Leather on the Willow

Ouch! The shoulders are still aching, but the pain is sweet. It was worth it. The sound of leather hitting the willow. Bliss! I heard and felt the sound after more than six years. Tennis ball cricket and the congestion and rush of metropolitan life had snatched away the little joys.

It was time for the inter-departmental cricket at work and I was pushed to the practice nets. Wary, whether after so long a time if I still knew how to hold a cricket bat and roll my arm over. The touch was missing and the joints had gathered quite some rust over the years. But the feel of the sewn red cherry between my fingers and later the willow in my hands made the ache and the bruises worthwhile.

It was yesterday and I wasn't in the shape to blog about it. Today, I missed the practice as it is my day off and so is tomorrow. The match is on Friday and therefore I'll not be in the team. Anyway, it was good to realise that even half a dozen years out of cricket, you don't exactly lose your touch, the legs might not move on the crease, the length and the line of bowling may be awry, but it is still there. Maybe cricket is something like cycling and swimming, you've learnt it once and it'll be there with you all your life. The feeling feels good as I cheer Team India to yet another victory over the Windies.