The Avil Effect.

This incident happened to me 3 years back. Looking back at my cricketing days is something that i often used to do. It feels good and motivates me to make it big. There is one innings that will always be etched in my memory, for it carried a lot of importance to me and played under challenging conditions. I was in my 2nd year of college and was playing for TNCA 2nd divison. I had played for 4th division the previous season and due to my consistent performances that year I got into a 2nd division side. There is a big difference in the standard of cricket compared to 4th division. The players are of high quality and vastly experienced. The season did not start on a good note. I managed to score only 8 runs in the first match of the season and we also lost the game badly! Going into the 2nd game, there was some pressure on the team to win and get started for the season. From a personal point of view, I had to perform very well in order get to the senior division which will give me a chance to crack at Ranji trophy.

The day before my game, I was returning home from practice and during my travel, I felt a lot of itching all over my body! The moment i reached home, I found that I had been stung by something and that had caused an allergy. My entire body had swollen, and I was suffering with pain and itching!! It was already late when i reached home, as a result of which I couldn't go to a doctor! Took some paati vaithiyam and slept off ;) The next morning when i woke up, there was no improvement in my condition and the pain and itching was still there! I had a match to play, so i took an AVIL (tablet used for allergies) , so that i could play the game. The best part here is, Avil when taken induces drowsiness and sleep!! I realised it only after i reached the ground :P I struggled to go through my warmup routines and was feeling extremely drowsy. we won the toss and elected to bat and i had to open the Innings.

I went out to bat with pressure to perform and I had to fight of my drowsiness too! I was feeling so drowsy that nothing went through my mind ;) I was to face the first ball of the innings... The first 2 balls were short of a length and outside the off. I duly cracked them both to the point boundary. A solid start.. 8 of 2 and the drowsiness was still there!! That kind of a start gave me hope and though i played and missed so many times outside the off stump (Thanks to the Avil effect :P ), I was lucky not to edge one to the slips/keeper ;). I went on to score 89 in that game. This performance gave me the confidence that I can do well in the higher level and my good run continued for the next 5 games as I scored 4 more fifties and got selected to play for the city team. This innings was really significant for me and looking back at it gives me pleasant memories :)