Historical Moments in Cricket - SACHIN TENDULKAR is retiring

It's the perfect time to learn the basics of Cricket.

After all, the great Indian cricket player, and local Mumbaikar

Sachin Tendulkar,

 is retiring at the end of this week's Test Match, being played as I write this here in Mumbai.  Sachin, "the Master", as they call him is from Mumbai, very close to where the kids' school is. He has been playing for 24 years, since the age of 16, so he is now 40 years old, and this is his 200th Test Match.

Oh no, he just got out in this game with 74 runs!  The fans were hoping for a "century".  The score in this "first innings" is 225-3,  India leads against West Indies.

I suppose I should explain a few things about Cricket - as I have just learned them from Youtube.

Cricket -

• Involves two teams of 11 players each
• Each team takes a turn batting and a turn fielding/bowling in each of the 2 innings
• Unlike baseball, the batting and bowling (throwing overhand by the bowler) is done in the center of the oval-shaped field
• Unlike baseball, 2 batsmen are on the field at a time - one at each wicket
• The batting area is shown below - batters stand at opposite ends with 3 wickets (think sticks) and 2 stumps (think wood block) placed on top of the 3 wickets



Cricket pitch - in the middle of the cricket field 

• A batter just needs to hit the ball far enough so that it is not caught and so that both runners can run to the other end of the pitch (wicket to wicket). This is called a run. Running to the other wicket does not seem to be a key element of the game
• A game consists of a "First Innings" and a "Second Innings" - each team having a "First Innings" and a "Second Innings" time to play, racking up hundreds of runs in each "Innings".  (So, the score of 225-3 shows that India batted first, and scored 225 in their "First Innings".   The 3 in the score shows that they have 3 wickets against them (those are almost like baseball's "outs")).
• The bowler bowls an over at a time (6 balls in succession), then the bowling switches to someone from the other half of the field (same team)
• Although a bowler can not bowl 2 consecutive overs, they can come right back when the side of the field switches again
• There are also sixes  and fours which are the runs given when the ball is hit out of the boundaries (on no jump) or out to the perimeter (on no jump), respectively
• An inning ends when 10 batsmen are out
• A Test Cricket Match is a match played over 5 days
• Other Cricket matches consist of TWENTY overs  of six balls each

Well, that is at least what I have learned in the last hour of watching and looking up cricket.  Maybe now, I will get as hooked as so many of the residents here in India.  They are "cricket-mad".  

One particular fan - Sundhir Kumar Chaudury - known for following (by bike) Sachin all around India on his bike to his matches, is  depicted on billboards here.  He always shows up at matches painted in the colors of India - orange, green, white.

And now they have just announced that the Tweet most re-tweeted in India is

#ThankYouSachin

with 13,08,338 tweets  (read as 13 lakh, 8thousand 3 hundred thirty eight;  1 lakh = 100 thousand)

Cricket anyone?

Happy Diwali

Subha Deepavali

Happy Diwali or Deepavali - Festival of Lights, considered the Indian New Year's Eve.  Diwali (pronounced both with the 'w' or with a 'v', depending on regional dialects) is celebrated for 4-5 days.  

It is very typical to light small clay oil lamps (called diyas) placed around the home, garden, rooftop.   Many homes have very colorful lights decorating their windows and balconies.  It is a time for visiting relatives, exchanging sweets, and setting off fireworks.  The fireworks continue throughout the 4-5 days of celebration.  

This is just one of the many fireworks that we heard one night and watched the next few  - from a window in our apartment (note that we are at the height of the fireworks - and higher!).

Homes are also decorated with paper lanterns, garlands of flowers and rangoli (colorful displays at doorways, typically created with materials including colored rice, dry flour, (colored) sand or even flower petals)

Many businesses start their new financial year on the first day of the festival of Diwali, Dhanteras (Dhan means wealth).  

Time for New Year's Resolutions!