Tape tennis cricket: A yorker from childhood
Tape tennis cricket was like magic on the streets as children played -especially during World Cup season
As the Cricket World Cup is taking place now, watching the match and people's interest in it took me back down the memory lanes to childhood – and onto the utmost joy that was tape tennis cricket.
It was like magic on the streets as children played - especially during World Cup season. Each swing of the bat became a World Cup moment, and every wicket took felt like a significant victory.
Wearing our cherished jerseys and using replicas of our cricketing idols' bats, we engaged in cricketing adventures that turned mundane streets into legendary arenas.
Legends like Sachin Tendulkar, Matthew Hayden, and Andrew Flintoff inspired our every shot. Our streets turned into mini stadiums, and anyone could feel the excitement of a big World Cup match in every narrow lane.
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Our streets had their own rules, and our made-up rules became the governing laws of our cricketing universe, subject to constant negotiation and adaptation with opponents.
Manoeuvring through the tight lanes added some skill to the game, and we loved making the rules as we went along, making things interesting.
If the ball hit a specific wall, we counted it as four runs; others counted as two or three. If the ball reached a certain height, we couldn't call it a six; it meant being out.
We would also make friendly bets with our friends. The deal was simple: the losing team had to treat everyone to a bottle of cold drinks. It added excitement to the game.
However, the authentic charm of tape tennis cricket lay in the art of imitation. Bowling was not just about taking wickets; it was about mimicking the styles of our cricketing heroes.
The crafty spin of Muralitharan or the eye-catching leg-breaks of Shane Warne became our daily habitat, including the swings of Wasim Akram.
Each delivery was not just a ball but a piece of theatrical art, a performance as grand as a play.
With all the fun, there was also a bit of fear. If we hit the ball wrong, it could smash into a neighbour's window, turning our joy into a symphony of destruction moment. But it made our cricket games more exciting, adding a bit of risk to the fun.
As the sun went down, making the streets all warm and cosy, our tape tennis cricket matches ended. Now that we're all grown up, we often remember those tape cricket days with a huge smile.
It was a simple time as well as magical. Playing the game taught us about making friends, having dreams, and enjoying being kids.
The streets might not be the same, and the walls might echo different stories. Still, the spirit of tape tennis cricket will go beyond generations.
