Letter to Ricky Ponting
Dear
Ricky Ponting,
I
wanted to write about you from a long time but I stopped myself thinking
that sending a letter to you is an impossible task for me. I, being an ordinary
fan of yours find it hard to share my thoughts with you but today on 21st February
2012, I am unable to stop myself from sharing my views and my feelings for you as a fan.
Today, I
saw in the news that indirectly you declared your retirement from ODI's.
Since 2007, my biggest concern was to think that one day my hero, my inspiration and Idol, Ricky
Ponting will take retirement then what would happen? I don’t want to
discuss the reason or why it happened but I only want to talk about the fact that what
you mean to me.
I
am a fan of yours since I started understanding cricket a bit; it was during 1999
World Cup. I don’t remember much about that time but in 2003 World Cup, I supported
Australian Team since beginning and my most important reason to support
Australia was you as you were the skipper of the team. As a leader, you proved that
Australia was a team formed to dominate cricket. I don’t want to write about those records that you made as a captain or the runs that you scored; all I want to say
is that in spite of being an Indian, I supported Australian team since I started
watching cricket and I support the Australian Team even when they play against
India. For me, it's you leading the Australian team was a bigger reason to support Australia than the team itself. I had so much of hope, faith and expectations from your leadership
that I knew that Ricky Ponting could motivate any player and any team at any point of time. I knew
that if Ricky leads the team then even 170 becomes a defendable target and even
350 becomes an achievable score.
Some
of the people in India hate me and call me traitor because I support you and the Australian Team and not Sachin but for me, liking you and cheering for you is much more
important than they hating me! I don’t care if they hate or dislike me, what
matter for me is you!
My
friends laughed at me when I shared this small incident with them that during my school and college days, before going for an examination, I used to see your picture. I had a faith that if I will start my examination or test after watching your picture, every thing
will go well for me. Whenever I didn’t feel like studying or when i was demotivated, sad or depressed, I gained my confidence back by thinking that I had to be strong like Ponting who is never afraid of
struggles and loves winning.
There is a strange thing
which strongly connect me with you - the expressions which you had on your face in the ground while leading the team, the exact expressions I used to have on my face while watching that game. Whenever
I wished for a change in the bowler, just at the same moment, you changed the
bowler in a match. I always feel that there is a connection between you and me. May be
that’s the reason that in spite of being so far from you, I consider you as my
family. My mother calls me as “Ponting’s sister” as she believe that I have a small
nose like you and even my teeth are similar as yours. My office colleagues
call me “Ponting” because whenever they have to say or discuss anything about you,
they share it with me.
I
didn’t have food for two days when you stepped down from captaincy after the
World Cup 2011 which shows my emotional attachment with you and I know how hard
that decision was for you. And it was hard for me and for all your other fans to
accept the same. Every time it is forced upon you to take a decision for your
career. I really don’t know why people can’t let you decide about your career.
Again
it will be hard for me and for your other fans to accept that in future,
when we will watch any Australian ODI match, you won't be there. It’s tough, very
very tough but as I said I am your fan, the fan of the fighter Ricky and I have
to accept it and I will. May be, these matches are materialistic things because
in real, you are there in our hearts; you have created a life lasting
impression in our lives.
It’s
my dreams that one day when I will achieve something big in my life, I will
tell people that it’s all because of one man, the person who motivated me indirectly,
who inspires me always, who taught me how to be passionate for victories - SIR RICKY
PONTING!
