Eye of the spectator: An emotional fan's roller-coaster journey with Indian cricket 

The genuine pleasure of embracing cricket

Cricket is a life-line to countless people in India

In spite of all the hurdles faced by the fan in following this beautiful game called cricket all through his life, the fan continues uninterrupted in his mission and it is really worth the trouble.

No pleasure in the world could match the pleasure of watching Sehwag smacking the ball around, Sachin’s straight drive, Sourav’s off-side play, Dravid’s perseverance Virat Kohli’s aggression and M.S. Dhoni’s composed temperament. The pleasure the game brings to the innumerable fans all over the world is immense.

The current Indian team under Virat Kohli is the number one Test team in the ICC rankings and are one of the serious contenders in World Cup 2019 in England. All the more reason for the fan to continue following the game.

Despite the countless turmoil the cricket fan faced in times of defeats, all was forgotten the moment Dhoni hoisted Kulasekara into the crowd to enable India to lift the World Cup in 2011. Here again, the heart stopped to beat for a moment and it took an instant for reality to sink in but it was a feeling of a different kind.

From watching Javed Miandad hitting the last ball for a six to watching Dhoni depositing Kulasekara into the Arabian sea, the Indian cricket and the cricket fan have come a full circle on a roller coaster ride filled with emotions, ecstasy in triumphs, turmoil in heart-breaks, narrow wins and unexpected losses. But the perpetual journey continues uninterrupted.