Cricket!

Yesterday, we went to our first cricket game--KKR vs. the Royal Challengers!  What is cricket, you ask?  Well, that is a good question and up until yesterday I had little idea myself.  It is nearly impossible to explain, but the internet has some good articles on it.  Basically, you hit a ball and score runs--there are many, many other rules and such that I can't yet explain because I don't understand them. Traditional cricket sometimes lasts days, but we went to a 20 20 game.  One team bats while the other fields and then they switch. The team with the most runs or points at the end wins.

Cricket is a big, big deal here.  I wasn't sure what to expect when I went to the game, but there were throngs of people acting something like fans at a college football game.  It was so much fun to watch people cheer for their team.  There was a group of guys sitting in front of us.  Half of them were KKR fans, half of them were Royal Challenger fans.  When one team did something good, they would literally dance and holler at the top of their lungs.  It was hilarious!

Here are some pictures and videos from the game.  The quality of pictures aren't too good because they were taken with my MP3 Player as cameras (not taking pictures) are prohibited.

The masses entering the stadium.  If you didn't move, I think you would have gotten trampled.

Go KKR!

Our Team, KKR, batted first

 This video shows the almost 60,000 people who were present at the game.

This video was taken at halftime in the concessions area.  One word:  MADNESS!

During the second half, we got to see Shahrukh Khan on screen.  He owns KKR and is one of my favorite Bollywood actors.

Our team played really well and won by 47!  Good work, KKR!

Following the win, Shahrukh Khan walked around the edge of the field  for a victory lap.  Maybe he was waving at us--we were certainly waving at him.

Tonight, I was out in the garden of our apartment complex when some kids started playing cricket.  They asked me if I wanted to play.  I said, "Sure, but I've never played before.  You might need to help me."  The game is harder than it looks--especially hitting the ball.  It takes a different skill than hitting a softball as the ball can bounce before you get a chance to hit it.  They did say I was a good bowler (pitcher) and the spin I put on the ball made it hard to hit.  I also hit a 6--kind of like a homerun--where the ball hits the outer wall before it bounces.  I think they were a little impressed.  It was so much fun!  I can see why cricket is such a big deal here!