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Beyond the Blues
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December 2, 2008
Posted by Aakash Chopra on 12/02/2008 in
When cricket becomes irrelevant
Talking or discussing about cricket was left to be done on the field and as soon as we were off the field everyone wanted to know what was happening in Mumbai © AFP

Dear readers,

As I'd mentioned in my earlier post, we have been closely following the events in Mumbai and were deeply concerned and disturbed. As of now (the time of my writing this blog), the operation against the terror attack has come to an end but I'm still glued to the news channels to know as much as I can about it.

We [Delhi] were scheduled to play a Ranji Trophy game against Orissa two days after the terror attack in Mumbai. Playing cricket in these circumstances is the last thing on our minds but a man's got to do what a man's got to do.

We observed a two-minute silence before the start of the game and both teams wore black arm-bands to show our grief for the victims in Mumbai.

I've never been involved in match like this, where the first thing one would ask on entering the dressing room, whether it was in the morning or at lunch time, was to turn on the news. Everyone would just watch the news in silence. Talking or discussing about cricket was left to be done on the field and as soon as we were off the field everyone wanted to know what was happening in Mumbai.

There are two schools of thought when it comes to playing a game of cricket in these circumstances. Since playing any sport is a form of entertainment, one thought would be to stop playing the game in such times. Our country's security was at stake and our fellow Indians were suffering and here we are playing a game of cricket! But on the other hand, if you stop living and put everything on a hold, the whole purpose of these terror attacks is served. They say cricket, or for that matter any sport, can be a ray of hope in these days of gloom. Well, honestly, I don't know whether that's true, or what is the right thing to do in these circumstances, but since we had a match scheduled, we played.

Even after our dismissals, after a few minutes of reflection and thought, we would soon get involved in listening to the horrific stories emerging out of Mumbai . How was the whole plot planned? How did the terrorists manage to get into Mumbai and how much ammunition did they have at their disposal? While these questions kept resounding in our heads and on all the news channels, we were also feeling very proud of our security forces who kept fighting the terrorists while risking their lives. There was so much everyone in the team wanted to share and know about the events in Mumbai. Not even once did I hear anyone discussing the game and how to tackle Mohanty and Co on a track that was posing all kinds of problems.

While we were on the field we were totally focused on our aim, but once off it, we were in a different world with no connection whatsoever to what was transpiring on the field. It was a strange situation as we kept moving in and out of two completely different worlds. We would still celebrate a wicket while fielding or feel equally sad when we saw our stumps uprooted but everything else seemed so trivial as soon as we crossed that white line (boundary rope) and started watching the news.

However much I try, despite our first win of the season, I can't really write anything on cricket this time. Please bear with me.

God bless, always.

Comments (8)
Posted by: Vishal at December 2, 2008 11:50 PM

Very nicely written article. I also read an article by sambit bal on cricinfo on "india should go to pakistan" . Its nice to see that cricinfo has hired sensible people like you who know when is the time not to play cricket.

Posted by: deepak nair at December 3, 2008 3:05 AM

akash chopra you write beautifully!
hope you write a book sometime, if you have notes you should write a tour dairy of the australian and pak tours in 2003-2004

Posted by: Karan Puri at December 3, 2008 8:52 AM

Mr. Chopra, I was privileged to watch you bat for India in Australia and Pakistan in 2003-04 and enjoy your brand of batting in the domestic circuit today as well. But not only are you a gifted and thoughtful cricketer, you are articulate and measured with your words as well. Here's wishing you all the best in both arenas. And please don't worry if you can't write cricket just yet. I think we're all with you on this one.

Posted by: Aarati Agrawal at December 3, 2008 11:55 AM

Aakash, I think you are a great writer. It was a pleasure reading your column. Can't wait to read your book, Beyond the Blues!!! Eagerly waiting and hope it comes out soon. =)

Posted by: anne mcgrory at December 3, 2008 2:20 PM

Cricket really isn't important given what has happened to the people of Mumbai. But... I have been following various blogs in the Guardian about England's departure from India & the possibility of their return (or not) for the test series.
May I ask what you & other Indian cricketers feel about this. Do you feel that currently cricket is so irrelevant that it doesn't really matter or... would England's return offer some sort of solace/support?

Posted by: Ganesh at December 8, 2008 6:31 AM

Awesome thoughts Aakash. I loved this honest lines "They say cricket, or for that matter any sport, can be a ray of hope in these days of gloom. Well, honestly, I don't know whether that's true, or what is the right thing to do in these circumstances, but since we had a match scheduled, we played. "

Would encourage you to write a book on 2003-2004 India tours, I see couple others have also requested the same.

Posted by: jeewan arun persaud at December 17, 2008 11:50 PM

Good writing Akash.I also think that India should not go to pakistan.Pakistan should show some form of brotherhood and cooperate with the Indian government,and stop use "cricket"

Posted by: Abhishek Dutta at January 2, 2009 6:40 PM

Sir I really liked your article. You write beautifully. Wish you all the best for the upcoming matches and IPL 2009.

Yours sincerelely,

Abhishek Dutta

Asansol
West Bengal

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Aakash Chopra opened for India in 10 Tests, forming a potent all-Delhi combination with Virender Sehwag during India's tour of Australia in 2003-04. He also made his mark as an exceptional close-in fielder. He writes columns for the Hindustan Times and Cricinfo, and is the author of Beyond the Blues, his season diary for 2007-08, when Delhi became Ranji champions. His website is here, and his Twitter feed here
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