No, not THAT World Cup. That one - as anyone over the age of 5 and not living under a rock knows - happened last year. I'm talking about the ICC [International Cricket Council, for those interested] World Cup.
Now people might be wondering why I'm so excited about this world cup, because cricket is most certainly not one of the more popular sports in the world, particularly outside the Commonwealth countries. I'll tell you why:
1. Being the sports fanatic that I am, and having lived in India for the better part of 5 years, I've acclimated. I've followed cricket throughout my life, sitting with my father for hours and talking about the game. My brother and I had a child size cricket set growing up and tried to teach the neighborhood kids how to play. But other sports always overshadowed it. And then I moved to India. Any time of day, if you turn on a sports channel, a cricket match from any of the last 30 years will be showing. You can catch football matches late at night, an occasional NBA game, and the 4 major tennis tournaments. But otherwise it is a constant barrage of cricket. So I've picked up obsessing over the Indian national team and Bangalore's local Royal Challengers team [yes, our team is named after alcohol. they don't call us the "pub city" without good reason] where I used to - and still do - the Braves and the Razorbacks.
2. This year's World Cup is being hosted by the subcontinent; that is, India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. Which means that there are matches in Bangalore. Which means that I can - and obviously will - attend at least 4 matches.
3. India is currently ranked 2nd [out of 13] in the world in the one-day format, which means that we actually have a good chance of winning, barring a self-combustion by the players. Or really just the possibility of someone other than the dreaded Australians [on par with Duke basketball, the Lakers, the Yankees, etc] winning.
4. The possibility of meeting MS Dhoni, AB de Villiers, or Daniel Vettori. I've been obsessed with Dhoni for close to 7 years now, and with de Villiers and Vettori for the past 4, and the fact that all 3 will be in and out of Bangalore at some point makes my heart flutter a bit.
So there you have it. Official matches begin on the 19th of February, with the first match held in Bangalore on the 2nd of March. If you have fancy satellite televisions, look for me in the crowd.
xx
Now people might be wondering why I'm so excited about this world cup, because cricket is most certainly not one of the more popular sports in the world, particularly outside the Commonwealth countries. I'll tell you why:
1. Being the sports fanatic that I am, and having lived in India for the better part of 5 years, I've acclimated. I've followed cricket throughout my life, sitting with my father for hours and talking about the game. My brother and I had a child size cricket set growing up and tried to teach the neighborhood kids how to play. But other sports always overshadowed it. And then I moved to India. Any time of day, if you turn on a sports channel, a cricket match from any of the last 30 years will be showing. You can catch football matches late at night, an occasional NBA game, and the 4 major tennis tournaments. But otherwise it is a constant barrage of cricket. So I've picked up obsessing over the Indian national team and Bangalore's local Royal Challengers team [yes, our team is named after alcohol. they don't call us the "pub city" without good reason] where I used to - and still do - the Braves and the Razorbacks.
2. This year's World Cup is being hosted by the subcontinent; that is, India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh. Which means that there are matches in Bangalore. Which means that I can - and obviously will - attend at least 4 matches.
3. India is currently ranked 2nd [out of 13] in the world in the one-day format, which means that we actually have a good chance of winning, barring a self-combustion by the players. Or really just the possibility of someone other than the dreaded Australians [on par with Duke basketball, the Lakers, the Yankees, etc] winning.
4. The possibility of meeting MS Dhoni, AB de Villiers, or Daniel Vettori. I've been obsessed with Dhoni for close to 7 years now, and with de Villiers and Vettori for the past 4, and the fact that all 3 will be in and out of Bangalore at some point makes my heart flutter a bit.
So there you have it. Official matches begin on the 19th of February, with the first match held in Bangalore on the 2nd of March. If you have fancy satellite televisions, look for me in the crowd.
xx
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