Cricket: A Man's Game

Ian Botham had a snide remark to contribute a few years ago about women's cricket for which he had to eventually apologise. Personally, I have always thought women's cricket to be a joke. No, it has nothing to do with being sexist but its just my perception that there is too much testosterone at work in the game. I have romanced leg spin bowling since Warne but have always stuck to bowling pace myself. Again, just a consequence of testosterone. No matter how bad my lower back, no matter how stiff my leg or how sore my shoulder, I have always wanted to bowl fast. When I get a bat in hand in a match situation, I can never control myself from swinging hard no matter how hard I talk myself into 'getting my eye in'. I have always attributed my proclivities on the field to testosterone and have always harbored a quiet resentment towards the so called purists like Gavaskar, Dravid, Boycott and their ilk.

So much so, when my favorite cricketer SRT comes out in a defensive frame of mind, I have always been able to smell his defensiveness. For instance, I was certain during the India vs Srilanka match in WC2007 that Sachin had come in to bat with the fear of failiure tormenting him. You could feel his tension being broadcast through your TV sets and lo and behold, he obliged by being out cheaply. That was not the case in the WC2003 final. He went after McGrath, belted him for four before top-edging the next ball. I was disappointed then but not angry. The point here is: Cricket should be played with a man's mind; in other words, no mind at all. It should be played instinctively, naturally and fluently. There should be naked aggression and brutal domination on display.

Why I am writing this now?....

Because, I saw some primeval cricket today. Yes, I saw Sehwag's innings today at Chennai against South Africa. There was nothing masculine about the Chennai wicket or the South African attack but Sehwag was glorious. He was instinctive; he was a lion ousted by his own pride, out to 'make his bones' and he ended up marauding his way into cricket lore. It was a brutal assault by a quintessential opportunist. It was a predator vs prey opera on the cricket field. Sehwag knew the odds were on his side. Every predator plays on the odds and a successful kill is usually decided by choosing the right odds and then going full throttle. Sehwag's undefeated knock today had that same primitive drive. He knew the conditions were in his favor. Any other batsman would have been content with double hundred in a day but not Sehwag. For this guy, its not the runs but the run-making that is important. He does not care about the century but he does take care to ensure he gets the milestone with a bang and not a nervous single!

Today was his day and he made sure everyone will remember it by being brutal to the core. Mind you, by being brutal, not suicidal, therefore, he is still there!!

Fingers crossed, Brian Lara's quadruple may be under attack on Day 4!