Often a smile says more than many paragraphs. Today morning I saw two such smiles flashed at each other. Muralitharan came out to bat with Sri Lanka in trouble, but was batting the only way he bats - with gay abandon. After milking a few lucky ones off two Pathan overs, the great spinner faced his opposing number for the first time in ages.
Murali had a toothy grin, as he always does. Kumble started his run, came to the crease, leapt up, Murali charged! The ball fell short of a length, missed the bat and disturbed the already-oft-tormented stumps. Kumble ambled down the track with a smile very different from those that we normally see - one of triumph with a tinge of deference. Murali flashed back a different smile too - one with the helplessness of the vanquished with a tinge of bravado.
Two masters of an esoteric art sharing a private wordless joke.
Comments
(:-D)
Posted by: Angshuman at December 12, 2005 10:34 AM
Of all the moments in this test match that have had significance (Tendulkar's 35th 100, Vaas' 300th wicket, Dravid's 8000th run), I don't think there was one more poignant. A gauntlet thrown down by one great spinner had been accepted and even equalled by another. One has been pilloried for pushing the limits of flexion as much as he has been praised for pushing the limits of off-spin. The other has often been pushed into the background, and always clawed his way back into the limelight.
That moment between them was the acknowledgement of heights reached through toil, of long sojourns through dark valleys and of sheer brilliance and the self-belief that survived it all. It was the joy shared of just being there, of having played a part in showing the world how a 'slow-bowler' can make a turbo-paced world dance to his tune.
Perhaps in the distant future, they'll each tell their grand-children of the moment they once shared with one of the world's great spinners.
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