You aren’t a dyed-in-the-wool Bengali if you don’t exhibit a proclivity for ‘lyadh’ (indolence).
While the etymology of ‘lyadh’ may suggest that the Bangla word is fringe-millennial at best, it is actually a pernicious habit passed down through generations by our forefathers along with their generously rounded paunches.
If a Bengali had invented cricket, there would certainly be no Twenty20 format. And Sourav Ganguly would probably have restricted himself to being an armchair expert, quite literally timing belligerent strokes through the offside from the comfort of a beanbag.
Tranquility on the work trail
| Photo Credit:
Santadeep Dey
Tranquility on the work trail
| Photo Credit:
Santadeep Dey
The Diary, a true-blue Bong (Gen Z slang for a Bengali), therefore loves covering domestic red-ball cricket — a format where no one seems to be in a hurry. Not even the physio, who had to be summoned thrice during a Ranji Trophy fixture to attend to a player injured by a ball that had landed square on his chest.
Needless to say, the highlight of 2024 for this reporter had to be the few domestic First-Class games he got to cover across the country.
Far from the madding crowd of an Indian Premier League (IPL) game or an international match lies the quaint beauty of chronicling a Ranji Trophy fixture. Here, there are no specified zone accesses, no PR groups keeping you away from the players, and no press conference protocols to follow.
Time sometimes comes to a standstill, with the odd napping onlooker often woken from slumber by the crack of the bat ahead of a boundary.
True access
| Photo Credit:
Santadeep Dey
True access
| Photo Credit:
Santadeep Dey
The same players, who communicate via forwarded emails during the IPL, are here — up close and personal, without any profanity filters.
They let you in on secrets, trusting you to keep them safe. And you oblige, because your senior colleagues have taught you that’s how relationships are built.
More reporter diaries from Sportstar:
Pranay Rajiv:When smog couldn’t stop a special 10-wicket haul in a Ranji game
Ayan Acharya:A memorable World Cup with storms of all kinds
Lavanya Lakshminarayanan: Celebrating an underdog’s win with a global community
Shayan Acharya: A milestone match set against the snow-capped brilliance of Dharamsala
2024 gave the Diary the most fun cab ride ever — from the Maharaja Bir Bikram College Stadium to his hotel in Agartala. As the travelling Tamil Nadu team waited for an autorickshaw after the day’s play in the Ranji Trophy, this reporter offered a few of them a ride back.
That the Diary already had a personal equation with Vimal Khumar even before he made his State debut helped. Before one could realise, the otherwise silent journey back to the hotel turned into a joyride with constant cackling over NSFW jokes by three players and a member of the backroom staff in the backseat.
They say never meet your heroes. But come 2025, the Diary would suggest you do. Preferably during a domestic game in your vicinity. Because beneath that cape and mask, your heroes may be as human as you are.