Sporty Confessions

I sat shocked and angry at the way India lost their first 2 matches in the super 8 round of T20 world cup. I swore not to watch them play again. I just Couldn't stop criticizing them for hours.When I realized that they had restricted South Africa for 130 runs in the third one, I thought these guys are playing for pride and i need to watch them win it. The performance they displayed from then on was so pathetic that i couldn't utter a word.Shattered and stunned I lied down for hours. So many thoughts crossed my mind. Why did this happen and why am I so concerned ? I'm not a player nor a journo, An analyst or administrator. What do I lose or gain ?

That's the funny part of the situation. None of the above might actually lose or gain from these games as much as I do.Yes its right , cos I'm this stupid fan like many of you.

I'm the one who bunked classes just to watch matches on TV. I'm the one who joined for tuition away from home so that i can sneak into the stadium to watch matches. I'm the one who sat late at night to see our batsmen play the Windies , or woke up at 4 AM to see the new jerseys when we took on the kiwis.I'm the one who tuned the old radio every minute to hear the commentary as Gods own country rattled opponents in Santhosh trophy.I'm the one who would watch the highlights over and over again just to relive the moment and feel the goosebumps all over again.

I don't know when this fascination for sport had took over me, but I knew many sportsmen by name even before i entered Kindergarten.
When I joined KG,the class in charge was Mrs. Lily.I was used to hearing the name 'Lillie' as my dad was a big fan of Dennis Lillie. I guess I didn't know the first name was Dennis then, but yours truly was so confused that he went home and asked daddy How could a lady be given a man's name.

It was great growing up with sporting events,To watch a fully charged John McEnroe or a skillful battle between Stefan Edberg and Boris Becker, hear about the 83 world cup exploits and watch images of a victorious Indian team celebrating on an Audi down under, Catch glimpses of Maradona on TV, Collect pics of Gullit and Van Basten in a Milan jersey, Imagine yourself being a Gary Linekar or Paul Gascoigne during the games sessions in school , Cheer up as Lewis, Powell and Johnson created magic at the track and fields.
I cried when Baggio missed the penalty in the world cup finals and lost to the Brazilians.Sat late at night just to see Zola and Mijatovic score goals,browsed channels to watch Jan Owe Waldner in action whom I had heard a lot about but had never seen before.I have followed Chelsea's move from an exciting style of play to a cautious'how to win' style of play,Seen the glory days of Leeds and Newcastle shift to relegation. I had tears of joy when Ivanisevic finally won the Wimbledon as an unseeded player,Got motivated when Navotna and Capriati took roller coaster rides to earn a Grand slam.Took me high when our cricketers brought in so much of cheer and Our Davis cup team marched to the world group finals, Felt proud when we won individual medals at olympics, danced on the road when we thrashed our arch rivals in Cricket world cups.
They were not just games and players. They were very much part of myself. I lived every moment of it and shared every emotion.I cheered for them in their peak and backed them in their bad times, felt the thrill and excitement take over me every moment.

But here I was swearing never to watch our cricketers play. Lol
Whatever said....I wont be able to keep my word. Cos I'm this stupid sports fan.
I know ill be there just like the other sports fanatics following the ODI series against the Windies.