IBSO 2019

Over 3 years have passed, and this moment still haunts me.....

The clear night sky of Pune was one to admire, but not for us, not that night. The rain came down in buckets, as the black sky was often lit up by the white light of the lightning. The clouds were so grey, they were almost unnoticeable when one glanced at the sky. We sat inside our bus, as chatter from all directions went in and out of our ears. The clogged roads of Pune became the beacon of traffic, as cars and other vehicles, stood still, allowing the surrounding water to drown them. 

Drip, drip, drip fell our hopes like the rain crashing outside. Fear and sadness were etched on our captain’s face, knowing what was to come for the batsmen tomorrow. The atmosphere all around us was dreary, like the calm before the storm. The whole team knew our A-game was under the sun and on a green pitch.

The day was upon us. It was time for the finals of the IBSO. We went about our daily routine, eating breakfast and chilling, but I got a feeling everyone had preparations for the finals running in the background. As a team, we reached the ground early. The weather was picture-perfect for cricket. Sun covered by clouds, clear blue skies, a decent temperature, and very little humidity. It was time, for us to finally win gold as a school team. Adrenaline coursed through our veins, as we lost ourselves, to the roller coaster ride of cricket.

I took the new ball and rolled my fingers across it feeling the seam. Our team was impatient for the match to begin, as eternity rolled by before their batsmen were ready. Comments of encouragement and confidence were passed all around, as we took our places on the field. The first five overs were nothing short of a dream for us. The pitch was perfect, with bounce and carry, making sure good line and lengths cramped the batsmen up for the room. Our batsmen were relieved, and the coaches were happy. Jubilant cheers could be heard as the wickets fell one by one, as we strengthened our gasp at the coveted title. 

 
Alas! How wrong we were. After six overs in the innings, the scoreboard read 32-4. Like grabbing a bull by its horns, we had driven the game deep into our side. Only two batsmen were left, and it was now unto the spinners to wrap things up. What then began, however, was playground cricket, as both batsmen made merry of our spinners in the last four overs. From 32-4, they scored over 60 runs in a mere 24 balls, leaving us to chase a mammoth 95 in 10 overs. 

We were distraught. Our batting had simply not fired throughout the tournament, and it was the bowling attack that had gotten us here. Nonetheless, we prayed for a miracle, saying that if anything must happen, it should happen today. 2 overs into the innings, our prayers had sunk straight into the ground. The rain from yesterday finally came into effect, as our hopes melted like the ice cream we ate, slowly but surely, sinking into the ground. Their bowlers had already taken 3 wickets, and all our major batsmen were gone. Panic arose on our faces, as we scrambled to put together a decent partnership. The bowlers, however, were just too good, as our hopes and dreams remained exactly what they were, as we crashed to a mere 65 in our quota of 10 overs. As the final ball was bowled, we were distraught. 

Shock etched on our faces, as realization hit us. We had lost. In under an hour, the tables had turned, and from a position of strength, we had faltered. The final hurdle was too much to handle, once again. The devastation was evident on our faces, as we trudge onto the podium to collect our 2nd place trophy.