I ran, not between the wickets though

Besides the word Entertainment, two words that truly define entertainment in India are - Cricket and Movies. Can't say much about movies but as far as Cricket is concerned, we Indians are experts. We know which 'dropped catch' resulted in our defeat and which 'over' turned the match in our favor. Mind you, all this gyan is acquired by watching this game religiously for many years and for our sheer love of it. And yours truly, claims to be crazily in love with this game (well, a bit with cricketers too).

One nearly absurd thing which I did to watch a match is ditch my first love - Food. Me and my mother went to this Punjabi wedding and she promised we would return well in time for toss. As punctual as it could get, we were the first one to reach the venue. That was the first sight which got me marching up and down the dusty red carpet while waiting for someone else to arrive. After nearly an hour, guests started pouring in. But the bride and groom was nowhere in sight. By the time it was half packed, caterer felt pity for all of us and opened few stalls. I must say, aroma of Aloo Tikki in Desi Ghee kept me calm for sometime.

But then I checked my watch and I told myself - Aaj toh match gaya! At 12:25 PM, at the verge of anger outburst, I told my mother I am not feeling well. One thing that could get parent's attention is child's health. I played that trump card. I started pressing my stomach and blaming 2 plates of Aloo Tikki and a plate of Golpappa along with Chowmein for my tummy pain. Don't eat anything now, my mother ordered. Kuch nahin hua, tunne zyada kha liya hai.

Stunned at my mother's reply, I looked at her and said, 'No, it's increasing and I think, we should go from here. All this smell is making me uncomfortable.' Smell of food making her child uncomfortable - was more than enough to shake my mother. Her foodie daughter must be really unwell to shun the sumptuous meal lined up in front of her. So, while she gave shagun to Bindra Aunti and excused herself from the ceremony, I ran from the middle to pandal to the parking lot. By the time my mother came, engine was in full throttle and my seat belt tucked. I can never forget the look on my mother's face, poor she! And you know, there was no sight of bride or groom when we left at 1:25. I bet, even the Dulha was checking toss on his phone. But thankfully, by ditching Dal Makhani and Shahi Panner, I was well in time for first ball of the innings.

But now, I am more civilized and honest. Rather than making excuses, I keep tabs on all matches on my iPad. How can you afford to miss anything on current IPL season when all your family's conversation are centered around Maxwell's Max-merising knocks and Chris Lynn's Superman catch? No, you can't! So, I downloaded the StarSports.com app and kept it on the most accessible spot.

One thing that keeps me updated not only with IPL 2014 but with all the cricketing action around the world is - Upcoming, Concluded and InProgress section. This is one thing I love and it has changed the way I follow this game. Now I know who won when I was away and when my favorite team is playing. I plan my evening schedule and weekends after exploring this section.

When I am sad at my favorite team's performance, I watch Top Blooppers of IPL 2014, very seriously on my iPad with my family. If I miss a match or two, I watch the recording on site and of course, check the live scores.

Star Sports has changed the way I watch Cricket. Now we don't run away from weddings. We take our phones and tablets and enjoy match while savoring food. Sorry, I missed to tell you all, we are cricket crazy family and Cricket actually runs in our DNA. Oh yes, we play Battle of Fans too.

So, even if the team you are supporting loses miserably, till the next match - Kanna Keep Calm and keep your humor quotient high. Leaving with of the best moment redefined through #KannaKeepCalm Posters...

To Mishra -

Mishra ji, apologetically -

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*This post is a part of Cricket just got better activity by starsports.com in association with BlogAdda.com