Another Day at Work

Today is a national holiday. The neighborhood boys are making the most of their free time and the pleasant winter afternoon. They are playing cricket – the original gully cricket. This is different from the cricket I watched yesterday at Kotla, in scope and essence. The local noisy bunch is enjoying a break from work, while the players at the stadium were at work.

On any given day you reach the workplace, take stock of matters, gear-up, and get on with the job – that’s how the routine commences – team meeting, warm-up, pad-up, and get on with the match.

My first impressions of watching two of the top ODI teams at work were that they could be any other crew. The teams were engrossed in warm-up almost oblivious of the countless awed eyes. The most visible in the Indian gang were Ishant Sharma because of his height and Suresh Raina because of his agility. MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, and other stars stood out as they would’ve in any part of the cricketing world. And, one placid gentleman could be tracked for what he is – Sachin Tendulkar. Ask Sachin if his genius comes in the way of his job. Or just watch him fielding in the deep, swinging his arms and looking around in between balls. He would seem to be just another guy switching off in between tasks, instantly readying up as the boss rolls in. “Is it coming my way?” – the boss, i.e. the bowl. The younger lot fielding in critical positions could well be bankers dealing with massive cash transactions. They must have their eye constantly on the money.

The bowlers could be Quality Assurance testers meticulously inspecting the worth of their subjects with test cases contrived for each batsman under various conditions and scenarios. They have to be unsparing and persistently hunting for a loophole, aiming for the blockhole. Its just their job, they have nothing personal against the batsmen. You can even see some easygoing blokes kidding a batsman between deliveries. It could be Yuvraj Singh whom Kevin Pieterson doesn’t take seriously. Or it could be Ashish Nehra the awkward joker who could seem like Batman’s Joker to his victim batsmen. Why so serious? But you better be serious with Harbhajan Singh, especially if you hail from the kangaroo land and ever sported dreadlocks.

The batsmen could be stockbrokers following the rise and fall of bowls and trying to capitalize on each. The experienced ones can judge the bowls better and invest smartly. That’s why teams still rely on experienced players like Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, and Jacques Kallis. On the other hand there are some aggressive investors like Virendra Sehwag going for small cap funds. Batting style depends on an individual’s temperament just the way investment portfolio depends on a person’s risk taking appetite. All in all, there is as much technique involved as instinct.

Bankers, testers, stockbrokers, any other workers, or cricketers, all work according to the demand of their jobs. People queued up in a bank or spectators on a cricket field look on with their own expectations and perceptions. While bankers or cricketers take to the job like another day at work.

This post was published on my blog HOOKed! at Cricket Aakash