As FIFA fever rages, here's what Desi Boys Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni are up to

Football has been top of the mind the past couple of weeks. As Indian cricketers — yes, those guys — play their first T20 against Harry Kane Country today, a refresher course on the game and what our boys have been doing is due.

What is cricket?
A team game played by people with identical haircuts, using a bat, ball and lots of sponsorship logos.

Who runs the game?

The boringly named International Cricket Council. But the organisation that really calls the shots, Virushka aside, is the boringly named Board of Control for Cricket in India. Both bodies should take on the name of rock bands. Cunning men of power would be a bit sufferable if they represented an organisation called Sex Pistols or Smashing Pumpkins.



What have some of our players being doing?

Virat Kohli
The Indian captain spent a part of his break in the costume of NoPlasticman. He immersed in the football mood with messages of encouragement on social media — another boring phrase, so let’s call it YadaYadaYada — for Harry Kane and Sunil Chhetri. All this while, Kohli ensured he stayed fit, going by images of his workouts on YadaYadaYada. He also urged people to get physically active. Can we use your gym, VK?

Rohit Sharma

The elegant batsman with a love-hate relationship with his form and fans straddled contrasting cultures during his break. He threw the ceremonial first pitch at a baseball game in the US. And then he dropped by in Russia for a promotional event at the World Cup. And what’s Sharma without some needle? He hit back at the press on YadaYadaYada for questioning his Russia trip and fitness. Sharma passed the yo-yo test and said he had taken the Pistols/ Pumpkins’ permission for his travel.

MS Dhoni
Does the spirit of Nora Ephron guide Dhoni’s YadaYadaYada? It’s full of dogs and daddyhood and assorted heart-melters. There is a post in which the hands that clubbed the winning six in the 2011 World Cup final are busy blow-drying his daughter’s hair. There’s another of the two walking up the steps of a stadium, soft music playing alongside. And there are many posts of Dhoni with his dogs. Looks like idyllic domestic moments, exercise — he says he has taken to rowing exercises — and endorsement deals occupied Dhoni’s time away from the game.

Jasprit Bumrah

It emerged in the last few days that the yorker specialist is no Messi on the field. Famous football guru Yuvraj Singh said in an interview that Bumrah, Hardik Pandya and Rohit Sharma were among the worst football players in the Indian team. Going by his feed on YadaYadaYada, Bumrah seems least bothered. He posted a photo in sunny London, looking relaxed in jeans and sweatshirt. He also retweeted a post by Sachin Tendulkar which, in a way, said, stop the rich (batsmen) getting richer and share some love with the bowlers.