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They send the heat for a six
Sunday afternoons are not meant for siestas for these cricket lovers who play the game on a ground which is usually rented out for exhibitions.
NO MATTER how hot it is, there is something that will never go out of style — cricket.
The game is especially fun when played on Sundays. Cannot explain why, but it just does not feel the same any other day. And there are all kinds and versions of the game in existence — morning cricket, evening cricket, street cricket, "maidan" cricket, holiday cricket ... we can go on and on.
A Sunday afternoon is somehow extra special though. That is when most people stay indoor conserving their energies for the evening. That is also when the omnipresent stray dogs are more interested in their siesta than in chasing hapless wayfarers.
Near Commercial Street on one such afternoon, a bunch of guys appears to be oblivious to the heat and the dust. They are happily engrossed in their game, though there is no audience to see and applaud a great throw or a neat catch or a lovely shot. These fellows are self-reliant in praises (and curses).
Look closer and you will see that they do not even make up proper teams. They have got only four stumps and a bat. There are no gloves, no pads, no iced tea to slake their thirst, no lemonade for breaks, and no hats to protect them from the sun. No mobile phones, and of course, no long distance calls. They play because they love the game. Simple.
Actually, if you take the time to go around the City (preferably on a Sunday but it can also be on an usual or unexpected holiday), you will find similar scenes.
Where there is vacant land, even if it is unclean, it is ordained that the game would played. It does not necessarily have to be cricket. It can be football or badminton without nets. Bit hard to find roadside tennis, though.
By Divya Sreedharan
Photo: V.Sreenivasa Murthy
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Life
Bangalore
Chennai
Coimbatore
Delhi
Hyderabad
Kochi
Madurai
Thiruvananthapuram
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