Emerald Recovery

Leg spin. The art that is difficult to master and impossible to
perfect. You cannot become a leg-spinner overnight. Very few people are
born with the required talent. Those that are lucky to have the gift
must toil hard to keep performing at the highest level. Its all in the
wrist. With all the refinement everywhere bowling leg-breaks for a
living still takes a heavy toll on the spinning hand. Most bowlers have
to undergo surgery to repair damage. It is indeed a great
responsibility to become a leg-spinner because you become standard-
bearer for a rare species. All these thoughts went through the mind of
Jon when he applied for the state junior cricket team. His father and
mother were both established doctors. He was really free to do what he
chose. And he opted for cricket and leg-spin. Taking up any sport is a
risk for there is the danger of injury. And a leg-spinner's life is
always very tough. He has to always work hard to get his wickets. But
these things were not important to Jon. When he held the cricket ball
in his hands and glanced at the batsman 22 yards away he was filled
with joy. He knew that he could use his craft to weave magic on the
cricket field. He could make the batsman a puppet and force him to
dance to his tunes. And when he so wished he could send him back to the
pavilion having turned him into a mental wreck. Such was the power and
strength of leg-spin. When Jon got selected for the state junior team
after prolonged trials he was the happiest person in the world. The
first match would take place at Eden Gardens.
The match was on 14th February. Jon left home two days before and
stayed with the rest of the team. They were allotted lodging within the
stadium. The whole team woke up at four in the morning on the day of
the match. They took some warm-up exercises and also ran a few laps
around the stadium. The match was to begin at ten. It was a limited
overs game with each team scheduled to play thirty overs. Jon had
already spoken to the captain. He was Jon's senior in school and was
called Ronit. As the team began to leave for the field Jon found the
day's newspaper on the coach's table. One item attracted his attention.
An emerald, shaped like a soccer ball and of the same size had been
brought to Calcutta the day before. It was to be deposited in the vault
of a bank near the stadium later that day. After a while Jon kept the
newspaper where he had found it and joined his team-mates.
It was a well-fought match. Jon's team batted first. Ronit scored an
aggressive century but his team was dismissed for 180 runs. When the
opposition took the field after lunch the atmosphere was charged. But
the openers began to hit Ronit's boys all over the field. After just
six overs the opposition had scored 50 runs without losing any wickets.
Then, a run-out happened. Jon was fielding at third man and was
surprised when his captain asked him to get ready. After two overs Jon
was asked to bowl. His first ball was a full toss and was hit for a
six. He clearly saw the batsman laughing at him. Suddenly he was in a
dangerous mood. He was bowling right arm round the wicket. He walked in
slowly and with a distinct loop hurled the ball at the batsman. This
was his best weapon. The ball pitched outside leg-stump and moved
sharply towards off. Before the batsman knew he was clean bowled around
the legs. All his team-mates surrounded and hugged Jon. He felt great.
The next batsman was known to play leg-spin well. Jon began his little
run towards the bowling crease over the wicket. As the batsman tried to
cut the ball with the spin he was bowled. The batsman was playing for a
leg-break that would move the ball towards the off-stump. Instead he
was fooled by the ball moving inside, the googly. No more wickets fell
in that over. The bowler at the other end picked up two quick wickets.
The score was now 60 for 5. As Jon started his second over he felt more
confident than ever. What followed were the most extraordinary six
deliveries that you will ever see. Jon picked up wickets every second
ball so that he had five wickets in all. The last dismissal was truly
memorable. The batsman played forward leaving a huge gap between bat
and pad expecting either bat or body to stop the spinning ball. However
the ball did not spin at ball and went through straight faster than
usual. As a result all three stumps were dislodged. The last two
batsmen were run out. In the end the opposition was all out for 70
runs. Jon was declared Man of the Match though no prizes were
awarded.
It was now four-thirty pm. Jon was about to summon a taxi and go home.
Suddenly there was some commotion. As Jon looked up he saw a man with a
big bag running towards him. He was smartly dressed but somewhat
nervous. He was being chased by a lot of worried-looking people. As Jon
moved forward he suddenly collided with the well-dressed man. The man's
bag tore open and the soccer-ball-like emerald came out. Jon picked it
up and began to examine it. Everything was now clear. The emerald thief
moved back about twenty-two yards and pointed a gun at Jon. There was
only one thing to do. And Jon did it. Right arm around the wicket with
the precious stone. The emerald landed near the left leg of the thief
and went around his legs straight into the hands of the bank
authorities. It was leg-spinner Jon's best delivery and he made good
use of it. The next day Jon's name was in all the newspapers. He was
praised as the leg-spinner who had used his craft to prevent a major
theft.