like the fielder at deep long off,
moving in from the boundary line
as the bowler begins his runup,
and when the batsman hits, hard and low,
swooping in and diving full length
to pouch the ball,
just half-an-inch above the ground!
and then glowing in the glow of the gallery!
*****
6 comments:
A moment or a fraction of a second, but so decisive is that nano second. Then, all is one, the exalted fielder and the glowing gallery.
N.S.Madhavan has told us about the loneliness of the goal keeper waiting for the penalty kick. But it's no match for the loneliness of the fielder in the deep, especially when the ball is hit towards him. You can take my word for that for I myself has been an extremely poor fielder; an embarrassment for the whole team during my 'cricketing days'. :)
i too was a cricketer in my young days, Arun, climbing up to the level the Kerala south zone team, which those days was virtually the state Ranji team. i stopped playing without my knowing it at the age of 22 when on the verge of getting into the state team, because i got married and got drafted into the breeding programme (as our friend Sorcy will put it) and had to run around bringing up the family.
while working in a team in the profession i have often felt how important it is for every member of the team to be alert and on the move while doing work. it is very much like fielding in the deep. as the bowler takes his runup, as you find the day breaking and events unfolding, you have to start moving to put your body into a momentum so that you can move in any direction with precise timing to meet with the ball if it comes your way. this being on the move is the key to taking a catch or even picking up the ball and throwing. a split second wasted makes the difference between success and failure.
in work, sometimes we fall into a static condition, like the fielder rooted to his feet when the catch comes. it is important to keep moving. and there should be no distraction. when the ball is not in play, you can look at the girls in the gallery. but when the bowler starts his runup you have to fall into focus and keep moving.
Vow! That’s news! You must be terrific to reach such levels as a cricketer. For me, it was just the opposite; I was kind of a filler and has to be pushed to the crease, often to face some menacing fast bowlers. But the worst part was fielding, no one expected me to take catches or stop boundaries and when the fewer occasions I did, they were followed by ecstatic celebrations. Perhaps it’s during those moments in the deep or anywhere in the field I felt the need to have a God, the one who can steer the ball away from me :) I think what one’s in the play field has a lot to do with what one’s actually, attitude, courage, spirit…
Arun, it is embarassing to speak about old things when one knows the meaningless of it. my biggest fortune is i am not burdened by the weight of achievements. each time i reach the verge of something, i back out as though by taking the final step i will kill the rebel in me. now after travelling this far chasing one thing or the other and rebelling each time before taking the decisive final step, i have realised i am basically a person whose trejectory goes tangential to the things of the material world. with this realisation i have stopped the struggle--the conflicts are not entirely gone, but are slowly dissipating.
now, cricket is a great game. if you gather into yourself the soul of the game and meditate, you can see how analogous it is to life. its uncertainities and yet the triumph of character over the uncertainities. how else can you explain a Sachin Tendulkar who for two decades had been coming to the crease with the same focus he had as a boy of 16?
and also a player like Jonty Rhodes. he is what i feel is the ultimate of being weightless, a spiritual condition. all the parts of his being--body and mind--is rolled up into a single point of focus and when he flies horizontal to latch on to the ball flashing past him, he is above the laws of gravity, he is just the electrifying energy flashing from a lightening.
yes it is right..
Theres a rush of excitement for the fielder as he paces up to get the wicket.
Yes, the fielder, is in the spotlight as the ball moves towards him and the shouts from the crowd..its all a magical heart stopping moment..for the fielder.
as always..you captured the whole thing very beautifully!
thanks, Sorcy.
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