To catch my hubby's attention I donned my best finery and made seductive moves towards him. But he shot me those funny looks as if I have come from mars and he is finding it difficult to remember where we met the first time. Gone are the days when I was pampered, my husband would frantically search for me the moment he came back from work and we shared the lows and highs of the day over a cup of tea. I was involved in everything he did and I felt so alive and wanted.

The only solace this blasted game has given me is now that he doesn't complain or crib about the half-cooked or half-burnt food which at times I serve him; he just consumes it without even noticing my drudgery and endless grilling in the kitchen are over.

Illustration by Amitabh

But alas! I yearn for a lovey-dovey glance which I was showered with in abundance before this senseless, ruthless world cup started. Once I even threatened to walk out on him and go to my mother's place, I was astonished to get the reply, "Bye honey, come back after the world cup is over".

Oh God, wipe this game off the face of the earth. I am sure there are many suffering due to this game, and not only their love-life but their marital bliss is at stake. My whole world is topsy-turvy, I am abandoned by my sweetheart who loved me so much. A person who would never even hurt a fly is torturing me day in and day out.

Rachna Rawat is suffering on the outskirts of Delhi.

In tandem with the idiot box, they manage to hypnotise millions of people all over the world, at least the cricketing world, the one that matters. At predestined hours, on predestined days, the faithful flock to their respective TV sets. Pull up the easychairs, take out the snacks and guzzle bottomless cups of coffee. Put everything else on hold. Switch off their lives. Switch on the TV. This must be the most synchronised routine in the world. Performed automatically, unthinkingly. Rational human beings, who otherwise exhibit above average intelligence, seem to follow the herd.

This was all the more evident when during lunch one day, I chose the West Indies as the favourites to win the World Cup. ``It's a none-man team much like India and the man is in form.'' ``Why not South Africa?'' I was asked with a seeming sense of disbelief. When I said that Brian Lara could take them on almost single-handedly, I touched their collective laugh buttons. I tried to cover up by saying that I had been spending most of my time at home with my wife and child. But that's not the in thing. Knowledge of the cricketing world, especially the World Cup, is.

Illustration by Amitabh

The opinions of others do not matter too much. But this was much too much. I could not go around with people whispering behind my back that I know nothing about something I should. So I made a resolve (stronger than those New Year's resolutions) to watch enough cricket t be able to hide my ignorance I would not be glued to the TV. I would carry on with my life but watch just a little bit so that I could show that I knew.

Things just didn't work out that way. I tried that during the Asian test Championship and the one-dayers that followed. Watch cricket I did. Spend time with my family I did. Listen to music I did. Read the newspapers I did. But what I most definitely did was get so exhausted that my colleague woke me up to tell me that The Boss wanted to see me and probably because he had caught me blissfully sleeping at my desk. That, as they say, is just not on.

So what now. Obviously I was not the full-of-energy type that could go on and on without sleep. Had I been, I would have given up my six hours of sleep for my family. Had I been, this question, itself would not have arisen. But I am not and it did. That my family needed me was evident. The pained look on my son's face when I told him ``Not now, I'll play later'' told me more than any book on parenting. And, there was, of course, my wife, who would go about life without a complaint. She would not say anything. Almost literally. Not one word more than was necessary. ``Your dinner is ready'' or ``There is a call for you'' was the fare.

I also found myself ignorant about most other things around me. The neighbour's two-day-old daughter, for example. Or the crisis in the BJP.

I did need to keep up with the times. But this was not worth it. I could not let my whole life come to a grinding halt with the touch of a button. Cricket is a great game. But there is infinitely much more to life than cricket. And, why should I not set my own pace? Why should I sit and watch a handful of me for hours on end. I shall watch them when I can and probably as much as I can but not all the time. And, sitting like a robot in front of the TV, shutting off the rest of the world, especially my family, is - to use the old phrase - just not cricket.

Premangshu Ray is with Business Today

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