Published: May 09, 2015, 08:00 AM (IST)
Edited: May 08, 2015, 09:27 PM (IST)
All of us have special memories, travelling abroad, watching matches, visiting famous historic venues. Being an ardent fan of the sport, Nikhil Popat re-lives his trip to the Home of Cricket: Lord’s.
Saturday, 18 May 2013
England were hosting New Zealand at Lord’s in May 2013. They were right on top in a low-scoring thriller. The Test was gripping but, but I guess I was more tense than the fans present at the ground. I did not support either teams but I was more worried than fans of either countries. I had a trip scheduled to Europe, starting with a couple of days in UK, but my aim was to just visit Lord’s.
Unfortunately, the match was looking like one which may not last five days. I had a flight to board. I was hoping someone won it inside four days, for we were in London for just the couple of days after landing on the 19th of May. By the time I had landed in UAE, England were into their second innings with a minor lead. There was hope. By the time I landed at Heathrow Airport, on May 19, Stuart Broad had run through the Kiwi line-up with 7 for 44. 11 best bowling performances at Lord’s
BOOM! We could go to Lord’s, since the match was over in four days.
Monday, 20 May 2013
I had a sleepless night for the sheer excitement of the trip to Lord’s. There were others on the tour that did not want to go to Lord’s (why?). Of course I loathed them for their opinion. All I hoped was a clear weather. You can never trust England weather. But the sun came out that morning, and we were en route to the home of cricket.
As the bus took a right turn, I could see the Lord’s media centre. There were butterflies in my stomach. I felt tenser than I had ever felt than on the morning of any examination. Those five minutes to the Grace Gates seemed like an eternity. The moment came and I was standing in front of the main entrance of Lord’s. Lord’s: A dozen oddities related to the ground
Having watched many matches back home in India with huge crowds had probably prepared me to some extent. We met John, our guide, at the stadium. We started with the Media Centre. We had to climb up six floors, but it took me hardly five minutes. I did not want to miss any moment so I told the guide that I just want to rush up and be alone for sometime if possible.
I opened the door, and presto! A complete view of the stadium lay in front of me! There was a dais arranged with power plugs and monitors in the broadcasting room. Being a journalist, I could imagine how it must feel for other journalists to work from Lord’s. John and the others joined us, and I sat there on one of the dais, listening to the history of Lord’s.
At this point I thought that was all for us, but then John said we could visit the dressing rooms. My joy knew no bound! While others walked across the circumference of the ground to get to the pavilions, I was busy panting my way across, way before them with the guide.
We could not use cameras, but that did not deter me. It did not matter today. This was better at the heart than on the eyes. We went to the visiting team’s dressing room. As I entered, there was this strong feeling of belonging: it seemed serene with couches arranged along the walls of the. John informed us where Indian batsmen used to sit in the room, their “reserved” seats and their superstitions. Everything felt so close to heart. Looking up I saw the honours board, both the batting and the bowling ones. I felt lucky enough to be there.
Despite all that, there was something that was catching my eye, a door leading to the balcony. The very same balcony, where Dada — Sourav Ganguly — had stood up and waved his jersey after India won the NatWest final against England in 2002. Frozen frames of India’s epic win in the 2002 NatWest final
As I passed through that door, I closed my eyes. I could feel the noise, the cheers, that emotion, the drums playing and announcements going on around the stadium. Opening my eyes, I could see the entire stadium: it was empty, but I could feel I belonged there — if not as a player, then at least as a student of the sport. I could not be happier. I had wanted to feel this all my life.
Even this was not the end of it, we were yet to see the entrance and the walk to the ground. John handed me a bat and said “Let’s consider you are making your debut today at Lord’s. Let me show you how and what all the batsmen have to face before they go to face their first ball”.
I took the bat as if I owned it and the emotions and excitements almost made me feel like the one making debut. We came downstairs from the dressing rooms and took a right. John made me wait outside what seemed to be a very big room. He took rest of the people with him inside the room and closed the door. The very first match ever played at Lord’s
I was confused; I had no idea what was taking place. Then the door opened and I heard John saying “Ladies and Gentlemen, here we have the debutant Mr.Nikhil making his way to the field: can you please welcome him with a round of applause?” As I walked through the room I could see he had segregated them into two groups with a tiny little gap between them.
I should have been taken aback, but my eyes were glued to the paintings on the wall. This was the Long Room, the Members’ Room: there were so many paintings of legends! I strolled past all of them amidst the applause. Taking a left, I could see there was a path leading out to the field. THIS was it — the dream every cricket fan must have seen growing up.
I walked ever so slowly hearing, soaking in the applause. I pushed the door ajar. My eyes light up at the site of the field. It was an enchanting atmosphere that made me feel I was the batsman making my debut, walking on to the ground for the first time.
I desperately wanted to run onto the field and scream in joy but was stopped — my right foot in the air just before the grass rope. I could not go ahead. It was not allowed. I felt like getting run out on 99. If only they allowed me that one step — that meant the world to me! A statistical review of Lord’s
The cheers and buzz suddenly went off. I went numb all of a sudden. This was an empty stadium. All the noise was in my head. But then, this was special. This was as close to my dream as I could ever get. That one step had its own thrill and still makes me feel alive every time I think of it.
The Ashes that year saw the rooms being open to public, on camera, but I was more than happy to have seen them first hand. It is not every day that you get to visit Lord’s, and when I did, I felt blessed — blessed to visit the temple of the game, the home of cricket.
(Nikhil Popat is a cricket lover and a PotterHead. He can be followed on Twitter @CricCrazyNIKS)
