Cricket Crazy

--> Blurring voices were rattling around my head. I could only feel something happening to me but could see nothing. Something had happened to me for sure and the voices, whoever those belonged to, were trying to help me out. The voices were panicking. I was trying to recall the last memory reminiscent of me, unsuccessfully though. This subconscious stress on the brain finally helped. I opened my eyes.

A few blurred seconds later, I could see two female nurses, a male nurse, an attendant, the surgeon and the nephrologist in front of me. I found myself lying on a stretcher armored with an oxygen mask, different E.C.G. electrodes on the chest, a jugular in the neck, the inflatable cloth around my arm and different tubes pierced into my stomach. It freaked me out. Then, looking at the various computer screens and gadgets, I realized that I was in the I.C.U.

The surgeon was American. He was speaking in an American accent. Seeing me in my consciousness for the first time, he bent over me and said in a loud voice as if I was deaf. “Mr. Mani Kumar, your operation was successful. How are you feeling now?”

Before wondering why he was shouting in my ears, I blurted out, “sss…ssscore!”

He looked surprised, totally amazed. He smiled; his smile eventually transforming into laughter. His expressions and his laughter were suggesting that I was insane. I had no idea why.

Then he bent over me again and whispered “518 for 5 India, Laxman and Dhoni playing!” the ‘Dhoni’ being spelt as ‘dhownee’.

Unable to converse completely, I asked him in a cliché “Se…sehwaaaaag…..three hun…..dred?”

Smiling at me, he switched on the television. I could see Dhoni and Laxman playing. The scorecard said ‘INDIA 524/5’. A few minutes later, I checked the complete scorecard. It read ‘V Sehwag - c Murali b Murali 293’. I was dejected. Sehwag had missed his second triple century. Suddenly, I felt something chilled in my head and I was unconscious again.

A day later, the anesthesia effect faded out. I opened my eyes again. The surgeon was standing beside me. He carried on the interrogation on me that surgeons generally do after performing a major surgery. I assured him that there was no pain and I was feeling alright. He noted something down on his file and took a seat near my bed.

In a heavy American accent, he started “Mani, I’ve done hundreds of surgeries. The first words a patient utters after gaining consciousness is related to the exasperation of pain. The pain is supposed to haunt them for days. We give heavy dosages of pain killers for the pain to subside. Nobody has ever said that he isn’t feeling any pain. You probably are the first person claiming to be pain-free after a surgery, without even taking a pain-killer. Leave aside your pain, the first thing you said after gaining consciousness was “score”. You’re freaking crazy!”

I smiled. Raising my hand, I gestured a cricketing shot to him and then immediately pointed to the 7mm diameter tube carrying blood out of my body. He interpreted my gesture and understood that I was trying to say ‘cricket runs in my blood’. He shot back an admiring smile and got up.

“People are so passionate here. No wonder why I love this country!” he said and left. Patriotism crept in me. My heart jumped in elation. The feeling was just awesome! Its good to be crazy sometimes, i thought.