Cricket

So I have no real interest in the game basically because I have never seen a match even on TV. I imagine most Americans haven’t. Well I guess India is good, like they won the world cup good. So many people play here.

Mary Ellen and I decided to go check it out. I’ve played baseball… how different can it be… right?

So we got up at 430. Got to the field 10 minutes before 5AM. Yea it was fully light out. But no one was at the field. Well there was one guy in his garden. Same garden from the night before. So we talked to him. It turns out it was the father of the guy we met last night. So he took us to his house. Well paraded us through the city and then his house. There was a cow there to greet us. We sat down and started talking. Turns out his father in law is a Jesuit, an American Jesuit that we have heard a ton about. So we swapped contact info and planned to meet up in Patna. He was a cool guy. He had a son age 23 a communications and electronics engineer. Biggest dream to go to America. Seems like every Indian has that dream; I’ve had at least 7 or 8 Indians tell me that. So we have tea then decide it’s time to play cricket, after of course another parade, where people joined behind us wondering what an American is doing in middle India in a town of grass huts population 1000. I was definitely the first American most had seen.

So were at the field and were counting off and picking teams. I was picked 4^th. Woah that’s high expectations. Do they know I don’t know the rules? No of course not. They don’t speak English so even though I’ve tried telling them they replied in Hindi and we both looked confused.

Se we take the field first. They tell me I’m playing catcher. So I’m touching the ball every play. Starting with the first one. Great. Not even a chance to see how the game is played. So I’m doing well, its kinda like baseball…. No its not. They play to a certain amount of outs, like 13 and u keep bating till you’re out. you can hit a one run, a two run, a four run, or a six run. Forwards, sideways and backwards. So you could hit a 6 run foul ball behind you. Weird. THEN, they said ‘do you want to be the baller?’ Uh yah sure. What does he do? Pitch the ball… ha lets point and laugh at the American. So they run about 20 meters and then throw the ball. I’m not that coordinated, but I try and the guy swings and misses and everyone cheers. So the motion is sorta like baseball pitching, but there are no strikes or balls. It has to hit this wooden stake to be an out. The ball can bounce or come in straight. I threw about 10 or so then someone else pitched. Thennnn they asked me to pitch again. It turns out I did well and you change every ten or so pitches…So after about an hour of this and a body covered in sweat, we took the bat. I’m up first. Really guys?

The bat, I’m assuming it’s called a bat, is shorter than a baseball bat, flat, but curved on one side and pointed on the other side. And you sorta tee it up like a golf club. And swing it like a golf club, but it weighs about 5.5 kilos. So I look awkward as can be. Mary Ellen took pictures the entire time. So I got documentation of all this. So I was doing well, actually I hit the ball abuncha times got some 4 runs and 6 runs and ran around and got sweatier and dirtier. I don’t think they called me out, cuz I batted the entire time and I know I was out at least 3 times. Thanks guys. Then one of my last at bats, I’m dripping sweat, the ball bounces I go to swing, half golf swing, half baseball swing, 100% ridiculous looking, and the bat slips… and flies a good 30 meters, behind me, in slow motion. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. Luckily it didn’t hit anyone, or break and it really was funny. Everyone was rolling on the ground laughing.

When we ended we took about 30 photos on everyone’s phone camera. It was really really cool. I had so much fun learning a game from people that don’t speak my language. There were only 2 people that spoke English, but they were never near me to tell me what I was doing right or wrong. And I kept asking other questions and the others responded in Hindi. Yep. Nevermind.

….

Later that afternoon, I played my second cricket match in front of the school we were visiting before our train. Now Fr. Paul and our driver were watching. It was a blast, they both said I was a natural and need to start a league in the US… sounds great guys… so what are the rules again??