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Early Cricket Watching Memories

by Bored Member

By VM

A few days ago, for some strange reason, I tried to remember the first cricket match I watched. I was rather surprised that it took me some time to sort things out of a muddle of memories. The early matches - in which I was trying to understand the rules - I recall only in bits and pieces. In fact in such pieces that remember only one of the two teams that played the match – Pakistan. I’m not sure if it was the ’92 World Cup final or the Benson and Hedges Cup in the late 80s – again I might be wrong with the tournament name. Then there was another match, in which India played some team. India were chasing and needed 20 runs to win, but the 10th wicket fell, and I remember Kumble was the not-out man and I was wondering why they wouldn’t move on. “There is still another guy with a bat”, I thought. I smile when I think of how ignorant I was then.

The next memory that came to my mind was the ’96 World Cup semi-final between India and Sri Lanka at Eden Gardens– a one that I watched partly due to peer pressure and partly due to the curiosity. The bottle throwing, Tendulkar batting; yes, I remember some of that clearly. What came to mind next was a clearer memory, in which I watched, knowing fully well what I watching and purely for the interest of the game – the ’99 Sharjah Cup where Ajay Jadeja captained a few matches rather well. This is the tournament that got me hooked. I became a cricket-watching regular from then on.

So I ask you this. Is there a particular match that comes to your mind when you think of the first ever cricket match you saw? Are there any fuzzy memories? Any funny memories? What was your first full fledged tournament? What made you watch further?

6 comments:

Gaurav Sethi said...

that bit about kumble stranded at the other end, got this wired memory back - when at 9 down, Bish Bedi & Prasana or Venkat used to be at the crease. Game nearly lost. Score barely 200. And these guys are running singles like mankind's future depends on it. Most times, I'd just hope they'd cross 200. Also have a warped memory of Bedi batting alone. Clearly it was deception at another level.

But my happy memories are Kapil Dev making his debut vs Pak, blasting away in nearly every innings - and me adding it all up.
(seemed more than 159 runs then)

don't know whether i watched it, but Kapil's supremacy is still super clear in my head. may be i was watching the newspapers or the radio.

guys, was that 1978-Pak series ever telecast?

Viswanathan said...

NC,

ALL Pak-India series was broadcast live.

VMM,

The first Test I watched was the Chepauk Test between WI and India where Vishy scored 98 not out.

Similarly, I remember a South Zone-West Zone match where Vengsarkar opened with SG and hit the Prasana,Chandrasekahar and Venkatraghavan all over the park.

straight point said...

even after digging deep i could not come up with where i started...

some flashes are coming of zaheer abbas...miandad...imran khan...our own kapil...sg's straight drives...vishy's square cut...but nothing concrete...

i think first tournament i saw live was B&H world series...in which shastri got champion of champoins...

that kapil yorker to i think omar is still imprinted in memory...the distinct sound of stumps...or bat hitting ball...which we used to hear from that telecast...was just outa world...

the camera angles all were very new and fresh then the dull dd coverage we use to get...wonder how things dont change...even with time...dd is same...even now...

Anil Singh said...

My first clear memories of cricket(I may be wrong),are from the Benson & Hedges series, in which Steve Waugh, who at that time sported a model type haircut, dropping a crucial catch at the boundary in second last ball; but was quick enough to throw back the dropped ball to get a run out.

RS said...

Don't remember much else, but I cannot forget Chetan Sharma bowling the full toss to Miandad on the last ball.

Viswanathan said...

RS,

Do you have to remind us all of this aberration? :)