Absolutely right. I am a woman and I started watching cricket only because of Mandira Bedi.

If not for her outstanding taste in wardrobe, I would have been found chopping onions in the kitchen when a cricket match is shown live!

I saw Dada’s adrenaline pumping jig during the Natwest series and held my breath as VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid stood headstrong to climb out of the hole Australia had dug us butthat couldn’t be the reason for a woman to be crazy about cricket, could it?

Bring out Mandira with her noodle straps and we women supposedly appear magically infront of the television all set to take notes!

No offence guys, this isn’t really a man vs woman post. It’s just that it would be refreshing if people weren’t so surprised to see a passionate female cricket fan. By passionate I don’t mean just those who flock to cricket stands or check the score ontelevision once in a while. I’m talking about the category that will plan its day based onthe timing of a cricket match and google “cricket” the first thing in the morning.

I can’t tell you how many matches us females won for India because we stood/sat/walked/ran/drank water/cooked brinjal/sneezed for superstition! So it seems a little silly then that in the middle of a conversation with male colleagues about cricket, an odd comment about Yuvraj Singh’s batting average against Pakistan will inadvertently draw puzzling faces even if there is nothing earth shattering about it.

Here’s how a typical conversation goes :

X : Batting average? (with eyebrows raised). You watch cricket?

Me: Yes (Thinking here it comes!)

X : Wow, that’s great! Didn’t know girls also like cricket. So what do you watch?

Me : Cricket! (duh!)

X : Ha ha yes..I meant what kind of matches do you like?

Me : All involving batsmen, bowlers, wicketkeeper, umpires, crowds and dogs on the field.

X : Hey! that’s great. So who is your favourite player?

Me : (I know there is nothing wrong with the question..still…looks a little patronising). I like Dada, Dhoni and Dirk Nannes.

X : Dirk Nannes. Cool! (Then he steals a smirk with those around and comes back to me).

So..which country does he play for?

Me : (I pause for a second to let them enjoy the moment.And here we go!) Dirk Nannes, age 33, plays for Netherlands, Delhi Daredevils and the Victorian Bushrangers, left arm fast bowler, former world cup skier, founder of an adventure sports company, speaks Japanese and plays the Saxaphone.

X : Goes into shock! Mouth falls open and eyes bulge out

Me enjoying…

What a great moment for women cricket fans all over the world! And the men think we don’t know our cricket, huh! I feel like some kind of messiah..

X : Wow..you do know your cricket! So when is the women’s twenty twenty world cup starting?

Gulp! My breath stiffens. Panic starts spreading inside me.  I should know this one!! I wriggle an imaginary speck of dust from my eye to buy out time.

The messiah image breaks into a thousand pieces..Oh the shame of it! Sorry girls!

Finally I mumble under my breath.

Me: well…you know what…I wouldn’t know that…Mandira Bedi hasn’t announced the dates yet!

Moral of the story : Gloat by all means, know when to stop!