Going down memory lane and recalling one of the sweetest moments of my life always brings a smile to my face.
There are a few incidents, quite a lot of them in fact, that take me back to those carefree days. The one I am sharing here has always stayed fresh in my mind, and I hope it always will.
Let me take you back to my childhood, when I used to be a cricketer. I was in Class 9. As vice-captain of the team, I enjoyed a lot of support from my captain, who was also a very good friend of mine. During a tournament, our captain was injured when a ball hit his toe. He was rushed to a nearby clinic, where he was treated. By the time he returned to the ground, we had already won the match, thanks to a magnificent half-century by one of my teammates. We were celebrating and discussing our strategy for the next match, as it was the final.
In the middle of all that discussion, our captain walked in and broke the sad news that he would not be able to play for at least 15 days, because the ball had torn off his toenails. Our discussion came to a halt and we started wondering what to do. The final was the next day and our captain could not play because of a silly injury. It was a crisis. With the captain out of action, I became the stand-in captain for as long as he was out.
Next came the big one for me. I went out for the first toss of my life and lost it. I was very disheartened and thought it was a bad omen. It turned out to be one, as we were set a target of 181 in 17 overs. Three overs had been cut because the match started late for unavoidable reasons. Chasing 181 in 17 overs was no joke, especially with the pressure constantly on us. With a thousand things on my mind, I went out to open the innings. My captain came up to me and said, “I want a long innings from you. Stay calm. Play your game.” That added extra pressure on me.
I was always a superstitious player on the field. One of my superstitions was that I never faced the first ball of the innings. I always stayed at the non-striker’s end, and I still follow that with complete dedication. The early overs turned out to be catastrophic for us, as we lost three wickets inside two overs. I asked the batsman who came in to hold up one end and support me, and assured him I would take care of the rest.
As promised to my partner, I took matters into my own hands. I began my onslaught and scored an unbeaten 89 to guide our team to victory. We won by three wickets. My innings earned me the man of the match award and our team the championship. It was the first time I was leading my side, and I led from the front. What a captain’s knock that was. The best part of my innings was the lofted cover drive, which I had learnt while playing cricket on the computer. I attempted the shot four times, and each time I cleared the ropes with ease.
That innings is one episode that I think will stay alive forever in the diary of my memory, because it was the first time I led my side, and I did so with complete authority.
By Samikshan Dutta Choudhury
Gurukul Grammar Senior Secondary School
Class of 2007
