GAUTAM GAMBHIR

Back in 2011 I remember meeting the great Brian Lara at the Heathrow Airport. We had just arrived for a full-fledged tour of England. I am an introvert but thought this was a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ opportunity to get some nuggets from the champion batsman.

Pleasantries exchanged, I came into my own. I am not sure if two right-handers do like that, but I’ve often noticed that two lefties connect like high-tension wires. A bit like two Indians meeting on the streets of Boston, absolute strangers but bursting at the seams, keen to share a lot. I asked Lara about stance, high backlift, playing spin, and a lot more. But the best advice he gave me went like this, “Gautam, remember one thing, there are more bad days than good in cricket and that will never change.”

On Saturday, when we were committing hara-kiri in Kolkata against Mumbai Indians, I could almost hear Lara’s words on the stadium public announcement system. I could almost see his face on the Eden giant screen loaded with a smirk.

This was destiny’s cruel way of underlining that Lara observation. We were chasing 174 to win, a magical number that would have given us a place in the top 2.

The past and the present had combined to give us the future. The past said we were two time IPL champions, we knew how to win big ticket games. The present said we were 53 for 2 in 5.5 overs, and needed close to only eight runs an over in 85 balls.

All we needed was cricketing awareness, calm minds, and above all, pride in wearing the purple jersey. Unfortunately, all these were missing. I was shattered seeing my team-mates committing