During a game, I have always felt it is tougher to be a spectator than a participant. At least the participant can do something to influence the outcome. The spectator can only resort to superstitious gimmicks to believe that they have some influence on the proceedings.
While the Sydney test was going on, Ravichandran Ashwin and Hanuma Vihari were battling together during a 261 ball partnership that kept the Australians at bay. They had it easy - they only had to worry about the ball being bowled at them (and the occasional pointed barb from the increasingly frustrated Aussie tongues).
Here's how it feels to be a helpless spectator, especially one who knows more about the behind the scenes events than the viewing public does. Prithi Ashwin describes the 5th day's activities from her unique perch. It's a must-read for anyone who wants to know how the support staff feels.
I would never forget the surreal moment when Ashwin walked into the room that evening. We laughed, we cried, we laughed. We didn’t know how to react. And we howled. It wasn’t an euphoric cry – that was after the Melbourne win in the second Test. That had a different feel. I had rarely seen him that light, that bouncy, that delirious. This was something different. We were howling. It was utter relief – a draining out of emotions from our system. We just had two minutes together; he had to get back to the physio and medical scans. He came back at 11 that night. Next morning, the daughters were surprised when we said it’s time to go to a new city. “Why, aren’t you going to play today, match over?” Akhira asks. “Did we win, appa?’ the nosy one asked again.
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