The Last Over & The Decisive Tackle

So I am watching the the second 20-20 international between India and New Zealand..And suddenly out of the blue, its down to the last 2 overs and finally down to the last over.....Since Dhoni and Praveen Kumar made us world champions,we have all gone with the captain's instinct in these tight situations....And as Irfan Pathan bowled those first three balls,I could not help but think that Dhoni was talismanic (yeah I know he could have brought on Sehwag or the other Pathan, but then he is Dhoni..;))...

But more importantly, I was also left thinking about all the other last over games that I had been a part of ....All of us, as amateur sportsmen, must have gone through those moments...Whether its gully cricket (that i have never played- does gully cricket exist outside Mumbai?) or something in college or university circuits...How did we do in that last over...Whether batting or bowling or maybe even captaining a side..?? Do we still look back at those memories with an all knowing smile of things well done or with a hesitant smirk of having missed out on the glory? Or has those memories become too inconsequential to even merit remembrance?


Years ago when I was part of my college team in football/soccer (playing in defense), I came across that "decisive tackle" in a football/soccer match....Man-marking a guy twice my size and skill, I did pretty well for about 15 minutes..til I heard a dear friend(and a team-mate) shout at me to bring the guy down..but before i reacted, the goal had been scored..that was my "last over"....Beaten clean and fair in skills, I could have still brought that other guy down before he had a chance to take a shot...with maybe a penalty as a result..but that at least would have stopped the flow and given us a greater chance...I failed to do it...and like Mel Gibson believed in his Braveheart speech, I can give anything in my life to get out of bed now and go back for another chance to stop that marauding striker from taking a look at goal.....That chance, in reality, will never come.....But I cannot but try and look at opportunities to find redemption....Maybe it will come at a friendly game in the park or maybe even bowling to my fridge at home (which right now looks the more plausible situation)....

Bottom line, i think, we will never be done with our "last over" or that "decisive tackle"...There will be too many memories that will keep us hooked as another final over drama unfolds on television...Or another EPL match take the turn for the unexpected....Unless we were never on the wrong side of the final over or never failed to make that perfect tackle...

We will be there....And some self of us will be there right on the pitch....Somehow wanting to get out and do that final over right..Or get that tackle in place before its too late...Maybe its not true for for all of us...But for all the rest of us, who have played amateur sports with more than what our hearts and body could offer, I would be surprised if there was no last over that we would not want to re-bowl or make that tackle that we did not....

Here's bowling to my fridge...

Cheers!!!

;))