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Gold @17k

by Gaurav Sethi

When India need to chase in excess of 300, I need to breathe some, take a walk, get a drive, mix with the market. I did that today, got in when Sachin was a few shy of 17,000.

First the butcher, no TV, no interest there. Then Arora library, Mickey, Vickey and their Papa are huddled up in front of the TV. Vickey is the local DDCA secretary and a diehard Sachin supporter – Indian cricket starts and ends with Sachin for him. Kid bro Mickey is shrieking Sachin’s name. Sachin’s still shy of 17k.

Their Papa is repeating what at the time seemed like an original one to me, Gold toh 17,000 ho gaya hai!

One shop away I’m at Jolly drycleaners, there’s a huddle there too – My friend’s lost in clothes, but the other guys are lost in Sachin.

Next to the shop next to KP video – Mittal electronics; a bigger huddle in front of an even smaller TV. Sachin plays a few dots. The guys are ready for a toast, pepsi in plastic glasses, but they call it Thumbs up.

Sachin was there when Thumbs up still made it to Delhi. Now it’s just Sachin.

I know I have to head back to Arora with the believers, the diehard, the eternal sunshine of the spotless Sachin supporters’ minds – there with Vickey and Mickey, I cross 17k with Sachin. They believe in him more than me. A few hours later I know why. And I need another drink now.

14 comments:

Purna said...

NC, you know your stalkers will hunt you down with all these locations now right?

rmblr said...

THIS is why he's still indispensable. Without him, it wouldn't have even been close.

Steve said...

At the end of the day, he wasn't good enough.

Som said...

That was as sublime as it could get.

Arvind said...

"At the end of the day, he wasn't good enough"

only losers post senseless msgs anonymously.

If you judge a player just by results, you arent much of a sports lover are you?

Till the end, he was more than enough for the 11 Aussies.

More Than Just A Game said...

He scored half of the mammoth score of 350, and yet it wasn't enough? I beg to differ. I don't think Sachin can be judged by mere wins and losses , but a different body of work.

Wrote some thoughts about it at:
morethanjustagame.wordpress.com

Would love to hear from y'all.

namya said...

NC,

You would need a stronger drink than Thumbs Up, I guess.

cheers :)

Mahek said...

No player can be judged by mere wins and losses, Sujith.

More Than Just A Game said...

I agree Namya, and especially in Sachin's case. I don't think many people realize that he played a bulk of his career at a time when Indian cricket was actually in a transitive phase , mired in red tape, controversies, character issues, and low quality.

A lot of that has now changed for the better (though we still have a long way to go), but Sachin still stood through the test of time and other such external factors that he couldn't control, and proceeded to excel like not many others can.

morethanjustagame.wordpress.com

Francois said...

Hope they win to force a 7th game.

Gaurav Sethi said...

Purna, I'll take the risk.

Hi Gorogoro, Steve, Dink, Sujith, Francois

I did Namya

Bhaskar Khaund said...

Top post ! yet another innings when i swore - yet again - that i'd never rant at this man again , no matter what... :-) a f***ing heartbreaker of a match if ever there was any

scorpicity said...

They call it thumbs up :)

Gaurav Sethi said...

BK, yeah how he teaches us manners. As I write, I'm having a rethink on Kambli.

Thumbs up scorpi.

Elsewhere Pak chases 304 today.