Haj

It was an emotional experience to stand on the same balcony where Kapil and his devils celebrated in 1983! The pilgrimage to Lords was done appropriately on a Friday especially during the holy period of Ramzan! On good recommendations opted for the guided tour which lets you go through the long room where many a batsmen have walked on the way to the middle or on their way back. The guide said the response of those in the pavilion could be icy for batsmen on their way back with a duck on the scoreboard. Botham was out twice for a duck against the Australians! Saw the visitor’s dressing room and sat on the same benches where Kapil Dev or Gordon Greenidge would have sat. The ground itself is rather small and slopes severely across the pitch. The height difference between the left corner (as you see from the pavilion) to the right is more than 6 feet. The stadium seats just more than 30,000. But the history of this place and the tradition makes it special. The MCC still hold the responsibility of maintaining the rules of the game. The only bad part of the tour was the guide himself who actually is a full member of the MCC and so appropriately held a stiff upper lip. By the way, I wonder why they call it a stiff upper lip. Can you try keeping the upper lip stiff while letting the lower one floppy? It does not seem possible, either both are stiff or both are floppy….

The guided tour had 15 Australians and 3 Indians and 2 Englishmen. I couldn’t help mentioning the Inzamam affair and how all the Auzzies are fanatically backing that idiot Hair. These guys are so like the Americans, yuk. Richie Benaud barking at the ICC rather than at his fellow countrymen, sorry boss I have lost all the respect I had for you. His fellow commentator Dean Jones got away lightly after calling a player terrorist. I wish Zidane was around to head butt that guy. The Ashes went on when London was getting bombed while South Africa pulls out of the Sri Lanka competition on security grounds. I think the South Asian teams should say to hell with ICC and form their own organization and play within ourselves and keep the money too. Then the ground that would take Lords place would definitely be M.A.Chidambaram stadium or Chepauk in Chennai. Eden Gardens has become a hell hole after that sad semi-final and Wankhede after booing Tendulkar. I don’t know much about the Lahore stadium but do quite a bit about my favorite Chepauk. The D stand (above the side screen opposite to the pavilion) is the place to watch a test match. Passes for this stand are issued by the TNCA (Tamil Nadu Cricket Association) and usually for the players in the TNCA league. I have never played for that league but happened to play for the NCCA (Northern California Cricket Association)! But my brother did and so we got passes. It is a wonderful experience to sit along with knowledgeable cricket crowd, that too mostly players. Chepauk itself has a reputation for holding a cultured cricketing audience but the D stand takes the cake. I remember when the West Indies played after their ‘83 debacle, there was a standing ovation when Michael Holding started his run up even before the first ball was bowled. The crowd was appreciating his beautiful and long run up. That was a memorable day for other reasons too. Sunil Gavaskar had got tired of opening the innings and decided to come 2 down. But events conspired against him and he was in the middle in the first over with India 0 for 2, both batsmen out by incredible catching of Roger Harper at the slips. The little master faced the fearsome four (Holding, Roberts, Marshal, Garner) to make an impeccable 235, amazing stuff. The second instance which I remember at Chepauk is when the same Gavaskar was the most un-popular cricketer among the D stand crowd. Gavaskar dropped our darling Kapil Dev for the previous match at Calcutta. That was the only test match the great all-rounder missed in his long career, amazing feat considering injuries and stuff. I remember on the first day before the match began the D standers held a huge banner “Sunny days are over” when Gavaskar came out for his morning jog.

Coming to the present, I want to watch a test match at Chepauk from the D stand. With my mom packing a 4-compartment tiffin carrier, I would be all set. Would anyone like to join me? What should the menu be for each of the 5 days? Would it be different if India is winning or if India is losing? Let us ponder over this…