2011

It was 12.5 years back that I probably last sat in front of the television to watch a cricket match. It was the old India and it was Sachin Tendulkar's last world cup. Like every other Indian, I was also sitting infront of the television desperately waiting for India to win the cup. 

Oh.. not really. That wasn't the last match I watched. I remember sitting in front of our small television set on the day when Tendulkar retired. 

This is mainly about 2011. Appu was hardly 3 months old and I was in the peak of my post partum depression. Those were the days when Appu slept from 11 in the morning to 11 in the night and kept me awake throughout the nights. May be it was the weather. We were in Trivandrum and it was a hot summer. ACs were switched on only during the nights to get a comfortable sleep. I made Appu to sleep on the big dining table and I sat on the chair opposite him holding his soft little legs and watched India play Srilanka in the finals.  Coincidentally the first World Cup I watched was the one in which Srilanka beat Australia in the finals. It was Sanath Jayasurya’s and Aravinda D’silva’s team headed by Arjuna Ranathunga. The dream team. 

I wasn’t in talking terms with dad when I was watching the finals in 2011. Not being in talking terms with him is not a common occurrence. That would have happened twice or thrice in my entire life & this was the longest. I was missing dad and his love for cricket and the way he used to update me about every match India played. I was thinking about those days when I had watched my first World Cup with him. When he used to tell us about those days when Pakistan and West Indies which were his favourite teams after India and the stories from his younger days when he used to watch cricket. 1983 keeps coming in his stories very often. Vivian Richards, Imran Khan, Wasim Akram were all heroes in his stories. I became a fan of Courtney Walsh and Ian Bishop seeing his admiration for the Carribeans. These were the pre wikipedia days. 1983 team which won the cup - the names of each of the players - I heard from him first. Of course except for Kapil Dev, Sunil Gavaskar and Ravi Shastri. Kapil Dev was still playing during those days when I started watching cricket & Ravi Shastri was already a commentator. 

My brother was born just one day after India won the cup in 1983. I am sure that dad scheduled mom's cesarean on that date considering that world cup would be over by then. I am yet to ask dad about this! 

When India won the cup in 2011, I tried reaching dad on his phone. But, didn't get a response. I thought he was still angry with me. But, later, Premith told me that mostly he was crying. It was probably true. It was an emotional moment for all the cricket lovers in India. 

Premith loved cricket like dad. Fast forward to 2023. Today both dad and Premith are away watching the match from their own houses. And it's just Appu and me here at home. 

Dad talks to Appu about the matches on the phone every single day. He probably gave up on me. Premith texted me how he misses Radhmamman. It is Premith's first World Cup without Radhmamman. I was also used to overhearing updates about the matches from Premith’s conversation with Radhmamman. It's hard to believe that Radhmamman was with us when this World Cup started & that he is not there in this world anymore. 

Dad was staying with us when the world cup started this year. That way, I used to hear about the matches from him. After he moved back to his place, I thought, I will be kept away from the updates of this year’s World Cup. However, the next generation seemed to have inherited the love for the game!

I had gone out in the evening. When I got back home and opened the door, I saw that the television was on and Appu was watching the world cup finals! He was doing his home works in parallel. He was curious to know what was happening and had switched on the television. Looks like, I will not be cut out from this world of sports for some more years. Even if I don't get to follow them myself. 

Ending the post with a clipping from the sports page of the Hindu which I found this morning.