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| Picture Courtesy: Google Images |
I was looking forward
to this day for the past three years. Of all the match-ups in the whole
season, this was the only contest I really
wanted to see. In 2011, this particular match was a complete washout because of
the rain. Last year, I was not even in a position to walk when the match took
place, but I was happy because we demolished them that day. This year, there were no
obstacles, or so I thought when I booked the tickets to watch the IPL match
between Rajasthan Royals and the Royal Challengers Bangalore on the 20th
of April. One team in which my idol, Rahul Dravid, plays at present; versus the
other which betrayed him. Nothing would make me happier than seeing my idol in person and him being the victorious captain of a team against his former team on
his ‘home’ ground.
This day was special to
me in more ways than one. Not only was I ecstatic to watch my idol live, but it was
also going to be my first ever “Live” match. Yes, I know it sounds very
shameful that I had never watched a cricket match in a stadium before, but
there’s always a first for everything. My passion for my beloved cricket
is unparalleled, but I always preferred watching the game from the comforts of
my home rather than watching it live in the stadium.
I never saw Dravid bat
live in a Test Match in a stadium, which is probably my only regret as far as my
beloved game is concerned. So, this particular match became all the more special
as it might possibly be Dravid’s last competitive match on his home ground. He
may not come back to play another season, although I said the same thing last year as
well. So, there is a glimmer of hope of Dravid coming back next year, but it all
depends on how he feels—mentally and physically. He would be 41 by then. Anyway, if this was going to
be his swan song, then I had to be
there at any cost.
There was a little
drama even before the start of the match, nothing related to the Cricket of
course. Because of the blasts that happened in Bangalore just three days before the match, the security was beefed up around the city, especially for this match. The stadium had turned into a fortress,
almost.
The day finally arrived
and I, along with my buddy Suraj, made my way to the stadium. My first
experience inside a stadium was absolutely amazing. My excitement reached its
peak when I saw my idol for the very first time. Dravid walked into the stadium
in his training gear and started analyzing the pitch as he always does before the
start of a match. There was a huge roar when he entered the stadium by a
sparsely filled crowd.
My eyes were firmly set
on him as I watched his every move. I was absolutely awestruck, as I couldn’t
believe I was watching him live for the first time. The actual start of the
match was still two hours away, while Dravid and his teammates continued their practising session.
After analyzing the pitch, Dravid got his pads on and started hitting a few
balls in the nets. Although he was practising at the far end of the stadium as
compared to where I was seated, I could still feel his absolutely commendable
work ethic. This wasn’t new to me; he has been doing that for the past 17
years.
Even after retiring
from international cricket a year ago, he still looked great physically. Dravid
taking a break from his commentating duties after the recently concluded
India-Australia Test series to prepare for this year’s IPL shows his commitment
and determination. I was privileged to witness all that live for the very first
time.
Virat Kohli won the
toss and RCB chose to field first. Any team chasing always has a distinct
advantage on this ground, and hence I was expecting RR to bat last, but it wasn’t to
be. We needed a good start from Watson and Rahane but they fell very early in the
innings. The run rate didn’t even touch six until the 8th over.
Dravid was struggling but was fighting it out. I finally got to witness my idol
bat live, but at that moment, I was so involved in the match, I didn’t even
realize it.
The run rate was slowly
starting to pick up, and Dravid also started to find his shots, which gave me
immense joy and happiness. That feeling just can’t be described in words. His
flicks, his straight drives, his cover drives, his backfoot punches down the
ground—absolutely sublime. While many of those shots found the fielders, it was pure bliss to watch him play those shots. I was absolutely gutted when Dravid holed out for a
fighting 35. It was an absolute privilege to witness my idol bat, and I was content
with the fact that he fought it out in the middle when the going was tough and
again came up with rock-solid innings. When Dravid fell, the score was 97 for
4, and the rest of the team just dramatically collapsed. We eventually holed out
for an inadequate score of 117. I wanted to leave the field at that instant,
but there was still some optimism left inside me. But honestly, I knew our fate was sealed.
In the second half,
even though I knew what the result would be eventually, I still kept rooting
for my team till the very end and made some RCB fans around me very angry. I observed Dravid field all the way through; he
would mostly field in the first slip or the mid-off. I was keenly observing his
mannerisms as I didn’t know if or when I would get that chance again. I learnt
a lot of new things about my idol that day. Something that would stay with me for a long long time.
For many, it was just
another cricket match. For me, it was something way beyond. Thank you, Rahul
Dravid for all the memories.
Match Scorecard: RR vs RCB
