Yesterday was a warm, humid day and the conditions were pretty good to play some of the finest cricket I have ever played. I, along with my friends, thought that playing cricket right after an exam, which held that morning will make us more wearer. And apparently, Exam is one great thing which will exhaust all your energy however you write it. So we were not up to the ground straight away and tried to take a nap after lunch. Some eventually stepped the doors of dream while the rest were not quite carried away to those blessed places because of the annoying sound their fan made.
It was Three and the thought provoker knocked, literally banged, all the doors in the hostel and made sure that boys are ready for the match rather catching up their wild dreams. Ten of us gathered at the corner of our block and walked to the ground. It is not exactly a ground and we are not good players to share a space in a quality cricket ground. Barren lands behind the hostel were perfectly prescribed for a shorter format of the game. By shorter format, I meant limited overs, limited player, limited rules, limited cricket yet limitless enjoyment!!!
We played a 5 on 5 match and it made me feel that I have a good touch with the bat. Suddenly, I felt a sense of competition. From nowhere, 10 other guys showed up at what we claim as our home ground. They appeared like a flash and I have barely met some of them in hostel. I found them talking to my friends may be because of close acquaintance.
Obviously, next was a 10 on 10 match with expanded overs, rules and boundaries. I never knew about my opponents there who on losing toss gave us an edge over the game to bat first. We missed completely to contain the situation and made 36 out of it. Don’t ask about my contribution to the total score, it was a big zero, really big indeed. They started to hunt down our score and their conduct made a clear statement of their game plan. There appeared our hero, a well-defined knowledge frame of our bowlers which know about the weakness of every batsman. They bowled at spot which supposedly should be troubling them. But things went out of control and I could see ball gliding all over the ground. With this meager target, they seem to crash out with quicker singles and made us more wearer than our exam that morning.
I just gazed at my friend who shared the field and it was a sharp look right through his eyes by which I came to know that he too was eagerly waiting for a miracle to happen. I winked my eyes and all I could see was a bright light that led me through a divine path. A path for blessed one!!! And in no time, I saw myself around a mess of people who were very primitive. May be I went centuries back. And the signs of God made me realize that they belong to a clan, well known for its archery. Now the thing which took me here has something to say me.
The brave clan were fifhting their enemies furiously as if they had took something irreplaceable from them. They were aiming recklessly for their enemies but with rifles, instead of bow and arrows. Knowing that their enemies were unaware of the newly-available rifles, the clan was starting to fire at them. All bullets fell in a vast pool of vain.
With another wink, I am back at barren lands witnessing the last ball of 8th over which was put away for a four. Why did I go there? What is the hidden message?
A clan which is well known for its skill in archery is fighting with rifles, sounded pretty absurd. That is the real message. Men who are fantasized by their opponent’s weakness, try to attack them with it forgetting that their potential lies somewhere else. They find hard to concentrate on their strengths which make them darker and the intention to attack one in their weakest part makes them more gain more vengeance thereby turning the darker part of them, shadows, brighter.
3 runs from 12 balls was not a big task and the bowler was getting ready to give it away. I quickly went to him to share the message I’ve got and said him to bowl at his favorite spots. Over ended and it turned out to be a maiden. I found him bowling where he would love to do. He glittered in that lazy sun and his dominant shadows were now diminishing.
Last over, 3 runs needed from 6 balls!!!!
