...calling it quits.

Yes. I'm calling it quits after about 23 years. I've decided to retire from following all forms of cricket. It was a wonderful career of 23 years of following what is perceived as a religion in India. It all started just after India's victory over West indies way back in the 1983 Prudential World cup. I was then a 6 year old kid when I first started following cricket. The first ever cricket match that i saw was India vs Australia held in Australia and I still remember India led by Kapil were playing in sky blue with a single yellow stripe in their t-shirts. My dad started explaining me about how the game is played and the rules and the countries that played and was showing me who Srikanth was and who Gavaskar was and who Binny was and what are 'slips' and what is 'long on' and what is 'extra cover' and what is 'thrid man' and so on and that is how it all started for me 23 years ago.
I rolled on the sand when India won against New Zealand later that year. I cried when Miandad hit a six of Chetan Sharma on the last ball in Sharjah. Since then I've followed every match and every series till date. I've cut classes in school. I've stood on compound walls to peep into the neighbour's TV sets. I've attached my ears to the feebly audible radio commentary owned by a sweet vendor outside my school. The commentary was in hindi and i don't even know a single word in hindi, but still waited for the occasional "chaar run" and the "pehtharene shots". I've waited in long queues outside the stadium at 10 A.M just to watch India play at 2:30 in the noon after eluding lathi charges from police. I've been to the Lords to see the real Prudential cup on display that Kapil Dev lifted in 1983. I need a giga byte of memory to write all testimonies about my "cricket-fan-career". And today as i type this sentence, Irish team will be taking a short flight to Guyana and our dear Indian team will be boarding the long flight from the Carribean and now i don't care where they land and what they do from now on.