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.