Dear Sachin (the man we all want to be)

Thank You, for the World Cup victory. Yes, thanks not congratulations, would reflect how a vast majority of us feel. We have been given the opportunity to witness what is probably one of the most poignant moments of our lives. Grown men (and women) cried, people danced on the streets, atheists prayed, rational people succumbed to superstition and we rejoiced. All those sleepless nights of people all over the world (especially in the N. American continent), waking up in the dead of the night to watch, all the lost productivity, all the arguments, the emotional roller-coasters were all worth it. For that, a big thank you.

Also thank you for not getting your 100th 100 in the final. I know that you will have plenty of opportunity to do it in the future, and I hope that when you do get it, it will be significant to the team's success. By leading the way all through the tournament but not playing the key role in the final, you have proved to the cricket-loving Indian public that the team is in good hands. We were still suffering from a big 4 hangover. That is fully cured now, thanks to Dhoni and Gambhir and Yuvi leading the way in the final.

Finally, a big thank you for being you. We respect your straight drive as much as we respect your personality. We hope our children will grow up to be as calm, level headed and sincere as you. We hope that they will not let success get to their heads and have the same work ethic as you do. We hope that they will have someone like a Sachin Tendulkar to emulate while growing up, just like we did.

Best wishes,
a fan.

ICF 2.0

I blogged about being an Indian Cricket Fan or ICF 4 years ago, during the last world cup.

Since then my active involvement in the game has been waxing and waning. More waxing of late, since I can spend time actually watching the match rather than have to listen to interrupted commentary while working.

 I have also been observing the newer brand of ICF : the transplanted ICF

The basics remain the same, you are still subjected to high levels of stress, lessened productivity and mood swings; just compounded by the fact that you have to wake up at unearthly hours to watch the match.
Cricinfo is bookmarked and always open on your laptop.

The hour before the scheduled start of play is spent in frantically testing and finding a *working link*. *Working link please* becomes the most used phrase on IM during this time.

You groan with the same agony when the link stops working as you do when an Indian wicket falls or a catch is dropped.

You  are excited about day/night matches being played in West Indies and South Africa because it is during normal waking hours. Even if they are insignificant matches that you wouldn't normally watch. 

Within 10 minutes of the match ending, 8/10 of your friends have fb status messages and tweets that have their analysis of the match, there are about 20 comments and 30 'likes' to every status message.

You try to explain to a Rangers fan why you are so passionate about a game that *lasts 5 days and has tea breaks*, but cant appreciate baseball.

Every tournament final is as important as the superbowl. The debates about the state of Indian cricket are almost as passionate as the debates about politics at every Desi party you go to.

Joining a cricket league is your most important summer activity. You think you are an IPL player and scheme about how to join a better team  next season.