C'est La Vie....

(Just for the record, this was written on 8th may, but me being the lazy bum that I’m, it’s being posted today:))

Since as long as I can remember, the one sport that I’ve followed throughout my life is cricket. Yeah, basketball and soccer have their own importance but nothing beats cricket. Like every true Indian, I too consider it my religion. And today I achieved nirvana according to my religion, because for the first time in my 20 orbits around the sun, I watched a match – LIVE!!

Match – Delhi Daredevils vs. Chennai Super Kings
Venue – Feroze Shah Kotla Stadium, Delhi
Time – 2:30 p.m.

The scorching heat did not seem to be a deterrent for the hundreds of people queuing outside the stadium. The match itself was by far the closest encounter IPL had seen so far. Chasing an imposing 188 for victory, a beefed up Chennai batting order got it down to 15 off the last over. With Gony on strike, Sehwag, in a gamble gone horribly wrong handed the ball to Shoaib Malik. Soon it was scores level, down to the last ball. The audience went numb as Sehwag had a long chat with Malik. With chants of “Malik, Malik” in the background, he bowled to Badri who hit hard and Shikhar Dhawan, at deep mid-wicket, made a valiant attempt but it was all over. Chennai had broken their losing streak, winning by 4 wickets. Had Dhawan held on to what would have been a brilliant last ball catch, the match would have seen the first bowl-out of the league.

Gambhir’s blistering 80 off 49 balls (which went in vain) got him back the orange cap for the tournament’s highest run-scorer from Sehwag.

The turning point of the game was when Albie Morkel hit 3 consecutive sixes off an over by Sehwag and took a total of 25 runs off it. That one over changed the complexion of the game.

The disappointed crowd did not even stay for the presentation. And as if in protest of the outcome of the match, the weather brewed up a strong dust storm as soon as the game ended. Well, as they say, you win some, you lose some.