Cricket - The Childhood Fever!

 Many children are obsessed with cricket during their childhood, and I was no exception. My cricket craze reached its peak around the time I was in 7th grade. Before that, it hadn’t fully taken hold—partly due to fewer opportunities and partly because I lacked the strength to hit those towering, sky-high shots. But as I grew older and became a more senior player in our matches, the fever intensified. There was nothing quite like the thrill of smashing massive sixes out of the park. With MS Dhoni’s rising popularity, his cool-headed captaincy, his knack for stretching games to the wire, and delivering dramatic, emotional victories in the final over left a deep impression on us. Inspired, I’d deliberately play slowly at the start, dragging the game to the last over just to savor the satisfaction of snatching victory from the jaws of defeat—especially when the other team thought they had us cornered. 

During summer or winter vacations, or right after exams, we’d hit the ground running. Matches would start as early as 6 a.m. and continue non-stop until we were either scolded by our parents (a rare occurrence for me, thankfully, since I had the freedom to play as much as I wanted), the ball vanished into the dusk, or we lost it altogether. Sometimes, we’d just collapse from exhaustion, only to plan a rematch for the next day. I still vividly recall how I’d even play during my exams, treating them casually while prioritizing our matches above all else.