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3/31/2004 

Much Ado About Nothing

The one news on everyone's lips over the past three weeks has been the India Pakistan Cricket Series. The fever is gripping even non-Indians and many of my office mates have wanted to know the basics of cricket. I have even been asked many a times to compare and contrast cricket and baseball. The joy of watching cricket with your friends ranks far ahead than sipping a beer and watching Super Bowl( not to mention the halftime shows).

This tour has had its fair share of controversies as well. The recent one being Rahul Dravid's decision to declare when Sachin tendulkar was just a hit waway from yet another batting record. there has been too much noise about the decision. I think all the attention is because it is Sachin. Ultimately, cricket is a team game with team's interest taking priority over the individual's. At this juncture, I would like to recollect a similar declaration by Mark Taylor while he was on 334 batting like a rock against Pakistan at Rawalpindi. Taylor decided to declare when he was not only a run short of obliterating Bradman's record for the highest individual test score by a Aussie batsmen but also when he was in sight of a world batting record then held by Brian Lara. He self inflicted the declaration and was glad to be bracketed with Don Bradman putting the team's interest ahead of himself. Such selfless deeds lift up the morale of the team and make the team a more cohesive and competitive unit.