Saturday, April 2, 2011

FEVER...


Cricket Fever that is.
Yes, Cricket.

Now those of you that know me - and if you have this link you probably know me rather well - I don't really watch Cricket. I used to back in Bangkok with family because it was fun to watch it amongst family & friends or generally people of Desi origin. At Vassar we didn't have TVs. Since then, I just never tried to seek out Cricket matches.

Enter INSEAD.
Largest population of any nation: Indians. Add Pakistanis and others of Desi Origin who might not have Indian/Pakistani passports and you've got the closest to what you might call a "majority" loosely defined by "race" at INSEAD.

Last week, during the Pakistan vs. India match, the spirit was intense. It was contagious. It was nostalgic. It was patriotic. It was good fun. It was filled with friendly banter and the loud cheering so common of matches but peppered with Desi jokes, puns, slurs, slang - all the mish-mash you'd want from a game you're watching at home with a group of friends.

We had Romanians siding with Pakistanis. French asking about rules. Lebanese getting generally rowdy and trying to rile up the crowd. Canadians buying rounds of beers when a wicket was conceded. Italians, Spaniards, Japanese... you name it. The entire INSEAD community was getting involved. More like taken over.

And I felt the fever. I felt the funk through my veins. And I was glued, once more, to the match. Even during classes people were checking scores and Professors were very understanding. They understood the rivalry.

But I have to say, the "rivalry" was fought with so much fun and general sportsmanship that I don't think I've ever had such an experience. There was a lot of yelling and cheering and boo-ing but in the end, we were all genuinely enjoying watching the match together. Indians in Blue. Pakistanis in Green. Random strangers watching either match getting roped into sitting on a certain side and trained to yell at certain times.

Good times. Great times.

And now we have a match about to start in an hour or so. A bar in Fonty has agreed to sponsor food & drink specials while screening the match on their projector for the Indian community to watch our Cricket team lay a claim for the World Cup trophy - and I'll just say what's on everyone's mind. 21 years. 99 centuries. Is there any more pressure we can lay on the poor guy? Give him a break.

And try to remember - the trophies he has claimed and the life he has devoted to his nation before you get too excited or depressed by his performance. I genuinely hope he enjoys this match - takes a deep breath when he gets on the pitch - and gives it his best. It is what it is. At the end of the day, it is (dare I say it) just a game and one that should be played for the love of the sport.

No comments:

Post a Comment