Captain's innings

 As a man, there's one thing that I want from the many other things I might disclose someday. It is to show up heroically and turn a situation around. There is just something intrinsically that wants to have that hurrah moment. It could due to the fact that I grew up around stories of knights, ninjas , aliens, pirates and so many other fictional beings. What pulled me into these stories is, how there would be a valiant character who goes against the odds  and saves the day. 

In cricket there is  a term called a captain's innings. Allow me to paint a picture of it for you. The team is fighting an up hill battle as they are batting. One of the star batsmen could not play today due to food poisoning. The opposing team seems to be completely in sync in their fielding capacities. It is very apparent that everyone on the team is not having a good day. That does not make things any easier. Another factor is that the team you are going against has got two of the most formidable bowlers in the region. 

You are the captain. So you try to keep the morale up as you watch your teammates walk off the field. Not much seems to be changing. Now it's your turn to get on the field to bat. As you walk to the crease you say a prayer under your breath. The over is up so you get a little bit of a breather. The first ball comes and out of muscle memory you react. You make contact with the ball. It doesn't go that far because it was a block shot. 

The tension goes away by the second over. You find your rhythm. It's like clockwork now the way you are able to anticipate the bounce of the ball and the layout of the field. Mental fatigue starts to kick in. You have  a close call for a run out. It's slightly rattling. The overs are almost at up and the inning is nearing it's end. Every time you look over at the gazebo you can almost see the nerves of your teammates manifest into a dark haze. The very thin silver lining of hope for a win is tugging at all your hearts. 

You are down to the last four balls of the match. A bit of jeering comes from your rivals in an attempt to mess with your psyche. You need to get three runs off the next coming deliveries. One down, two more to go. Howzit the other team shouts as your partner gets bowled out. Two balls left and two runs are required. The fielders move in closer. The air feels much more dense than it would actually show on a barometer. 

Here it comes, there is no strength left in your arms. An other worldly inspiration comes over you. You play a finesse shot. You use the speed of the ball and deflect it to go behind yourself and the  wicketkeeper. You take advantage of the momentary pause from the fielders as the placement of the ball caught them by surprise. You make it to one end but that's only half the job done. You make the strides to return where you started. Centimetres start to feel like kilometres. You are racing against the ball exchanging hands and getting to the wickets before you.

You are facing the wicketkeeper as the ball is about to get into his hands. By some heavenly intervention the wicketkeeper lets out a sneeze which breaks his concentration and leads him to fumble. This allows you to dive back in line before he attempts to knock the wickets. The dreamlike sequence ends and the rest of the team jubilates. The captain turned what seemed to be certain defeat into an unlikely victory. That's the kind of exuberance I would like to experience someday.