Episode 2: Trustpuram Talkies

Episode 2: Trustpuram Talkies

The menacing rain just started to cease down a bit, a week of action got skipped in between. Since episode 1 was a hit, we were hell bent and earnest towards another day of cricketing action. The day marked the debuts of Opener Surya and a sensation called Parthasarathy (we missed the services of Kovai express who was busy in derailing another train of its track).

The day before I slept late. I was watching a mock tamil action film(peraanmai) with a good script but poor fight choreography. The movie went real good till the ultimate clash. It failed to fit the bill when the bar was stepped up for the climax bout. Nevertheless a valiant effort.

After a couple of practice sessions we went into the match. We were about 10 in number so we have to split between ourselves for a five on five match with 8
overs per team. Due to the personnel count problem we have to restrict the field of play to offside. Veera and Surya got to open. Veera got out in the first over which Mani got to bowl. The scoreboard read 1 and I dropped in the non striker's end for the second over which cut short our 8 overs match into 3overs. The bowling was not menacing though, he ran in with gentle pace took a good look at the batsmen and hurled in at the batsman like a collapsing canon. The ball was short and wide. I went back to cut the ball and edge it to the keeper. An extravagant shot but the ball was there but I missed it. Partha followed it up with two more wickets one caught and another bowled (middle stick yorker). So there it was the target 4 runs. Tough score, yes I know.

We all settled into our fielding position I was standing in the inner ring of a football practice match setup. The first ball went above my head and was declared four - done - match 1 - over. Stop laughing and continue to read the blog. So we went on with the second match (winning gaaj). Vimal continued his innings and launched many a balls over my head. The ball ideally would have landed between mid-off and long-off. An outstanding diving effort catch running sideways got rid of Vimal and brought in Mani. I dropped a tough chance of Mani to the right of me - grazed my fingers. He nevertheless hit one back to me and I promtly settled beneath it. I got to bowl and slipped in a quick over giving away 2 runs and took a wicket (keeper caught). The target was 25 runs.

I opened with Veera this time and we put up a decent partnership. I dealt in singles and around 4 overs we were 12 odd runs. We used one over from feroz and
Mani to hit a four each and reached 20 runs. In the process lost wickets. The bowling was tight and was aimed at legs. Now you can't hit it over mid-on or glance it fine, neither can you rotate to square leg. All these will get you nothing. Each had different tactics to over come this and Subbiah tried to walk down and mow it over the fielders but hit it on the leg side. One such attempt was caught single handedly by the nemesis Partha. I stood very wide exposing all my stumps in a view to hit it over through covers with the angle. For that a straight slow delivery came in which I missed to drive with no feet movement and got bowled.

Last over two runs to take, last batsman standing. Taken aback by the negative tactics we declared the first ball which hit Surya's leg as wide. The bowler came back to bowl five dot balls. The last ball was promptly hit into a no man area and another single was stolen in the overthrow. Winning gaaj. We played for about 2 overs and it started to drizzle, it got heavy forcing us to leave early than expected. I rode back home completly drenched not to find a single drop of rain beyond Parrys. Chennai IS a big city.

Tune in for the next episode.