My affair with cricket's Gentleman

New Delhi:

A 100-hundred beginning!

Aaahh! What a match, the opener was. Firstly, one of my favorite team plays the first match of the World Cup. Secondly, they win it! Joy to the world, the Proteas win, let Smith and his team rejoice.

Yep, I love the South Africans, and I totally love Pollock. If I had to, I'd leave my work to sit and watch them play; even if that meant me getting a big sounding off for the same.

The only thing that has ever upset me about them, is a mental rerun of the scene from the 2003 World Cup, where the camera pans on to a weeping Pollock, literally begging the empires to give the team a chance to continue play and move on.

But as usual, rain had spoilt not only the play, but his, and many other South African fans' day.

Whenever the South Africans are scheduled to play a match, before it actually begins, I say a silent prayer for them. I even go to the lengths of crossing my fingers and practicing reverse-psychology, and believe you me; it has worked most of the time!

There are many reasons to why I like Shaun Pollock and none of them have anything to do with looks. Come on, with lookers such as Bond, Lee and Anderson, creating electrifying waves in the cricket world, who would even think of putting Pollock in the same league?

But then again, not everything comes and ends at looks. He carries this totally gentle, sober, calm look about him all the time; it almost reminds me of one of my pets- who I know for sure, will never desert nor betray me!

I hold great respect for the man for he has the wisdom of an elder and patience and perseverance of the wise; and it would shatter me totally if either one my TV, sports journalist friends turn around and tell me that he's a complete jerk to talk to in real life and the biggest 'sledger' of 'em all!

But, why would I even choose to listen to them. How difficult is it to block out what you don't want to see or don't want to hear?

And how difficult is it for me to continue to live in my little world of cricket, where I think that Pollock is this little angel, who was sent down to play cricket amongst the crazy roughians!