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We have debated when Virat Kohli decided to go back to India in 2021 to be there for the birth of his child. We have done the same for Rohit Sharma. But only when it becomes personal do we realise how hard these decisions are. And let me state the obvious here – this piece is personal. It is about me, the journalist and scholar of sport, and me, the father, son and husband.
Needless to say, I love my sport. I have worked in the domain for three decades, and RevSportz is now a success story. We have worked tirelessly as a team throughout the World Cup and are immensely proud of what we have been able to put out. To have Shamik Chakrabarty in Sri Lanka throughout, and a six-member team travelling across the country, wasn’t easy, and yet we have been able to get it done.
That’s what brings it back to me. Yes, I want to go to Ahmedabad. Who wouldn’t want to cover a World Cup final?
But that’s where I was torn. I turn 50 on Sunday and I want to spend the day at home with Sharmistha, Aisha and my mother. That’s how we are as a family – we simply want to be with each other on days that are special to us. So when Aisha walked up to me a week ago and said that many more World Cups will come in my lifetime but the 50th birthday would not, it was a reminder that I am a father first. My little doll is growing up, and doing so fast. It is time to take decisions keeping that in mind.
When I turned 25 in 2001, it was just months after I had lost my father. There was no question of celebrating; it was about survival at the time more than anything else. So when my mother says, “We did not celebrate your 25th and I won’t be there when you turn 75, so see if you can make it home for your 50th,” it hits you.
Sharmistha, my pillar of strength, will never say a word. True to her nature, she will go with what we decide together. But then, I want to be there with her and go to our studio for a silent prayer. The studio will open its doors to the world on the 15th, and the plan is for Sharmistha and me to go there on Sunday and perform a small puja. Much like Ahmedabad is for the players, the studio is our temple, and as devotees, what better day to go there than on my 50th birthday?
There is no right or wrong in this. Had I gone to Ahmedabad, it is not as if I would have been wrong. But for me, going to the studio and being with family takes precedence. And you know why – because RevSportz isn’t dependent on me anymore. My reporters are more than capable and will pull off the World Cup final extremely well, with me doing my bit from Kolkata. That’s my strength and also my biggest satisfaction.
Yes, I will miss Ahmedabad, but I do think it is the right call.
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The post Fifty Not Out: Choosing Family Over a World Cup Final appeared first on Sports News Portal | Revsportz.
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