8.30 am local time Today's umpires are Ian Gould and Amiesh Saheba. Pakistan are opening with Kamran Akmal and Salman Butt, who scored a half-century against Delhi to grab this chance. No Shahid Afridi once again at the top of the order, I wonder where he'll bat today. Zaheer Khan has the new ball for India, bowling from over the wicket with two slips in place.
The tea is different today, he had a sip and immediately noticed the difference. It was long since he had made his own tea, yeah 3 years may be. He has to start everything all over again.His decison was right though, he was convinced. But it was going to be tough for few initial days; but he knew everything will settle down finally. He had to manage going forward his life- without his life.
0.1
Khan to Salman Butt, no run, lots of swing from Zaheer, he bowled it full and wide outside off stump, the ball swung a long way away from Butt who decided to let it go, the umpire didn't call that wide, Zaheer was lucky to get away with it
"Arjun, isnt that the girl from the bookshop ?" Sameer was curious.
"yup, sure she is!!" Replied Arjun with a wicked smile.
"Oh man, you are great!! How do you do such things buddy? We never had a clue!!" Sameer was obviously surprised.
Arjun just whistled in a low voice looking at the mirror and combing his hair. Not long back himself and his little gang of friends had noticed this girl at the local bookshop counter. 'Cute and sexy' he had thought then; his 'Loafer' friends obviously exclaiming at the same time 'kya **** hai yaar'. Arjun had decided his next target then and there. With his loverboy history going back years; he was confident he would eventually win this girl too , after all he had never failed. His charm and flambyoance with a seductive smile always attracted women. In his little number of years of youth, he had already had a handful of affairs. And there he was today, this girl waiting in his own room, sitting on his laptop, viewing the pics they had taken through the wonderful day-out they had just had. She was obviously happy and his room mates surprised , Damn Arjun had done it again and still no luck for them!!
"Okay guys, I am heading out to Mac, and just so that you guys know, i dont want any of your ****ing faces even within a mile range" Arjun had a bad habbit of showing off his skills and especially on the day he wooed his girl for the first time, he used to be on the seventh heaven. Apart from what he was with women, he was a great friend for his friends who always stood up to help them with whatever he could , which at most times, was everything that was required.Probably this was the reason, he was free to abuse and insult his buddies through his jokes whenever he wanted , just out of habbit, and they never did mind.Arjun's thunderbird had raced off in minutes with the girl on his back-seat.
10.1
Pathan to Kamran Akmal, OUT, Pathan strikes! The ball was pitched on leg and middle stump and it went straight through to Akmal who tried to pull, it was short and came slowly off the pitch, completely beating Akmal, he got hit on the pad in front of off and middle and Gould sends him on his way, replays show that the ball might have pitched outside leg stump ...
"There comes the first blow, we need another wicket soon to get a grip". The doorbell rang, and he started moving towards the door. He was not expecting anyone at this hour, in fact he did not want to; he wanted to be left alone today, with the India-pakistan match running on the plasma TV and thoughts of his past in his mind. He did not want to be bothered with anything else. He wanted this day for himself and he wasnt gonna share this moment with anyone. He pulled the hinge of the door and it was the guy from the nearby bakery. " Sir, how are you today? I came to tell you the good news that with God's grace we are going to start a new section to our bakery and so we arranged a little opening ceremony in the evening. It would be great if you could join us". "Ah, ok, congrats, not sure whether I would be able to but..." he was about to say "Chhavi would love to.." when he realised she wasnt there anymore; how much she used to love plum-cakes, he remembered. Instead he said, "I will try my best, thank you". The bakery-man was on his way looking excited and happy. He closed the door and inched forward towards the TV.
16.6
The umpires have called for drinks. India have managed to keep Pakistan to 67 for 1 after 17 overs. Butt, however, is in excellent form. He usually is against India and it's up to him to anchor this Pakistan innings. With heavy hitters to come, Pakistan are in a solid position to post a sizable total.
"I have two tickets for the 2 PM show" ; he bulrted out as soon as she picked up the phone.
"No way!! I have to return home after college, mom would kill me"
"nah, she wouldnt, you bet!!" he tried to be cheeky.
"no Arj, not today,impossible"
"impossible is nothing , my dear, just say your lecture got extended"
"nooo, i am not going to lie".
"1.30 sharp, Centre circle"
"I am not coming"
"I will be waiting". He hung up, adamant as always, he wasnt born to listen to others. And yes, he reached Centre Cirle at 1:40, only to find her waiting , in sky blue top and navy blue jeans, anger on her nose and about to shout out loud and he knew she wouldn't give a damn of so many people being around; he was sure to get a blast. She hated him being late, and he loved her getting angry.
17.5
Harbhajan Singh to Salman Butt, OUT, an awful mix-up and Butt has to go, Butt tried to close the face of the bat and play the ball on the leg side, he got a leading edge which rolled towards extra cover, Butt set off for the single but Younis sent him back, Yuvraj had moved quickly to his left from cover, picked the ball up with one hand and threw it back to Dhoni who broke the stumps with Butt well short, big wicket for India.
"Oh boy!! are you trying to tell me you are in love?"
"Yes buddy, I think I am ; this time".
"and you expect me to believe it?"
"well, why not?"
"Why not? Are you kidding me? Do you think you can live with one girl forever; in last 3 years , you have perhaps changed your girlfriends at least 10 times, and man , you have had variety, naah, you cant fall in love, you just cant manage , i know you"
"Now, why do you say that Sam?"
"Come on, you know it!! You cant take all that nagging and emotional ****, love is difficult, you are not meant to do that, you have seen only the good part yet!!"
"I am ready to take whatever comes, but I am serious this one time, i know that"
"Well, we will see"
It was true, Arjun never knew the worst he could receive, he had had fun over last few years, he had broken hearts when relationships had asked for sacrifices, when his girls became possessive and demanding. He hated emotional dialogues , "you sound filmy" he would tell them, an affair for him meant just going out, having fun, showing off his friends that he had the hottest chick by his side, and may be many more ; but he never cared about anyone's sentiments.But now, he felt for the first time in his life, things were changing and he knew it was for good, only if he realised what was to come next.
26.5
Kartik to Mohammad Yousuf, 2 runs, dropped, Yousuf tries to loft the ball across the line, he gets beaten by the turn across him and hits the ball with the toe end of the bat, the ball flies in the air in the direction of extra cover, Ganguly runs to his right, looking over his shoulder but he never got into position to catch it, he moved far too slowly and the ball fell just out of his reach, he barely got hands to that, a quicker fielder would have got to it easily.
"Do you know what time is it?"
"Yes; its 9 PM".
"Dont you have to go home?"
"No, I am dying here tonight in your arms"
"Why do you trust me so much?"
"I Love you"
"Dont you believe what they say about me? Arent you scared?"
"i just believe you"
"but its a fact , you know that, i have been very bad in the past"
"I know everything, but I know you love me and you wont ever betray me" she hugged him more tightly and planted a kiss on his cheeks. He used to sport a trimmed beard then.
He was scared of her trust, he knew he did love her equally, but he was afraid of himself, his nature, his own past, of which he used to boast until a few days back. Now he wondered whether he would ever get bored of her too and be compelled to leave her; or situations will make him do so may be. He promised to himself, whatever happens his life is now devoted to her and he wont ever do anything to hurt her.At that very moment, he felt himself committed and immediately got a sense of belongingness, like he had been running for years only to reach this point, and it was then that they made love for the first time.It was heavenly.
29.5
Harbhajan Singh to Younis Khan, OUT, caught in the deep! Younis comes down the track and tries to clear the long-on boundary, he didn't time it well enough and hit it straight to Pathan on the boundary who takes a simple catch, Younis falls at a crucial time
He loved omeletes; he had always loved them. Right through-out college and then his first few years of job too, he hardly remembered a day when he went without eggs. She was a hardcore vegetarian, still she had cooked omeletes for him through-out their days together, and learned many types , french, indian, spanish and what not!! Very seldom people do experiments with omelets but wasnt she ready to do anything to please him!! " Your boring egg is fried now" she shouted from the kitchen. He was busy playing Quake-3 , only to shout back, "bring it on, baby" , another one of his teasings, he knew she hated being called baby. It was just when there was a knock on the door. He felt irritated. That his friends were away for one whole day, he was sure he would spend the Sunday with her. He, however, went forward to answer the un-invited guest. He was trying to recognise the familiar face , when he heared Chhavi's voice from behind, "Dad!!"
34.2
Khan to Shahid Afridi, SIX, what a shot that is, Afridi stands on the front foot and pulls the ball over the long-on boundary, that wasn't that short from Zaheer but was dispatched with a lot of power, the first six of the innings.
Yes, both of them had gone out of ways to marry each other. Their families had a lot of differences, in culture, in language, in beliefs, in habbits and in every possible way. His friends had had the opportunity to pay back whatever he had done all these years for them and they grabbed the opportunity with both hands. He had spent only 2 years in his job by then and she was still in college, but they managed to settle down their own world somehow, and they were happy. "They would agree eventually, after all they are our parents" he had thought. His father was a big business tycoon and Arjun never had wanted to join his business. He had stayed away from his house, and wanted to make his own career, now he was thankful he had done so. It was made clear to him, he would have no right on his dad's property if he married this girl. But he hadnt cared. In fact, he couldnt see anything apart from her, he was so damn blind in love, and she was the perfect match.
38.5
Tendulkar to Shahid Afridi, OUT, stumped! Afridi tries to charge Tendulkar and make room to hit over the off side by backing towards leg, Tendulkar once again sees him coming and bowls it quicker and outside off stump, the ball spins away from Afridi, beats the outside edge of his bat and Dhoni whips off the bails with Afridi stranded.
"How is she?" were his first words as soon as he got his senses back. He realised he was in hospital , a nurse gazing at him, another near some graphic monitor.
"She is fine, still in coma, but out of danger", the elderly nurse had said.He had a sense of relief, the entire episode flashed back in front of him. He had been told not to drive rash by numerous people , but he had never listened to them. "Biking is for fearless men, and its my passion." he would boast. Now he had made a mistake of his life, it was a steep turn and he was confident he could make it by a sheer tilt, without reducing speed, but he had been proved wrong. The lorry coming from the other side had tried its best to avoid the crash, but it was too late. Now resting in the hospital bed he thanked his Gods that she was alive and safe.
"I want to see her, immediately" he tried to get up. It hit him back just then, he couldnt walk up to her, not now , not ever. He had lost his legs.
40.2
Tendulkar to Shoaib Malik, OUT, caught in the deep! Tendulkar bowls a nice juicy full toss which really should have been dispatched over the boundary, instead Malik gets his front foot out of the way and pulls the ball straight to Gambhir on the deep midwicket boundary, Tendulkar gets lucky with a loose ball.
Chhavi was out of coma soon and out of hospital. He was released 2 weeks after her. When he was taken home,he found Chhavi had taken all responsibilities. He knew she was a tough woman, and he respected her for that. But he hadnt expected she would stand upright at this moment and be able to support both of them. She had accepted the job offer she previously was going to refuse, and was ready to do all it takes. "You think we should let your mom know?"she had asked over the evening tea. "no, Dad must not know, I am never going back to them because of my need". He was still the arrogant lad and furious with his dad.His dad was always a businessman first and a father later. He found his self respect being crushed in going back to him. It would prove he had lost, and he wasnt ready to accept defeat. He knew he would still be able to do something soon, for herself and Chhavi. He would apply for jobs soon. After all , he was a software programmer and he did not need legs for his job. His mind was still fit and he could do things just ok even with his legs gone.
45.5
Pathan to Mohammad Yousuf, FOUR, Yousuf moves across his stumps and plays a fine paddle-sweep to the right of the fielder at short fine leg, once it beats him there's no stopping it.Pakistan 193/5.
"I dont want noodles for dinner again, I am done with them, you understand that?" He had shouted for the first time on Chhavi, in his life. He knew recently Chhavi had been busy at her job and hadnt had time to cook , after all the care that Arjun's health had asked for. He had applied for several jobs and eventually selected for one too, only to realize he had not just lost his legs, but his ability to sit for long hours. He used to get nausea once he worked for more than an hour. He had tried hard, very hard to sustain, but destiny had something else planned for him. He was declared unfit for the job and was back to his wheelchair in his small 1 bedroom-hall-kitchen house. Sitting alone all day, watching TV, waiting for Chhavi to be back and cook for him. Frustration was on its peak and he saw no light at the end of the tunnel!! He knew she loved him more than anything, and that was what kept him alive. He knew he would be back one day and everything would be all right, because Chhavi would tell her that every night before he went to bed.
Pakistan have finished with 239 for 7. Its a fighting total, one that could give us a tight chase if Pakistan bowl well. Yousuf held the innings together with 83 off 88 balls after Butt gave them a solid start. The other batsmen, however, failed to contribute to the momentum and Pakistan's intensity dropped during the middle overs when Harbhajan and Kartik bowled superb spells.
To be continued...
