Cricket: A Billion Dreams
Introduction:-
Cricket is a popular sport played between two teams, each consisting of eleven players. It originated in England and since then has gained global popularity, especially in countries like India, Australia, England, and Pakistan. The game involves a bat-and-ball, where one team bats and tries to score runs by hitting the ball, while the other team bowls and fields to prevent runs. Cricket matches come in various formats, including Test matches, One-Day Internationals (ODIs), and Twenty20 (T20) matches, each with its own rules and duration.
Rules:-
Cricket has a complex set of rules, but here's a simplified overview:
Teams: Two teams of eleven players each take turns to bat and bowl.
Batting: The batting team's aim is to score runs. A batsman tries to hit the ball bowled by the opposition's bowler and runs between the stumps to score runs. Boundaries (four runs) and sixes (six runs) are scored if the ball reaches the boundary rope or clears it.
Bowling: The bowling team tries to dismiss the batsmen and limit their runs. Bowlers deliver the ball from one end of the pitch towards the batsman at the other end.
Dismissals: Batsmen can be dismissed in various ways, including being bowled, caught, run out, stumped, or leg before wicket (LBW).
Overs: The game is divided into overs, with each over consisting of six legal deliveries (balls) bowled by a bowler. Different formats have varying numbers of overs per innings.
Fielding: The fielding team aims to prevent runs by stopping the ball and attempting to get batsmen out.
Wickets: Each end of the pitch has three stumps with two bails on top. The batsman's objective is to protect the stumps from being hit by the ball.
Umpires: Umpires officiate the game, making decisions about runs, dismissals, and other aspects. The Decision Review System (DRS) allows teams to challenge certain decisions.
Formats: Cricket has different formats like Test matches (played over five days), One-Day Internationals (ODIs, limited overs matches), and Twenty20 (T20, the shortest format). Each format has its own set of rules and match durations.
Extras: Runs can also be scored through extras, which include no-balls (extra delivery), wides (ball outside the batsman's reach), and byes/leg byes (runs scored without contact from the bat).
Runs: Batsmen score runs by running between the stumps, hitting boundaries, and running between wickets.
Remember, these are just basic rules. Cricket's intricacies can go much deeper, involving strategies, tactics, and a thorough understanding of the game's nuances.
HOW I AM CONNECTED WITH CRICKET:-
FROM MY VERY CHILDHOOD I AM FOND OF SPORTS. BEING A BENGALI AS WE HAVE A VERY COMMON PROVERB THAT BENGALI'S MOST FAVOURITE SPORT IS FOOTBALL. BUT THAT WAS NOT THE CASE FOR ME. I WAS ATTRACTED TOWARDS CRICKET VERY MUCH. IN MY EARLY DAYS I REMEMBER THAT I JUST USED TO WAKE UP AND HAVE MY BREAKFAST AND RUN TO PLAY CRICKET IN THAT SCORTCHING HEAT OF SUMMER. PLAYING TILL THE AFTERNOON I USED TO COME HOME, HAVE MY LUNCH. WITHIN THIRTY MINUTES I COULD HEAR AGAINS FRIENDS SHOUTING MY NAME FROM THE ROAD TO PLAY AGAIN. THAT'S HOW IN A SLOW AND STEADY PACE MY INTEREST TOWARDS THE GAME GREW MASSIVELY. I STARTED PRACTICING CRICKET PROFESSIONALLY IN MY NEIGHBOURHOOD CLUB. I WAS PLAYING WELL. GOT A CHANCE IN MANY OF THE TOURNAMENTS. WON CRICKET TOURNAMENTS IN SCHOOL TOO. BUT THEN THE TURNING POINT WHEN WE ALL HAVE TO TAKE A DECISION IN WHICH FIELD I WANT TO MAKE MY CAREER IN. WITH THE OBVIOUS STRICTNESS FROM THE MIDDLE CLASS FAMILIES THAT WHAT WE CAN DO IN LIFE BY PLAYING CRICKET AND CHOOSE TO DO FURTHER HIGHER STUDIES. AS A BENGALI WE HEAR IT VERY COMMONLY THAT EVERYONE CANNOT BECOME SOURAV GANGULY. SO IT'S BETTER TO PROCEED WITH STUDIES.
MY IDOL FOR LIFE:-
VIRAT KOHLI IS AN INDIAN CRICKETER, BORN ON NOVEMBER 5,1988. HE IS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE BEST BATSMEN IN THE WORLD. KOHLI MADE HIS DEBUT FOR THE INDIAN CRICKET TEAM IN AUGUST 2008 AND HAS SINCE BECOME A PROMINENT FIGURE IN THE SPORT. HE IS KNOWN FOR HIS AGGRESSIVE BATTING STYLE,CONSISTENCY, AND LEADERSHIP SKILLS.
KOHLI HAS ACHIEVED NUMEROUS RECORDS AND ACCOLATES INCLUDING BEING THE FASTEST PLAYER TO SCORE 8000,9000,10000 AND 11000 RUNS IN ONE DAY INTERNATIONALS. HE HAS ALSO BEEN THE CAPTAIN OF THE INDIAN CRICKET TEAM IN ALL FORMATS, LEADING THEM TO SIGNIFICANT VICTORIES.
APART FROM HIS CRICKETING ACHIEVEMENTS , KOHLI IS KNOWN FOR HIS PHILANTHROPIC EFFORTS AND ENDORSEMENTS . HE IS ALSO RECOGNIZED FOR HIS FITNESS REGIMEN AND HAS BEEN AN ADVOCATE FOR A HEALHY LIFESTYLE.
HOW HE BECAME MY IDOL:-
WHEN I STARTED TO UNDERSTAND CRICKET I USED TO WATCH INDIAN CRICKET MATCHES. THERE I SAW HIM FOR THE FIRST TIME. BUT MY FIRST IMPRESSION WAS NOT SO GOOD. A BOY FULL OF ATTITUDE BEHAVING SO AGGRESIVELY IN THE FIELD WAS NOT A PLEASANT WATCH FOR ME. BUT AS I STARTED TO KNOW ABOUT HIM IN DEPTH I STARTED TO FALL FOR HIM IMMENSELY. HIS KNOCK OF 47 RUNS IN 2011 WORLD CUP WAS TRUELY A REMARKABLE ONE WHICH CAN TRUELY MAKE AN INDIAN PROUD. THEN I GOT TO KNOW THAT HE WENT TO PLAY THE RANJI TROPHY FINAL MATCH LEAVING HIS FATHER'S DEAD BODY IN THE HOME AND SCORING A CENTURY THERE. THAT SHOWS HOW MUCH A MAN CAN BE DEDICATED TOWARDS A MATCH. HE WENT AND PLAYED FOR HIS TEAM BEING THE CAPTAIN. EVEN AFTER BECOMING THE GREATEST CRICKTER OF THIS ERA HIS HARDWORK , PASSION AND DEDICATION IS A HUGE TEACHING TO ANY YOUNGSTER. HIS FEARLESS ATTITUDE TO WIN MATCHES AND THEN ONLY AFTER THE MATCH HUGGING THEM AND ENJOYING WITH THEM LIKE HIS OWN FAMILY. THAT IS A GREAT PRINCIPLE IN THIS CRUEL WORLD. FOR THREE YEARS WHEN HE DID NOT SCORE A SINGLE CENTURY EVERYONE TROLLED HIM INSULTED HIM EVEN THEY POPSTED THREATS TO HIS LITTLE DAUGHTER. BUT HE SILENTLY GAVE ALL A REPLY WITH HIS BAT BY SCORING TONS AGAIN. THIS IS THE HIGHLIGHT OF A GREAT PLAYER LIKE HIM. WHEN THE WHOLE MAN IS AN INSTITUTION. THAT'S HOW HE BECAME THE MAN I WANTED TO BECOME, A TRUE INSPIRATION AND IDOL OF MY LIFE.
CONCLUSION:-
EVERY BOY ATLEAST ONCE IN HIS LIFETIME THINKS OF MAKING SPORTS AS A CAREER BUT ULTIMATELY DOES NOT GET THE COURAGE TO TAKE THAT RISK. FOR THEM I WANT TO SAY ONLY ONE THING THAT JUST KEEP DOING ALL THE HARDWORK HONESTLY ONE DAY YOU WILL DEFINITELY BECOME A CRICKETER LIKE HIM. DON'T BE AFRAID OF LOSING AND KEEP ON MOVING FORWARD WITH TOPMOST PASSION AND DEDICATION.
YOU HAVE TO KEEP YOUR POTENTIAL HIGH TO MAKE CRICKET FROM A DREAM OF BILLIONS TO A CAREER OF BILLIONS. AS THE KING (VIRAT KOHLI) SAYS:-
"FULFILL YOUR DESIRE
IGNITE THE FIRE
BAT THROUGH THE TOUGH TIMES
SOMETIMES IT'S 263
SOMETIMES IT'S 49
LIFEE CAN PUT YOU IN A PICKLE
LAUGH,LIKE IT'S A TICKLE
WHETHER YOU GET A HUNDRED
OR A DUCK
LIFE GOES ON
DON'T GET STUCK
THERE IS NO MAP
RIDE THE TIDE
YOU ARE YOUR OWN GUIDE"
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