-01.png)
THE BAT PACKER
ABOUT THE
BAT PACKER
“Main India ke liye khelunga” (I will play for India)
Every kid from a cricket-loving country has said this out loud or in their mind at some point during their lives. For me, this happened while watching India battle it out against Australia, South Africa, and Pakistan during the iconic Sharjah years, back in the late 90s. Being a kid growing in the UAE, my dad frequently took me to these games.
Until I was about 10, cricket was a dominant part of my life. I loved batting, and I worshipped all the Indian batting legends from Sachin, Azhar, Dravid, Veeru, and VVS to the international greats Gibbs, Ponting, Jayawardene, and Afridi.
The best parts of my days varied from playing with my neighbours and friends in the building parking lot or squash courts (yes, we played full-fledged cricket in squash courts) to the precious 15 minutes during school recess. However, the best of the lot was the highly competitive backyard/indoor cricket sessions with my father.
Throughout that time, “Main India ke liye khelunga” was a constant voice at the back of my head, and most of the time, I was naive enough to believe it. Those were the glory days, the days we could dream and not judge ourselves for dreaming.
With the flip of the millennium, something flipped for me too; football took over as my primary sport for all of my teenage and early adult years.
Post those defining foundation years, and in my early adult days, I lost my way. I never indulged in any activity or sport at all. I followed sports regularly; I mean grabbing a couple of pints and burgers at every big or small game. I put on a crazy amount of weight and had the worst eating habits, lifestyle, sleeping pattern, all that jazz.
But somehow, life always finds a way to reunite you with your true love.
27/03/2016: the beginning of the rest of my life.
India vs Australia, T20 World Cup 2016, a virtual quarterfinal in Mohali. 161 target set for India. After a slowish start by the openers, in walks Virat Kohli, the chase master. I don’t think I can ever get over that innings; it was life-defining for me.
He was in a “state of trance” while batting that day. These are his own words. I was mesmerised. We won that game in the 20th over, and I still remember Kohli falling once it was done to absorb the intensity of what just happened, and so did we.
I ran to my room and told my dad, “Pack your bags. We are going to watch India win the world cup”. Here is a detailed breakdown of that story.
I had no idea that anyone but the god of batting, Sachin Tendulkar could make me feel this way. My childhood love for batting came rushing back. I knew I had to bat again.
I assumed this to be a passing phase. Little did I know that the sport would dominate my lifestyle, decisions and time in the coming years. Today I balance being a marketing professional and playing amateur cricket in the UAE with my teammates. None of us are professionals, just pure weekend warriors who love the game. It is, without a doubt, the best and most anticipated part of my week.
Over the six years I’ve played cricket, I’ve made some great friends, unforgettable memories, not so many runs, but innumerable changes have happened within my lifestyle. None of it would have happened if it weren’t for the “Mayhem in Mohali”. For that, I will always be grateful to Virat Kohli.
Honestly I started this page to document my experiences and learnings with the sport. I hope to be 60 and look back at this platform with fondness and maybe apply some of these learnings to the relevant battles then.
I learn more about life, philosophy, values through cricket over anything else. Resilience being the biggest learning.
I fail almost every week, but I know I will keep trying despite the challenges because no matter how low the chips have fallen or how many times I fail, you’ll see me packing my kitbag and my bats heading out to try again.
VAMOS!
-Naren Sunil Mansukhani in and as "The Bat Packer"