Open.

I read this fan report by a 17 year old from my old school, St Columba’s. Fan claims he’s watched all the internationals at the Kotla for the last 8 years – that is, he started his Kotla journey at 9. At 9 I didn’t know where the Kotla was.

When I was around 17, I went for this net. Dhaiya the captain was bowling at me.

After a round in the nets, he thought I should open. One little snag though, I had to turn up for selection the next day after school.

I didn’t make the team. But then I didn’t go for practise either.

It’s not as if Sachin Tendulkar has threatened to move from Mumbai

It’s only Virender Sehwag, and it’s only from Delhi.

For a moment, let’s assume Sachin Tendulkar decides to move from Mumbai to another team.

Sounds improbable, but let’s stay with the assumption: What do you think will happen?

Mumbai will stop. Best buses will stop, so will the trains, so will the sea. There will be one focus: Sachin must stay.

Sachin cannot, and will not move from Mumbai. Bombay can move to Mumbai, but Sachin cannot move from Mumbai.

And here we are in chalta hai Dilli. Sure, the media is backing Sehwag, but why do we Delhiwallahs generally go with the flow – one of the common reactions - badiya, at least he stays with the Delhi Daredevils. And anyway, how much does he play for Delhi state – 1-2 games a year?

Sehwag may not have Sachin’s stature as a sportsperson, but he is the cricketing face of Delhi, that is if Delhi believes it has a cricketing face.

He is the Jatman. He is Oye Lucky! He is the Sunny! He is the Bubloo. He is the kid from the obscure neighbourhood who made it. Better still, he is the kid from the outskirts. He is the big dream of a little kid from a small town in a big city. In him, is the eternal Bollywood dream, make it big from nowhere. He did, from Najafgarh.

He has almost always deserved more than he got, more runs, more respect, more backing.

If you find him too simple, too straight, then maybe it’s because you are too crooked, too conniving.

Embrace the man, embrace the Jatman. He’s the best we got. He is our cricket. He is Dilli.

Try and play back the most dazzling Indian innings in the last decade – chances are, most of them starred Viru. He was, and has been India’s Tendulkar for a long time.

We knew it, yet we refused to believe it.

Truth is, Sachin moved from Mumbai a long time back. He moved to Delhi.

Look back: the evidence was always there, the uppercuts, the small frame, the flicks. We were in the 2000s with Viru, and it was like we were in the 90s with Tendu. And for a brief while, they batted together.

It could have been just half a dozen overs on March 1st, 2003 – but it was against Pakistan in the World Cup – which is where the powers of the Indian cricketing universe were so totally aligned they brought the South African heavens down.

Remember, where were you? How high did you go with the upper cuts?

So, till the next Sachin or Sehwag arrives, there is no reason for either of them to go anywhere.

Stay Jatman. Fight them. Beat them. You are better than them.

Do not retire hurt this time.



Picture from Bored Cricket Crazy Indians, where you go for a lethal dose of Jatman