Published>Fri, Mar 26 10 04:19 PM
It was that time of the year again. While my friends were busy cheering for their IPL teams, I was trying to figure out which team I should support. Why don't you support the team from your state you ask? You see, I am a Malayalee and there is as much chance of there being an IPL franchise from Kerala as there is for Sreesanth to complete his allotted overs with an economy of less than six, even if it was in a test match, against a school team of girls.
So when a Tamilian friend of mine called me last Sunday and said "Dude! Heard the latest from the IPL bid? There's a group from Kerala involved" I was quick to see through the whole thing and I cut to the chase "Alright wise guy, I get it. Bid from a bunch of guys in Kerala = Tender Coconut. Very funny. Har har." But apparently, he was not kidding. There would be a new IPL team from Kerala starting next season!!! Wow! Maybe Sreesanth would get the purple cap this season. (We Malayalees make fun of Sreesanth in public, but secretly hope and pray that he does well)
My scepticism regarding a group of investors making a respectable bid for an IPL team from my state was well-founded. I do not really have to mention the strikes which are an every day occurrence, they actually made an Oscar winning movie about it - Hartal O'Ker. For those of you who are not familiar with the political situation in Kerala, here is how it goes. Every five years, the opposition party and the ruling party would switch roles and do nothing else except chase away investors, be them Indians or foreigners. The twitter-compliant elected representatives of the state assembly (there are 140 characters in all) would ensure that the state remained stagnant while others surged ahead. In fact, Kerala has always reminded me of the "Mark Time, March" from school days: Stay rooted to the same spot and switch between the left and right periodically.
So it was indeed a huge, pleasant surprise when the news of the Kochi team came through. And God knows that his country deserves it. Kerala has produced some of the finest sportsmen and sportswomen over the years. Of course, most of us don't know them because they did well in athletics, volleyball and football which quite sadly our race can never do well in (and with the advent of this new IPL team, I am sure there'll be more famous cricketers from Kerala in the years to come). But the passion with which Malayalees support sports is legendary. If you're travelling to Kerala this summer and you happen to pass through its northern districts, you would be surprised to see it adorned with flags of Brazil, Argentina, Portugal and other footballing nations. The posters and cut-outs of Messi and C. Ronaldo will line the streets and various local football clubs proclaiming their support for their favourite nation will organise football-viewing centres.
That doesn't mean Malayalees don't love their cricket, they just haven't been exposed enough to it. I was there at the Kochi stadium when India beat Australia, cheering with 70,000 others when Tendulkar took 5/32, his best ever bowling performance. I was there when India beat South Africa twice in the same match (because of a scoring error) and the atmosphere was spectacular. I can't wait to experience those magical moments again: the non-stop percussions and the spontaneous Mexican-waves, the tremendously loud and sportive crowd which chanted "Po-llllloh-ck, Pollock" every time he was at the third man boundary and much much more.
I don't know what the team will be called, but it will probably be written fully in lower-case to appease those staunch opposers of all forms of capitalism. Whether they name the team Kerala strikers or Cochin cowboys (no cattle-class reference intended), one thing is for sure - the whole of Kerala will be there cheering its team till the very last ball. I cannot wait for Kerala's tryst rendezvous with destiny.
Editor?s Note: Tony Sebastian is a wordplay enthusiast who jumbles letters to induce laughter and finds the experience extremely rewording. He tweets
here, blogs
and sets cryptic crosswords here
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