The Old Monk
“I tend to think that cricket is the greatest thing that God ever created on earth - certainly greater than sex, although sex isn't too bad either”~Harold Pinter I felt like a fool as I walked towards the pitch. It had been a brilliant series until the last hour. We had exceeded expectations. We started with a relatively young team; inexperienced, fresh and unassuming. Our first round matches were easy wins. No one noticed us until we were in the finals against the Seminare team. I was booed, but I knew Aparna’s voice wasn’t adding to the chorus. I would have been surprised if I had known that she was in the stands, sitting quietly, probably praying. The Seminare team was at its best this year. Most of their players were in their last year before they had to give up cricket and start worrying about their school-leaving exams. They embarrassed and humiliated every team. They were playing the finals at home. I first met Aparna at the inter-school quiz. I was surprised Sem...