Admitting you don’t watch cricket in India is a bit like saying you don’t really get the appeal of Maggi noodles. People who love you dearly suddenly reconsider, review their opinion of you, and wonder if they should hide all their valuables or ever let you within arm’s length of their pets.
As a person who has little feeling for either cricket or Maggi noodles (and before anyone wonders, yes, I have lived in a PG and I did get along fabulously with all my roommates, and yet managed it all without either of these staples of communal living), the T20 World Cup seems like just another cricket tournament—coming as soon as it does after an interrupted IPL season and what seemed like everlasting Tests. But the rest of the Lounge team is incredibly excited about the T20 World Cup that’s set to begin on Sunday.
Also Read | Inside Karachi's only Goan food store
It has been five years since the last edition, and our cover story is a look at what makes the 2021 version one to watch. It’s not just the usual India-Pakistan face-off or the pandemic’s impact that will make this one exciting, but also the chance that smaller teams may surprise and upset the hierarchy, just like the disruption in the IPL schedule ended up sending an unlikely contender to the final (I do read the news and talk to cricket fans even if I don’t watch the game). Or that India will pull off another 2007-style win, as Irfan Pathan tells Lounge. So the hope is that it will be an exhilarating few weeks, and who can ignore the thrill of pleasant surprises and cheerful anticipation?
There’s more than just cricket to look forward to this weekend—our definitive guide to spending your well-earned money on an iPhone or other objects of indulgence, shows to watch and books to read, and, if you are having house (or cricket) parties over the long weekend, ideas for grazing platters, mini meals and tea-infused cocktails to serve your guests.
Write to the Lounge editor shalini.umachandran@htlive.com or on Twitter @shalinimb
Also Read | Even for festive home decor, take the minimalism route
