The much anticipated wait was over. The day had finally dawned when cricket aspirants across Mumbai thronged the Thakur Stadium. At the end of the day, even the skeptics turned into enchanted cohorts. Cricket Star had come to Mumbai and it would not leave without pulses racing and emotions overflowing.

The Cricket Star program hit the first major city beginning with Mumbai. And visibly the mood was one of anticipation, hype and apprehension. But only one quality overshadowed them all as the sun ascended on the horizon: the desire to succeed. Even as nervous individuals entered the stadium, only confident, even defiant, cricket players left it. What they had to say depended as much on how they thought they performed and how they thought they were judged.

But the spirit was prevalent, and the enthusiasm pushed all teams, even those of the company and that of the television crew, to get with the mood and encapsulate it in loads of show time. Many came; some went disappointed. But there was a bunch of five, not Enid Blyton’s Famous Five. While none amongst the five got selected, the opinion was unanimous amongst the under-fifteen group: they will stay alert to future contests such as Cricket Star because they have found a new way of re-living their ambitions on the field. Other succeeded in ruffling feathers, but mostly their own. And yet others proudly proclaimed that they had come here with the sole purpose of becoming a famous participant on the new rage television show. Is this the sign of changing times?

There was one particular individual who left a host of different emotions in the many minds. Dissatisfied by the coach’s verdict, he raised his voice and lost his point. The furore went to unexpected heights as the camera zoomed in on him. He may well have wanted to raise the cause of the Indian plight at the dearth of talent. But in the end, it was obvious. The only cause was his own. His fellow aspirants were obliterated from the picture as he continued to remain the enduring image long after he had left the field. But these were the disgruntled lot, the fiery unleashed by the dash to their ego.

Many seemed to have only one grouse. They had come in too early, waited too long, and lost their appetite for the battle when it was time to deliver. But perhaps that is essentially what defines the one individual who will eventually stand out, and be truly counted on as one amongst lakhs.

But Riyaz thought he summed up the situation best. The self-styled cricket aspirant came in designer style imitation sunglasses and a casual outfit (perhaps white flannels are a thing of the past, even for selection trials!). Even as some of the contestants complained of insufficient time to prove their mettle, he had the reason behind their decisions. He thought the coaches and the judges had one consistent way to treat all players: first impressions were last impressions. Wonder if he missed a point, in dress code or ability. He confidently asserted his aspiration to be the next Sachin Tendulkar!

The day ended, but only with the promise to bring lots more excitement with the next rise of the sun!