July 09, 2015

No compromise

India, the land where people worship over 330 million Gods, yet have one common religion---cricket. Even today, you will see kids running out to play cricket. In this modern age of play station and video games, cricket remains one and perhaps the only sport that has maintained its charm.
This cricket mania gets worse when India is playing. You will see fans glued to the TV set, waiting with bated breath for Yuvi to score six sixes in an over (because we Indians know he is capable of that). We will postpone our ablutions, kill anyone who dares touch the tv remote, curse the doorbell/ringing phone, and do all sorts of absent minded nonsense as the nail biting experience continues hoping against hope that our prayers will be answered and that India will win.  Now picture your wife asking you to go and pick up your mother-in-law from the railway station that very instant? Can you imagine the irritation?

I was not much of a cricket fan until a few years ago, my only excuse for it being I do not have a brother. I thought it was okay for a girl to know nothing about cricket. However, living at the hostel during my MBBS days changed my perception and made me take a keen interest in the game, thanks to my room mates. Prachi and Sanju were major sport buffs. I remember watching them with curiosity, the way they enjoyed the game. The TV room at our hostel was in another building. I remember the entire girls hostel would empty out and land up in the TV room whenever India was playing. In that situation, I had no choice but to join them (I was too afraid to stay all alone in the deserted hostel). I watched the first few matches with absolute zero knowledge of the game. I found it silly, eleven people running after a ball. Prachi and Sanju took it upon themselves to enlighten me. They just could not believe I knew nothing of cricket except for 'Sachin Tendulkar'. I was bored. They were amused. Thence, they made me watch every single match with them. I was horrified at first. I was being ragged by my own roommates.

Slowly but surely, the interest caught on. I started sharing their enthusiasm. First subtly, then when I got to understand it a little more, boldly. I cheered, prayed, rooted for India, and soon enough I was the first to bunk lectures and run to the TV room whenever there was a match. I still remember the days when there used to be a power cut. How we would sulk and keep calling the electricity department. Missing a match was sacrilege. In hindsight, those were the only days when afternoon lectures would have 100% attendance. Memories of those hostel days can never be complete without remembering those cricket matches in that noisy TV room. Our moods would depend on who won the game. So did our studying pattern. We always scored better in the viva voce on the following day when India won. I guess it had something to do with the professor's mood as well. Cricket all the way!

Today, we are all busy in our respective lives. Most of us are so caught up that we hardly have time to indulge in our passions. It is thanks to advances in technology that we are  not restricted to our living rooms to watch our favorite sport. Mobile internet has brought all cricket fans closer to cricket. Now I no longer need to make up silly excuses for not running an errand or not attending a social function because of a crucial game. My friends do not need to feign sickness to take a day off from work. We can now surf it all and surf it fast with UC Browser. This is available for downloads across various platforms like computers, ipads, laptops, mobiles, and through iphone, windows, androids, and Java. Unlike other browsers, this is faster and easier to use with seamless transitions. An important feature of this browser is UC Cricket (Open UC Browser - HomeScreen - Find "UC Cricket" with blue icon) a space dedicated to all cricket lovers, connecting them to the match wherever they may be.

Latest cricketing news, live score, auto updates and go-to-videos are now easily available once you download the app. (check the UC Browser and UC Cricket for details). In addition to this, you can also set reminders for matches so that you never miss out on them. UC Cricket also provides latest news, fixture and result that keeps you in the know wherever you go.

The UC Browser brings the cricket experience to a whole new level. Say good bye to excuses. You no longer need to miss out on that get-together you were thinking of missing. You don't need to call in sick to work or cancel your date. Now you can take the entire Indian team with you.

UC Cricket says 'No Compromise'...

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