Sunday

The last thing I remember when I went to sleep yesterday night was that Tomorrow is Sunday - Yippee.

I wake up at 6 am and furiously brush my teeth. A cold glass of milk is downed fast. I get into my shorts and T-shirt and tie up the shoe lace. Walk to the door and on the way, pick up my tennis racquet. The tennis courts are about 4 minutes away from where I live. I start jogging in a bid to warm up. I see a couple of people already on the courts and join them. We will play doubles today. The teams are selected and I am to serve. I get into position at the service line and toss the ball up. I see the Wimbledon scoreboard from the corner of my eye and the crowd sitting quitely. THWACK !

Fifteen - Love , Becker. The crowd erupts. I pump my fist.

Yaay - it was an ace.

The next 2 hours fly by with the only words being - thirty / forty , duece, advantage punctuated by noises like thwack.

It's 8-30 am and I am sweating like a pig. I say my goodbyes and walk home. Mom pushes me straight into the bathroom and I have a lovely cold shower. There is a smile on my face and a song in my heart.

I walk out of the bathroom and get into fresh clothes. Hot breakfast is served and I quickly gobble it up. Time to stretch out in front of the TV. Heck it's "MAHABHARAT" time.

The serials get over at noon and I still have a couple of hours to kill before lunch. Out I walk into the verendah and pick up the cricket bat lying there alongwith the ball. Our house had a big compound and we (my bro and me) used to play underarm cricket. We start off and get totally immersed in the game.

156-2 - David Boon on 67 and Allan Border on 23. Ravi Shastri bowling to Boon. Shastri tosses one up and Boon goes forward - "Gautam" - Boon plays down the wrong line and is clean bowled.

MOM - why did you have to shout when I was playing a shot ???????

We call for lunch break and Simon O Donell will join Border to continue the Aussie innings after the lunch break. (Did I tell you - our lunch breaks could extend from 30 minutes to 24 hours.)

After a heavy lunch, I (as Shastri) was in no mood to go and bowl to Border and O'Donell so I decide to catch 40 winks. Mom is happy that we ain't playing in the hot sun.

It's 3-00 pm and the fan is whirring full speed. I pull the bedsheet over me, the decide to cover the whole of myself with the bedsheet. I wait for things to settle down for 10 minutes and when I am sure there is no movement and all are asleep - I very quietly put my hand down and under my bed and pull out the latest edition of the "Ghost Who Walks" series. Cover my head and gobble up the whole comic strip.

It's already 4-15 pm. I get up, wash my face and dad prepares tea in the meantime. I get into another pair of shorts and T-shirt, put on my keds and in 15 minutes am at the ground. I see all my friends have already started kicking ball. I join then and for the next 1 hour - I am transformed into paul Gascoigne - I deliver pin point passes, control the pace and feed our strikers - England wins the game 3-0 of which 2 goals were scored on my passes.

It's 5-30 pm and I see a few of my cricket fanatic friends selecting their teams for a 12 over one day match. I rush towards them and am selected in one team. My job today is to keep wickets. After 45 minutes, it's our turn to bat and we have to chase 67 in 12 overs.

It's 6-20 pm, when I am asked to open the innings with another friend. I take guard first. It's actually twilight and dimming fast. The opposition have 3 fast bowlers. Then it hits me - I have been made a scapegoat. I have to go and face 3 fast bowlers in fading light, that when they will be at their fastest best. Damn !!!

I decide not to buckle down and a determination to win against all odds takes over me.

Right arm over the wicket, calls the umpire.

I see a tall guy hurtling down towards me, his face looking menacing. He reaches the umpire, leaps and bowls, Thack. Backfoot defensive shot - right in the centre of the bat. That felt good.

I feel we have a good chance but in the next 4 overs we reach 12 runs for the loss of 5 wickets. I am standing at the non strikers end - my contribution being 1 run.

In walks a player we just took in our team as we were not getting 11 players. And he proceeds to play a blinding innings. We reach 72-5 in 10.4 overs and I end up with 7 not out. Rest of the runs scored by a guy batting with me whose name I did not know.

It's 7-10 pm and dark now. My friend Vinay picks me up from the ground and we proceed to the badminton court. Have fun smashing shuttles and making Vinay run for 30 minutes. Soon he tires and asks me to play table tennis instead. I agree and we have a ball playing table tennis for the next half an hour.

Soon I am tired. Walk back home and again I am asked to proceed straight to the shower. Have a nice hot bath and get into fresh clothes and plonk myself in front of the TV. Have dinner and go straight to bed.

As soon as I hit the sack, I am asleep. I have to be at the tennis courts at 630 am tomorrow.

"Gautam, wake up - it's 8 o clock"
I sit up straight with a jolt - "8 o'clock - noooo I am late"
I jump out of bed and rush to brush my teeth.
While brushing I notice a stubble. Damn No - I don't want to shave now, I am already late and besides I can go to work in a stubbble today, after all it's Sunday.

WORK ???? ON A SUNDAY ??

Sigh - I remember it is 2008.