1983-Facts and Fiction

Backstage-The fabled Audi ride: Part 1

In which Ravi, crowned Champion of Champions, takes his victorious but decidedly drunk team of mostly seniors for a ride around the MCG on his new Audi

***

Cheeka was giving his Man of the Match interview half an hour after the winning runs had been hit, trying to talk maturely about 'target was low, but we tried to take the game deep instead of attempting to win in a hurry...'

"He's being sensible," commented Sunny with an air of surprise. "Ravi, do stop ogling at the Audi, the cameras will catch your expression."

"Do you think I'm likely to win it?" asked Ravi anxiously.

"Of course you are," said Jimmy in an assuring voice. "And even if you don't, we all know your performance in the tournament was worthy of the Audi," he added, tactful as always.

"But then there would be no point to it," mumbled Ravi in disgust.

"It may have some point to it, you know, like leading us to win the Cup and all..." put in Maddi.

"Why is that Maindad standing over there?" demanded Ravi, who had evidently just spotted his biggest threat to claiming the Man of the Tournament award, walking near the boundary rope. "Why'd they call him during the Presentation if he isn't the—"

"He could've just come to watch the Presentation," said Kapil. "C'mon, stop being an..."

"Congratulations once again," the presenter told Cheeka in the mic. "Krisnamachari Srikkanth, Man of the Match," he said as Cheeka walked off the podium towards them, waving his trophy. "And now, ladies and gentlemen, we crown our Champion of Champions, for his spectacular—"

Ravi's eyes flickered between Miandad and the Audi as his team waited with bated breath.

"—all-round performance with the bat, the ball and on the field—RAVI SHASTRI!"

"YESSSS!" The team crowded around screeched as one, banging Ravi on the back, hugging each other, Cheeka 'accidentally' hitting Kaps on the head with his trophy, Viswanath screaming, "The Audi's ours! The Audi's ours!"

Ravi paused on his way to the podium.

"Are you sure you don't mean it's mine?"

"Go!" said Sunny, exasperated. "You can fight over that later."

Everyone was still laughing as they listened to their champion's interview when Kapil broke the goofy atmosphere with a very demure and attentive, "Hello, Lala ji."

Jimmy turned in alarm to confirm if it was a false scare. It was not.

His father had been one of special invitees of the tournament, and had come to watch each match live, and often paid the team a visit before and after matches.

"Hello, beta." Lala ji gave Kapil a pat on the back (he was unfairly fond of Kapil according to Jimmy, maybe because of the number of times he'd stabbed Jimmy on the back and given Lala ji opportunities to scold his son) as the others, also, stopped laughing and became serious, greeting him.

Lala ji seemed in a good enough mood; he was congratulating everyone, especially Cheeka and Siva, who'd truly played out-of-the-world in that match. Jimmy let his shoulders relax—he hadn't done anything silly like getting run-out or leaking runs that his dad could possibly scold him over in front of everyone.

So he was grinning when his dad turned to him.

"Why did you back off from making an appeal to the umpire when he clearly gave a wrong decision?" was how Lala ji greeted him.

What had happened was this: Miandad had clearly nicked a ball of Jimmy's straight to Viswanath's gloves, and the umpire shook his head. Viswa was running in urgently to protest but Jimmy had gestured at him to stop, not wanting to create a scene. Appealing to the umpire would not have, most probably, made any difference either, so he had not even considered going into an argument.