A Sunday game together.

The game of cricket is something which I and my family enjoy a lot. A few years ago, I was having a tough time. I was doing MBA and it was taking a toll. I used to spend the day at college and I came home just for the sake of eating and sleeping at night. In Dad`s words, “Ghar ka Hotel Bana ke Rakha Hain” .This pissed my family. My mother was concerned about my deteriorating health and father was suspicious of me doing wrong things under the pretext of MBA. It is a common problem with all Indian parents. A kid sits at home they call him lazy and if the kid is away from home, they would feel he is wasting his time.



India vs Pakistan and Sunday was always something I loved prior to my MBA days. But that had changed and I was skeptical about everything. I was in hurry, but bargained with my conscious and decided to stay home and watch the first 10 overs before leaving. Yes, MBAs have lectures on Sunday too.

“Sachin will definitely score a century”, my father said.

“Sachin is not even reaching double figure”, I said.

Match started and I was very much keen on watching Sachin choke and walk his way to the pavilion. I was so pessimistic about everything happening around me. My father being a Sachin Tendulkar Fan and an ace in Cricket technicalities, started with the way Sachin uses straight batting strokes. I started criticizing him for making Sachin Tendulkar a demi god. This stroked a conversation which lasted for the next 43 overs left in India`s batting.

His passion for Cricket and the understanding of the game was something I had not known earlier. He started with Sachin`s life and how he was born to play cricket. He went on saying how he realized that Sachin`s bat play was something he had never seen earlier. He praised Sachin’s talents and skills. He talked about how focused he was and was ready to accept failures which came his way.

“There was a time, where Sachin couldn’t reach the score of 20. He had a keen analytical mind on why he was getting out so quickly. He had once played around 53 matches back to back. He had that stamina to play and sustain. He basically never wore out.”

He must have never won all the matches, but he kept on playing. He just loved cricket.

“Whatever you do in life you just have to love it”, my dad said.

Since that day, I completely worship Sachin Tendulkar just for his passion, optimism and his love for Cricket. Those subtle stories about Sachin Tendulkar, my father gives are one of the best memories I have with him.



India was batting first and Sachin scored 109. India went ahead and won the world cup. On home front, I think I was a changed man from those subtle words of wisdom from Dad. It is quite stimulating how a lazy afternoon spent together with family can change your life.