What are your favorite sports to watch and play?
People ask,
“What are your favorite sports to watch and play?”
I smile.
I think.
I sigh.
Because the answer is simple,
but life very complicated.
I love watching cricket.
Especially when India is playing.
The excitement begins with hope,
ends with overthinking,
and somewhere in between
my blood pressure joins the match.
I sit.
I watch.
I believe.
But the moment
the Indian team looks slightly weak
just one dropped catch,
one confused over,
one dramatic zoom on a worried player
I quietly exit the match.
No rage.
No shouting.
Just self-care.
I stop watching.
I open the news.
I refresh the score every two minutes
like a responsible adult
who cannot handle live disappointment.
If the score improves,
I pretend I never left.
If it doesn’t,
I say,
“I knew it.”
Cricket is not just a sport.
It’s an emotional roller coaster
that I ride only when the safety belt feels secure.
Now badminton
ah, badminton.
The sport I actually play.
Or… used to play.
Or… plan to play.
Or… think about playing
while lying on the bed.
love badminton.
I really do.
The movement,
the smash,
the feeling of being energetic,
healthy,
sporty,
for exactly twenty minutes.
But badminton has its own drama.
You need a partner.
And as a woman,
matching time with your partner
is the real tournament.
We don’t play badminton.
We try to match schedules.
Morning doesn’t work.
Evening is too tiring.
Weekends disappear mysteriously.
Responsibilities enter the court without invitation.
By the time our timings finally match,
the match is already over
without being played.
So we sit.
We talk about playing badminton.
We feel motivated.
We promise “next time, pakka.”
And life watches us with quiet amusement.
My badminton racket now rests
peacefully in the corner of my room
not unused,
just waiting for alignment of planets,
calendars,
and energy levels.
I don’t play anymore.
I remember playing.
Sometimes I tell myself,
“Tomorrow, I’ll start again.”
Tomorrow smiles,
nods politely,
and never shows up.
Still, the love is there.
In the heart.
In the intention.
In the fantasy version of me
who wakes up early,
plays badminton daily,
and drinks warm water afterwards.
So yes
I watch cricket with conditions.
I play badminton in theory.
I am sporty in spirit,
active in imagination,
and honest in confession.
And maybe that’s okay.
Because loving sports
doesn’t always mean playing or watching till the end.
Sometimes,
it just means caring deeply,
laughing at yourself,
and knowing exactly
when to switch to the news.
The same happens to me Rajeshwari;
The anxiety attached with the cricket match is astounding so I just up and leave the room…;
But the regular refreshing of the webpage happens often..!
And I played badminton in my school continuously for two years,
Now all of it exists in my dreams where I gather my friends and play with them until we are tired …!
But the schedule never matches and some are far away to even come back to this country;
Just a dream and a realisation remains of the good times…!
😭🤍
Absolutely! 😄
Cricket doesn’t just test the team, it tests us. The anxiety hits so hard that walking out of the room feels like a heroic escape. And yet… somehow, the fingers keep refreshing the score like a secret obsession. Detachment? Myth. Pure myth.
And badminton… oh, badminton!✨ Mostly lives in intention. We gather our friends in chats, in hopeful “let’s play soon” messages, and elaborate plans that go nowhere. Usually, we don’t actually play. The court exists only in our dreams, where everyone magically shows up on time, no one is busy, and we smash and sprint until we collapse… happily exhausted.🤍✨
Reality? Schedules never match, distances grow, some friends are in other countries, and suddenly the game quietly becomes a golden memory. What remains is a soft ache, a smile, and the bittersweet realization that those were the golden times we didn’t even know were golden back then.🤍✨
Funny, dramatic, chaotic… and yet, some matches continue inside us forever. 🏏🏸
Life really needs a replay button sometimes! 😆✨🤍
This is such a delightful, honest, and relatable piece. You’ve turned a simple question into a warm slice of lived experience, blending humor with self-awareness beautifully. The pacing feels conversational, the pauses land just right, and that quiet exit from the match is pure emotional intelligence wrapped in wit.
I especially love how cricket becomes more than a game here—it’s a mirror of hope, vulnerability, and self-care. The ending is perfect: thoughtful, funny, and true. A joy to read from start to finish.
Aww, this made me smile so softly 🥹💛 Thank you for reading it with such warmth and care. I love how you caught the little pauses, the humor, and that quiet choice at the end that means everything.✨ Grateful that the story felt like a shared moment, not just words on a screen. Your kindness made it even more special🤍✨
That means so much to me—truly 🤍
I’m really glad it landed gently and felt like a shared moment. Those quiet choices and small pauses are where the heart of a piece lives, and it’s beautiful to know they were felt and seen. Thank you for creating something that invited that kind of connection. Moments like this are why words matter. ✨
So relatable and funny 😄
Cricket emotions + badminton intentions = real life!
Loved the honesty and humour, especially “exiting with dignity” 👏
😄🤍Haha thank you! Real life sports be like that only 😄 Glad you felt the vibe exiting with dignity is an art 😌👏✨
I’d definitely join so that we play badminton in theory 😂. I’d just blame the weather 😂
Done! Match cancelled due to unexpected weather 😌🏸
This is absolutely delightful witty, honest, and painfully relatable 😊
Your writing turns everyday habits into gentle comedy, especially the way you describe “self-care exits” from cricket matches and the eternal “next time, pakka” of badminton. The humor never feels forced; it flows naturally from lived experience.
What makes this piece shine is its self-awareness you laugh at yourself without being harsh, and that warmth keeps the reader smiling throughout. Lines like “I play badminton in theory” and “sporty in spirit, active in imagination” are pure gold.
A charming blend of humor, reality, and quiet acceptance. Truly enjoyed reading this—thank you for the smile
-Vijay Srivastava
🙏 Thank you so much Vijay ji for your thoughtful words! I truly appreciate how carefully you read and understood the little details the humor, honesty, and gentle self-awareness. It means a lot to know it resonated and brought a smile, and your respect and encouragement make all the effort behind the writing feel worthwhile. Grateful for your kind attention and generous appreciation.🤍✨
This is wonderfully honest.
You’ve captured the “strategic retreat” of every cricket fan—we don’t quit, we just protect our peace! Your “badminton in theory” is a mood most adults live every single day.
It’s a beautiful reminder that being a fan is as much about the heart as it is the scoreboard.
Thank you so much Ahmad ji! I’m so happy it resonated with you. Yes the “strategic retreat” and “badminton in theory” moments are exactly the little realities we all live, and it feels wonderful to see someone truly understand that balance between passion and peace.✨Your kind words mean a lot!✨
Right. The excitement starts with hope .well shared
Thank you so much Priti ✨🤍Yes, hope truly is where all excitement begins.🤍✨
🙏
Nice post!
Thank you so much Daisy 🌼✨🤍
😊
Wow! Badminton and cricket. They’re great sports. I haven’t seen much badminton, but I’ve always been fond of cricket.I remember when there used to be an India-Pakistan match twenty years ago, everyone in the house would bang plates and spoons and would even throw stones. મજા કરવાની મજા આવી. 😃😃 I don’t enjoy it that much anymore. Yes, I watch badminton sometimes. I used to really enjoy the high-voltage drama of cricket. You’ve really enjoyed it with your wonderful post. 😃😃👍👍💚💚💛💛🤍🤍❤️❤️
Haha! Those were legendary days 😄
India–Pakistan match meant the whole house turning into a mini stadium. Plates and spoons became musical instruments, neighbours became commentators, and suddenly everyone knew cricket better than the players themselves 😂
Watching cricket back then wasn’t just about the game it was about shouting together, fighting over the TV remote, and celebrating like we’d personally hit the winning run. Now we watch more calmly, like “responsible adults,” but honestly, that madness was pure gold.
Badminton is fun, neat, and classy but cricket in those days? Total drama, full emotions, zero control 😄
Your message brought back all that noise, laughter, and nostalgia. Made me smile big time 🤍
મજા કરવાની મજા આવી…..I forgot to explain what it means. It’s written in my language because we used to shout like that during matches when Pakistan lost. meaning of these words….मजा आ गया मजा 😃😃😃😃
😎😎
Whether you’re refreshing a score or staring at a racket while lying down, the passion is still there. And as you said, knowing when to switch to the news is a skill in itself! Well said Rajeshwari 🌷
Haha, true 😄
The passion stays only the style changes.🤗
And yes, knowing when to switch to the news is definitely an art! 🌷
Ekdam… without a doubt 🤭
😍🤗🤗
Never played Cricket…
That’s okay. Not everyone gets the chance to play every sport. If the opportunity comes someday, you can always try, there are so many sports to enjoy anyway.😁🤍✨
This made me smile so wide 😄💛 It’s honest, relatable, and brilliantly written. I love how you turn everyday emotions into philosophy with humor and self-respect 👏🏽✨ Watching cricket with boundaries and playing badminton in intention feels like peak self-awareness 😅🏸 Your words gently remind us that life doesn’t have to be perfect to be joyful. Sporty in spirit is still sporty! 🌈🙌 Respect for the honesty, the wit, and the warmth. Keep writing—this kind of truth connects hearts 💖😊
Haha, thank you Krishna ji! 😄 “Sporty in spirit” might be my new official category now 🏸 Glad it connected and made you smile 🤍✨
Watch football, play pickleball!