Hand of God

Perhaps around the world the “Hand of God” would be a reference to Football, but in India, if you are talking about sports, and you say ‘God’, it can mean only one person – The Master Blaster himself. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen many of his great knocks; but last week, I saw the next best thing – Virat Kohli. I mean, to chase that score under such pressure is no mean feat. Many call him heir to the cricketing throne in our country, but to me the best sportsperson will always be the guy who won us Two Glorious World Cups. If Virat Kohli stayed in the crease for 20 overs, this guy stayed there for over 40 to win us a bunch of nerve wrecking chases (Commonwealth Series against Australia – 2009 I believe, being one of the best).

Now be it Sachin Tendulkar or Kohli or MSD or Vijender Singh or Gagan Narang or Mary Kom or Saina Nehwal, I always see the Hand of God in them. To hold your nerve and make that shot at the key moment, when the odds seem to be stacked against you – that is the Hand of God. It is a matter of great honor to wield that hand for the entire nation, to push yourself in the backdrop of deafening chants, to bear the weight of the hopes and aspirations of the entire country!

But sometimes I wonder, is it just those champions who wield this hand. All of that, the weight of expectations, the deafening chants and gleaming eyes of hope that stare at you in prayers, is it just athletes? I hear them myself you know. Don’t you?

In the face of all the trouble possible, I hear a billion invisible voices chanting my name, in hope and support. Some might call it God, but I don’t think it is God, those voices are actual people. Look around you… the first time you entered office, at least half a dozen people thought you were going to be their best friend, that’s half a dozen hopes for you. Enter the bank, and probably the teller thought, “Finally, one decent customer who won’t make my day worse!” Some girl or boy, far, far, away might be having dreams of their future life partner – the perfect hero coming to the rescue in a beautiful horse. Your teacher is thinking, this is the star student who will earn me a name. And trust me over there, I am a teacher and in every student I hope for a guy who is going to make me famous! And all of that, they are not just stupid expectations that society wants you to fulfill. That is a silent prayer… a loud cheer!

When we are in trouble we can stand up, grab the bat and give it all we have got. Love failure, exam failure, family pressure, peer pressure, social stigma, these are all bouncers and Yorkers! The portions you have to cover in one month to face your exams is the target you have to face. There could be a maiden over, or a wicket might fall, the run-rate could be mounting and you might be all alone. But think, what would you expect your champion to do at that moment? What could you do at that moment?

T20 is great, but must most experts herald test cricket as the real game. The reason I believe is that it lasts for 5 whole days. Which means, it is not just a matter of form or luck, you have to be at your best for five straight days! It means you will have to plan it out, see where you have to defend and when you have to attack. Analyse when you can be complacent and when you will have to move at a war footing. And each day, the pitch could suck, the sun could eat you up and the bowlers could have no mercy, but you simply cannot stop.

This is not a priests’ sermon. These are thoughts and experiences I am obliged to share as a writer.  A batsman in the crease has a clear advantage – that he is in the middle. And when he is in the middle, the entire world shrinks into the little ball that is coming at him. That is all he sees, that is all he feels, that is all he hears! Every little prick in his toe condenses into that little white ball coming at him at 150kmph. And the solution is right there in his hand! Hand of God.

I don’t want to talk about Gandhi or Martin Luther King, but what I do want to say is that the voices are real. They heard those voices and set out to do what they did. There are a billion voices out there wishing you save the day for them. You need to bat at ten an over for another 25 overs, and you have few wickets to spare, but those fans out there just don’t care. Their hopes are pinned on you, and they will pray that you do the impossible. Wouldn’t you want Sachin or Virat to do the same? Hey, and you know what? Life can be much worse than a test match, in the sense it is a lot more than 5 days, but it is also better, because there are a lot more than 2 innings. So if you trail in one, you have so many more to make a lead and be on top.

This is a motivation write-up and hence I owe it a cheesy, clichéd, boring climax, but I wouldn’t mind if you play a nice background score in your head while reading this. Pick up your bat and go out there. You might be greeted with bouncers and beamers, but don’t get scared. Your fans are waving their flags and screaming your name. You have to give them the glory they aspire. Being on the crease, it is your responsibility to fill their eyes with tears of joy. Play the shot! BE THE CHAMPION!

I just played my shot. And if at least one of you says, “Bloody Blundaleomite, I don’t care what has happened - I have a job to do and I will finish it in style!” I think the ball has gone way out of the boundary line.

Love