I know hundreds of cricket fans who know nothing about the technicalities of the game and yet they look forward to watching every match and also have strong favourites… and I know yet another set of hundreds of fans who talk intelligently about the game, watch every game, but have no favourites. They divide their applause and adulation equally amongst the teams. But I’m not one the latter category… and nor from the former. I know about cricket. I love cricket. I watch all the matches. And I have a favourite team as well.
‘That’s interesting,’ said Specky, who isn’t at all interested in the game but sits with nevertheless when I’m watching any CPL (Cricket premier League) match on the telly. She paused and then went on, ‘So you reserve your cheers for just one of the teams in this 20-20 cricket competition?’
I said, ‘Cheers for my team and jeers for the other teams.’ I then told her that any real fan would be a sum-total of cheers, jeers, and fears. Great fans cheer their team, jeer the opposing one, and are constantly plagued by fears.
‘I can understand cheers and jeers… but why fears?’
‘Cricket,’ I said, ‘is a game of great uncertainties and we cricket fans learn to expect the unexpected. I have seen a batsman in form get out for a duck in a crucial match. I have watched with horror an unconventional bowler run up and get the most wickets. I have seen batsmen getting run out when all they had to do was just hobble down the crease.’
‘Ok, I get the point. So which is your favourite team in this season of CPL?’
‘Team Delhi obviously,’ I said, ‘this is the team that has regaled all cricket fans all over the world with the maximum number of unexpected results. All the glorious uncertainties that I was mentioning have happened with this team. They have some sort of in-born knack to do what everyone believes is impossible… even foolhardy!’
I know that the base on uncertainties is a rather strange reason for wanting to cheer a team… but then this is one team that I have cheered and jeered in the same match. Then I have gone over fearful spasms at the sort of decision-making that went on in the field. No other team comes anywhere close to this one in entertaining its fans with uncertainties.
Team Delhi lets everything remain unsolved… which is what keeps them so alive and full of intrigue. No one can ever guess what they are up to… or what they will end up doing the next moment. Don’t you think this actually qualifies them to have undisputed support from the largest base of fans? Come on, this is precisely what gives any fan the adrenalin rush that is so often talked about. Where is the charm in towering like a Goliath and winning every match… you should enter like a roaring Goliath and go whimpering like a Goliath… or make a grand entry wearing a tee that reads: David… or stand up and announce: I will not fight with anyone now! Collect all the probable uncertainties and watch Team Delhi fulfil them all!
I’m telling you this team is way beyond predictions. No one can ever say with surety what they will do in the next moment. Look at the advantages, man. This is one team that will thrill the audience and fill the hearts of the bookies with dread. This team transforms every match into a maze that the spectators start enjoying. This team dazzles and fizzles out in the same over. This team coaxes, confuses, conforms, confirms, controls, and concocts in the strangest possible sequence. Yes, this team does everything that fills my heart with fear. And I am always ready with my cheers as well as jeers when they are playing. None of their matches are tame and with a predictable climax. So yes, this is why I am going to cheer them on even this season.
This Cricket Season, look no further than your mobile to capture the best Cricket fun. Get scores on the go with @cri, catch up on cricketing action with @highlights, enjoy latest cricket news with @crinews, be your own cricket star with @superover and LOL with Navjot Singh Siddhu on @sidhu.
To use any of these services just SMS @keyword to 51115. Valid on Airtel, Vodafone, Idea & Tata. Upto Re 1/SMS
Arvind Passey
04 May 2014
Contest results announced… and one of my posts for this contest won a prize:
The winning post can be read here:
BC, AM, and the Cricket Premier league
For those who need more details on txtWeb Cricket Services, here they are:
In a Cricket Crazy country like India, did you know that only 10% have Internet Access? That means that roughly 800 Million people have never experienced the internet until txtWeb. True to their mission of democratizing the spread of information, txtWeb brings millions of Indian users the joy of the Internet on SMS with a great suite of cricketing apps. These are the popular ones:
@cri: Get Cricket scores on SMS
@Highlights: Catch up on Cricket action
@four: The Ultimate Cricket Quiz
@cricketer: Know anything about your favorite cricketers
@superover: Play Cricket on your mobile and become a cricketing star
For the Cricket Premier League, txtWeb released a new set of cricket apps!
@scorecard: Ever wished that you could get more than just the score? If you enjoy a detailed score card then this app is the one for you! Follow each match performance of your favorite cricket star with this app.
@Points: Know where your team stands on the points table with @Points.
@captain: Unhappy that your favorite team traded your favorite player or disappointed that they didn’t buy enough spinners in the auction? Set that all right by playing this awesome fantasy game that lets you captain your own team to victory!
@Teams: Part of the excitement around the premier league of cricket is that players get transferred and you aren’t stuck with the boring, same squad every year. Keep track of all the players and team news with @teams.
@schedule: Don’t miss a single match of your favorite team with this app. It has the complete schedule. Access it anywhere you like or at anytime!
