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Dropped for poor form ! Dropped for indiscipline ! Dropped for reporting late ! But dropped for having wet trousers ! Yes, for coming to play with wet trousers. This happened to a 14-year-old. He was poor and had just one pair of trousers. He paid a price for it that day
After Club practice, he would wash the trousers & pray for it to dry in time. He discovered that the morning it was still wet. So he wrapped it in newspapers and left for the match at the Race Course Ground - Sonnet Club vs Army XI. Changed two buses & walked the final two kms
Finalizing the playing XI, the captain noticed this boy in wet trousers. He firmly told the coach the boy can't play because the match would have army officers in the audience. "The boy presents a shabby look." The boy wept the whole day. And learnt a lesson too
A few years later he played Ranji Trophy for Delhi and in his fourth match cracked a century against Bombay in the final. Delhi lost. Next year, in the Ranji final, he cracked a century against Haryana. This time Delhi won. A season later, he proudly wore the India cap
After the India appearance, this boy returned to practice with Sonnet Club at the Ajmal Khan Park. Kit bag full of new stuff - trousers especially. The captain, the one who had dropped him many years ago, dipped into the bag and chose a trouser and a shirt for himself
The captain was sternly asked by one of the senior club members. "Do you remember whose kit bag is this? The same lad you had dropped for coming with wet trousers for a club match." Embarrassed, the captain promptly returned the stuff to the bag
This story highlights the value of time & also hard work. For obvious reasons, the identity of the captain, a first class cricketer, shall remain undisclosed. But the cricketer with the wet trouser was Ajay Sharma. He played one Test & 31 ODIs. He has preserved those trousers.
