Megha's last stand.

So it started off as just another day. I had just started my 2nd year at college. I was in my hostel room calculating whether it was worth showing up for classes that day or not. R suddenly came in and asked me to get ready for a cricket match.

"You mean go watch a match?" I asked.
"No, we gotta play" she said.

Apparently the Management-types (Them) and the Techies (Us) were playing a "friendly" match on Uni campus grounds. Yes, a match that was as friendly as an Ind-Pak match. The kind where if you lose, it is just a stupid match, and if you win then "there is nothing like a friendly match"...

"Hold on", I said, "I'm not so sure R...I...actually....I mean, I really haven't played any real cricket, like ever. And you know what, I am terribly short on attendance for D Ban's subject anyway, so..."

She ignored me, of course, and before I knew it, I was on my way to the ground.

The teams were mixed..2nd and 3rd year students, girls and guys. Since the match was being played on short notice, they were short on players. Which explains why R and me were asked to pitch in. I have never been the sporty kinds...par izzat ka sawaal tha and there was only one thing do.

So, on my way to the ground, I devised my game plan. I would be one of the close-in fielders. That way my throwing arm would not be tested and I would not be required to run around that much as well. For bowling, I would simply look the other way if I saw the captain looking around, trying to decide who should bowl next. Batting would be a bit trickier. My only hope there was that the other guys play so well that I should not be required to bat at all.

Now the actual match details are a little hazy. I don't know who top scored, who the best bowler was or what the target was. What I remember is this -

We fielded first.

I fielded at Silly Mid-On. I kid you not! (For those who don't know, Silly M(a)id-on is my blog)

I managed to fluff two catches, a close run-out chance and my fielding effort in general was a bit shoddy.
When required to bat, I lasted 4-5 balls, could put bat to ball just twice and scored 2 runs (I think).

Yeah, we lost. And I was never asked to play a match again!

by Megha

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