MY CHILDHOOD CRICKET: EA SPORTS ‘07

RB: "It's a firm pitch with even bounce and good carry through to the wicketkeeper. I'd be batting first if I won this toss." MN: This is a batsmen's pitch! I am amazed he has chosen to bowl first, it's firm, there is no real covering of grass and I think the bounce will be even. I would expect a lot of runs today! RB: "He has gone a long long way, he is having his great to watch for the neutral, not so good for the bowler." MN: Straight drive is his favourite stroke! We know that he knows that, they should know that and it shows. RB: Ah! I think he's okay but that must have ruffled his feathers a bit. MN: Big shout from the bowler and... No response from the Umpire. The umpire thinks it's not out! Let's see the action replay there! RB: Never mind that one, the broken ropes have the best chances of catching that one! MN: That's it, they have got it! They have done it! You are looking at a championship side. What a brilliant performance this is! Happy and Smiling faces out there and they do reflect the job that is quite brilliantly done. I think the leadership has done its part but tactically they won the game as a whole[team]. It's been more than a decade but these phrases are still so special to me. I am connected to them more than a BEE IS CONNECTED TO A FLOWER. I simply cannot forget them. You ask me in the middle of my deep sleep, I will tell all of them in one go! I just can never forget them. But what's all this? A cricket match of the last week or an old radio commentary tape of the '80s and '90s. No, this is not at all that. It was an emotion and it will always be an emotion for a 20th-century kid. This is EA Sports Cricket' 07. OK! So, you think it's some PC game after you see the two letters EA which is abbreviated to Electronic Arts. Man, this is much more than that for all of us. It is nearly 10 hours of our day in childhood. I still remember desperately waiting for my dad to forget his laptop at home or at least sleep for some time- only to play this game. Omg! Stealing my dad's laptop when he is busy doing something else or sometimes pleading my mom with my innocent face to let me play the game at least once a day - I did everything to play this game. Games like Vice City, Mortal Combat, TOD maybe your childhood favourites but you simply can't ignore this game. A game that virtually puts you in the shoes of the players to experience the on-field drama. To be very honest, more than television cricket, this is something that taught me the very nuances of the game - cricket. Today, while I pause for a second and think, I realise that with the mobile phone close to my bed, iPad in my rack and laptop on my study table, I hardly find playing games difficult. Ha-ha! Maybe this is the reason I don't have games on any of my devices now. But back then, having a PC/ Laptop was a big thing in any house and the one who had that was a hero. Out of my 10 close friends, less than 3 had a PC and sadly I didn't have one and I always wanted one. On Sundays, I would attend that odd extra class, come back home and sneak into my room with absolutely no noise, change my clothes and run to my friends’ home (Obviously for EA) even before my dad realises that I wasn't at home. I would come only after I played the game to the fullest which is mostly enacting an entire real-time cricket match in the game. Not an exaggeration but if you ask me to choose between watching an electrifying India vs Pakistan match on tv and playing EA Sports on my PC, chances are very very very high (more than 1000%} that you will find me choosing the later. I would change all the players according to the playing XI of that day and talk to myself (Commentary) all day playing that game. That's all I needed back then! Studying, Eating, Sleeping and almost everything reminded me of this game. I don't know why, but I could not refrain from thinking of different ways to play this game back then. From the oration of renowned Australian commentator Richie Bernard to the Englishman Mark Nicolas, those phrases simply reverberate in my mind all the time. At a time when I could hardly speak fluent English, I knew all these commentary phrases by heart. I guess you are like "Man! You already told you liked those phrases." But, Sorry! I cannot resist myself. To make you understand better, I love Ravi Shastri's voice in the background more than the six that Dhoni scored in the 2011 Cricket World Cup final at Wankhede. I can strongly say, I will have tears in my eyes even today when I hear (not watch!) those lines. Coming back to Cricket' 07, it is the revolution of that time. Featuring several game types (TEST's, ODI’s, T20's and many more), with the options to select from different pitches and weather condition, matches can be played at venues across the world. Playing at Lord's in England or Eden Gardens at Kolkata was a big thing back then. (I played them only on special occasions). The World cups and all other domestic and international tournaments of the ICC back then made the game much more appealing. Especially, the ashes section that challenges you with a real scenario that happened in the past ashes is top-class. (The highlights of the past with real faces were a treat to my eyes). 400 in test cricket, 264 in ODIs and 175 in T20'S is the highest score so far and I don't know if these records will be broken in real by professional cricketers but I hardly care because I did all this in less than 10 overs with ease (in the game). That's the sort of satisfaction and a feeling of accomplishment, I would get after I played this game. You might have known Tendulkar, Sehwag and Dhoni but you will never know Seway, Tendehar and Dhenier if you don't play this game. Funny right? It's because EA Sports lost its licensing for most of the teams and you will find the exact names and other elements only for the teams of Australia, England, South Africa and New Zealand. But you can always edit the names from the Team Management section. (You can also play with your customised avatar named as you and score a ton!). Of course, you also have few glitches in this game but it is something that will make the game merrier, sometimes the batsmen at the other end lift his bat with all pride when the striker hits a half-century, sometimes you are given out LBW even if the ball misses the leg stump. But, I am sure this is the best one of those days and some argue that it is the best even today. (Courtesy, my gamer friends). A pro tip for you during 3rd Umpire Reviews is that you are out only if the crowd in the background are excited else, greenlight is signalled and you are safe. Even after 10 years now, patches continue to be produced updating the game. Unfortunately, all you will find are patches of the edition that was released back in 2007 but not the new edition because it was the last cricket game developed by EA Canada. Another pro tip is that you can sneak an extra run by pressing the run button just when the wicketkeeper is about to dislodge the bails. (Ah! I'm sorry for revealing something that only I and MSD knew) ;). Not sure why, but this game has garnered attention no other game did at that time. Sadly, EA has stopped developing this game after the '07 edition. But why? No idea! But I suggest that they restart what they did and they will be amazed by the response. I am not a hardcore gamer nor a tech-geek but I confess that I am a sincere and avid lover of this game for sure. About a year and a half ago, the so-called JEE was done and the hectic counselling process has begun which made me simply mad. I wasn't able to sleep nor eat(maybe this happens with every one of us). Suddenly, the thought of this game struck me and I kept scrolling the internet to download this childhood gem of mine. Unfortunately, I got tired of browsing or rather the counselling process but at the end, I hardly managed to download and play. Later, it's the Jamshedpur chapter and a new game to me. Hence, I hardly got any time in the busy fresher year. Skip Skip! and it's the Corona and its chaos but again I hardly could download and play even after watching some two dozen tutorials on YT. Ha-ha! Maybe this is what 'Man proposes and God disposes of is all about'. Now with the semester exams done, I took this as a challenge and I finally managed to relive one of the best memories of my childhood. 10 days before the beginning of the next semester {JAN 07 tentatively} and I challenged myself to have all the trophies in the cabinet. This narration may have seemed a bit silly and childish but this is what it is and this is how I enjoyed my childhood. In this hectic and busy life of ours, Simple & Tiny things are the ones that really matter the most. They will put a smile on your face any time and any day. Childhood was awesome and none can deny this. We may be growing to become an adult but after yesterday, I am sure all of us is a child at heart wanting to relive those moments at least once again. All I can say is just do it! Just do it! We may not be able to live it better than we once lived but I am sure you will forget all your worries and smile with your heart again, the moment you get into that zone. And finally, for all the ones wanting to re-live this memorable game of ours again or for the ones who want to try it out for the first time, here's the link of the tutorial: https://youtu.be/bbHPrvcuXG0 Hey! Don't forget to try out my challenge. Ha-ha! I hope all you said, "Challenge Accepted!". Amidst a chaotic year mostly occupied with the unprecedented virus, one of the best and much-needed resolutions for this New Year is to relish the childhood when in distress. Happy New Year 2021 and Keep Smiling! Cheers!