In India, Cricket is not just a game , it's a religion. First game kids get to know is cricket. Cricket is in soul of cricket lovers. In cricket, every other day new records are set. These records are properly recorded in journals. We can cross them any time we want and can see them anywhere in the world(videos). But, there are some records which are never recorded, records which have no physical evidence, records that lasts only in our memory, records that are set by amateurs like us everyday in Gully Cricket.
Yes, the Gully Cricket, the game we all have been playing since childhood in parks, lawns, terrace, streets, backway etc. Every time we play we set a kind of our records, some memorable ones while some embarrassing ones. This article is all about some of the cricket records and memories I share with my friends. These records aren't recorded in any journal, no one can cross check it, these records lasts only in our memories. As you read it, you will find it a bit relatable, you might remember some of your forgotten records, you might miss your cricketing friends too, memories of your cricketing days will come afresh in your mind.
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First question we all ask other players is What's Your Highest Score? Honestly, I don't remember my highest score. In order to get more games and to ensure each player bats ( in one on one game) overs per batsman were fixed, and mostly it was 1 Over per Batsman. Most part of my gully cricket career was occupied by this rule. So I don't know what's my highest score. I don't even know whether I have a genuine 50 to my name or not. By the way do you remember your highest score?
Next question arises is, okay then what's the most runs you have scored of an over? As I am not a great batsman like Jethalal Champaklal Gada , who scored 48 of an over, I couldn't score that much. I managed only half of it. To know how I scored it, I have to take you to the day I scored those runs. It was February 2016, last college semester. Me and my friends were trying to get as many games as we can before our college life ends. It was one such day. As we were around 6-7 guys and park was really big we were again playing one on one. One over per batsman was fixed. Vikram batted first and smashed 26 runs of an over ( I guess his highest too). I was next. He told me that ball is really good and you can easily smash boundaries. If you have played gully cricket, you know that we don't have any off side or on side boundary. We just have a straight boundary which we have to hit with perfection. Parks provide a bit liberty while playing straight shots. We have a larger V to score runs. Same was the case that day. I had a greater area in my V on leg side, which was an added bonus. I smashed the first ball for a six. It was timed so perfectly that it landed on the transformer in the park and created the loud thunder sound. Such was the impact that for a second everything seemed quiet. Transformer had a double layer of protection. Luckily ball landed in the outer part and we recovered the ball without the fear of getting a shock. Next 2 balls were also smashed easily for a Four and a Six. Fourth delivery was again bowled my legs and this time timing was even better, and so was the impact on transformer. Ball landed exactly in central protection box and couldn't be recovered. A good ball was martyred that day. Other ball which we had didn't have much bounce. On fifth delivery I could only score a double. On last ball I needed a boundary for a victory. Ball was in slot, I smashed it with my full power but such a poor was the bounce of the ball that it didn't even cover half the distance towards boundary and was easily caught. Dismissed on the last ball after scoring most runs of an over, 24 runs, which is still my highest. New ball benefited me and Vikram as other guys who were good batsman weren't able to score much with this ball.
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Now to talk about bowling records, in gully cricket no one remembers the number of wickets that have taken in their career. It's difficult to make a note of it. But some days we do remember some records we made while bowling. It might be number of wickets we took that day or best spell we had on a day, or better the hat-trick we took. Have you got a Hat-trick in your career? Do you remember it? In my case, twice I got the hat-trick in my gully cricket career and on both the occasions I converted it into a Four On Four, and in both the games my team ended up on a losing side. This is kind of a embarrassing record. Honestly on both days I got the feeling that I was Lasith Malinga (Malinga took Four Wickets of Four Balls in 2007 World Cup vs South Africa and still landed up on losing side) I got the same feeling when despite my hat-trick , my team couldn't win the match.
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The Day I Pulled Off An M.S.
M.S. Dhoni changed the way we looked onto wicket keeping job in Gully Cricket. From a boring job it became a more excited job to be a wicketkeeper. We can now idolise and imitate our hero via wicket keeping. I was too happy to be a keeper in my later part of my Gully Cricket Career. On many days I imitated him, took a sharp catch, a running backward catch and some stumping. One day I got so excited for a stumping that in order to stump like MS in a splash I bruised my finger. (Usually in gully cricket we don't have proper stumps, we use big stones as wickets.) Finally after some days I got the chance to redeem myself. I got my fastest and smartest stumping. That day, Rahul was on strike. He missed the straight ball and ball passed just over the stumps. He was just inside the crease. But I don't know how he suddenly lost his balance. I quickly seized the opportunity and stumped him while his foot was in air. We didn't have a third umpire for it. It can't be cross checked. As I was so confident , he accepted his wicket and walked off. I know it's difficult to believe it. But much can't be done about it. As mentioned earlier, these records can't be proved. They just last in our memories.
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My Gully Cricket Friends
It won't be fair if this post ends like this, end without mentioning my Gully Cricket Friends. So this part is for them. I have many cricketing memories with them which made college life more joyful. Mayank Sharma, a good batsman, whenever he was on strike, there were only two possibilities either he will be dismissed for a duck (mostly first ball duck), or will score big and remain not out in his allotted one over. There was no third possibility. As I am a spin bowler, I tend to copy Ashwin a lot. Same was the case in my college days. Me vs Mayank was always an interesting contest. I personally viewed it as Maxwell vs Ashwin ( which was at its prime at that time). I don't know who won the battle, but I clearly remember the day he smashed 2 sixes of my over. It was first time in years that I was smashed for 2 sixes in an over and that too big ones. I was furious at that point and bowled the remaining deliveries at a great pace which prevented him from scoring more runs. Mayank vs Me was the most exciting battle and will continue to remain a one if he we chanced upon playing together in the future.
Another Interesting battle was between Vikram Sharma and Himanshu Chhabra. The Two ball challenge they had was more interesting. I don't remember how it started. But whenever Vikram was bowling to Himanshu, they had their two ball challenge on. This meant that Vikram will dismiss Himanshu in First 2 balls. What was more interesting that mostly he was able to dismiss him within 2 balls. There was a time that Vikram had won 4 consecutive 2 ball challenge. On Fifth occasion they again had their challenge on. Himanshu comfortably smashed the first ball for six. Instead of negotiating the second ball safely, he again went for the heap and was clean bowled thus losing 5th 2 ball challenge on the trot. Though he redeemed himself in the next game by smashing 16 runs of his over, but 2 ball challenge still remains highlight of their contest.
Rahul Gupta was considered an underdog. Initially he didn't have much confidence in his bowling and used to skip it. On his very first day in bowling he was smashed for 22 runs in an over by Himanshu. With time his bowling improved and he became a genuine wicket taker. He became a wicket taker not because of his good bowling but due to his ability to be smashed. Most batters were dismissed while playing big shots to him. Either they end up hitting ball outside the park or caught inside the boundary line. Whatever the reason be, he was getting wickets and that too in a heap, which increased his confidence in bowling. Despite his loose bowling he dismissed Mayank most times for a Golden Duck. At that time in our group I was the leading wicket taker, but soon Rahul overtook me and remained the highest wicket taker till our regular play ended. He doesn't know that he still holds that record.
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A Cricket Injury
In cricket, you can't avoid an injury. At some point or another we sustain a certain kind of injury. I too wasn't able to avoid it. I was in school, possibly in 4th or 5th Standard. I was Playing with my friends in our Gully , at that time we used to play in a team of Two. Me and Mohit mostly used to be in the same team. We used to deal in singles and doubles and build a good partnership. That day I was dismissed early. As I had nothing to do, I decided to be his runner. He refused my offer, but as I was reluctant, he had to agree to allow me as his runner. As our gully was narrow, there was not much space to stand on his right side. On the very first ball he swung his bat missing the ball and hitting me on my forehead , just above my left eye. It happened at a such a speed that I felt a kind of lightning above my left eye. Suddenly a lot of sweat started to flow down my left face. My friends were looking at me in horror. I didn't understand why. Sweat was flowing at a great speed. When I touched it I realised that it was blood which was flowing down my left face. After passing through initial horror they took me to my home, holding me from both sides, fearing that I might faint. It wasn't a serious injury and no stitches were required. After clearing my blood when my Mom took me out to doctor whose clinic was just outside my Gully, while waiting outside doctor's clinic you won't believe what I did. I was searching for the ball that was lost in all these things.
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MEMORIES ARE LIKE THE HOUSE OF ANTS,
YOU DON'T KNOW HOW MANY ARE HIDDEN INSIDE IT…!
BUT.,
WHEN 1 COMES OUT OF IT, ALL OTHERS COME ONE AFTER ANOTHER.
- Unknown
Same is the case with this post. Initially I planned to share 3-4 stories, but like house of ants, one memory brought another and there was no stoppage to it. There are many more memories and writing them will reveal more. So, halfheartedly I end my post here. But you do share your cricketing memories with us in Comment section. What's your highest score? What's the most you have scored of an over? Share freely. Don't worry as no one will ask you to prove it. We will believe what you say.
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