The Thud I live For
Eat Cricket, Drink Cricket, Sleep Cricket
By Guest Blogger Ankit Mishra
Some call it the most understated position. Some refer to it as a Thankless Job. But, for me, and for any passionate wicketkeeper, this is a job we would do with a smile all our lives. The sheer pleasure you get when you know that you are important, that you are involved and that you live the game. When the ball thuds into the gloves, the sense of accomplishment is similar to scoring a boundary, the difference being that this accomplishment is yours almost every other ball.
This, and a lot of other things. When a spinner bowls a wide, and you collect it, the look that he gives you is of someone needing reassurance, of someone in want of encouragement. When a pace man does the same, his look epitomizes gratitude. The love for the game of cricket spreads across the whole team, through the keeper. After a sweeper throws the ball back, he is worried about the run out less than he is expecting you to raise both palms in the air and applaud him. When the skipper stands at first slip, he his continuously chatting with you to keep his nerves down. And he doesn’t know it, but follows most of your advice. There is a sense of trust when a throw comes to your side even from long on. This is what we keep for, this is what we live for. Me, at least.
Ankit is a profuse player and lazy blogger; he writes at http://ankitm.wordpress.com/. He needs to be reminded his blog hasn’t been updated in ages.
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POSTED IN: Cricket
7 opinions for The Thud I live For
Scorpicity
Dec 20, 2007 at 1:40 pm
Hi Ankit… Even though they have the hardest job in cricket, they have the best view to watch the entire action, study the batsman and therefore give valuable advice to the bowler… most wicketkeepers in world cricket are the primary players of a team… captains, vice-captains! They are well recognized… only thing is that the art of wicket keeping has gone a few levels higher, as today if you can’t fill in as a batsman, you are not a keeper! They also have the job of disturbing the concentration of the batsman :)
straight point
Dec 21, 2007 at 10:39 am
welcome on board ankit..very nicely put…its indeed a thankless job…
thanks dinnie, for the introduction…
Ankit Mishra
Dec 21, 2007 at 2:17 pm
Thanks a lot folks, and thanks Dinnie for allowing me to guest blog…
Dinnie
Dec 21, 2007 at 5:20 pm
Thanks to you too, Ankit. Hope you didn’t mind the cheeky bio!
Uncle J rod
Dec 22, 2007 at 10:51 am
The best bit about keeping for me was taking the ball down the leg side when you were up at the stumps. I used to take the bails off everytime it happened, not because i was trying to stump the batsmen, just at the sheer amazement of taking the ball.
Dinnie
Dec 22, 2007 at 11:58 am
Yeah and that’s good for the reflexes.
Soulberry
Dec 25, 2007 at 4:54 am
Ankit, wicketkeeping is where the action is all the time. Having kept wickets for most of my playing days, I can tell you I enjoyed every bit of it. That said, the position also concentrates the ire of your team, especially when it has come off second best or failed to wrap it up. Somehow or the other, most fellows are able to remember and pick a particular event behind the stumps which is felt to be the most “transforming” moment. Another matter that the many in the field aren’t remembered.
Uncle, you a ‘keeper too? Didn’t know that!
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