Sehwag at Brabourne last year between these teams, I’ll throw a party.
Like all Bollywood romantic films these series have the same script; well most romantic films have happy endings and here only one team has had happy ending and that is Sri Lanka.
SL bats first on their dead tracks, we play the weakest bowlers, get thrashed around for 550+. Then our batsmen cave in the first innings and put up some fight in the second but lose a game that could’ve been saved. Did anyone complain that Indian pitches are awful, my answer, please rush to Sri Lanka right now, at least our tracks offer some assistance to spinners – there you could replace bowlers with bowling machines and nothing would change the game!
We have played 14 test matches since 2001 of which 8 were in SL. The last 3 series have been played in consecutive years 2008-2010. Of the 8 test matches in SL – we have lost 5, won 2 and 1 is currently underway which we look likely to lose.
The closest margin in these losses was 7 wickets in 2001. The rest we have lost either by an innings or 10 wickets!
The same Indian team has played Australia in consecutive years and every series has been memorable – some fantastic cricket and gritting display. Often it is your opponents that bring out the best in you and SL only does the opposite. I’m not finding excuses for India’s performance; but I think maybe even Sachin and Dravid are so dead bored by now, that they are not finding the will to give their best to what has become a monotonous routine year after year.
Sigh, if BCCI does not put an end to this immediately, cricket will land up losing a lot of fans along with India losing it’s No 1 ranking in the tests.
As for me – my sickness was partly cured by the fascinating test between Aus and Pak. 88 all out? How often do we get to see that score against an Aus line-up? And now I’ve some more medicine coming my way through Eng-Pak series, where a species called bowlers (which SL and India have completely buried ) will come alive on pitches that support some good swing bowling. India should not disappoint me in Oct-Nov Vs NZ and Aus, and even if they do, the Ashes will get me back on track.
For someone who is already having a terrible time at work and seeks solace in the one thing she loves; how can BCCI be so cruel and poison me with an overdose of India-Sri Lanka series in SL!
I was on the verge of my first serious break-up with my first love. It would’ve been unfair cause it is not entirely cricket’s fault; but we know many a times relationships break due to 3rd party involvements. Fortunately, the future is still looking relatively positive and cricket is pursuing me to continue the relationship. So I’m giving it another chance, cause if I don’t, I think I’ll hurt the most!
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