💬 My lane was empty during the India match and I went out for milk

Last Sunday I went out at 7 pm to buy milk. The India match was on and my lane looked like a curfew. No scooters, no kids, nobody on the chairs outside the provision store. Even the street dogs had gone somewhere. But every window had the same voice coming out of it, the commentator, each one a second behind the next. I walked past 6 houses and heard the same wicket 6 times, like an echo that couldn't make up its mind. The milk booth was open but the man was standing on a stool with his phone, watching with 2 customers. I asked for a packet. He said, wait, wait, one over. Then he said, 4 runs! and handed me the milk. He didn't even look at the money. The tea seller next door had a small TV on top of a crate. There were 11 men around it, some on tiptoe, nobody speaking. I stood at the back with my milk. On the way back the watchman at our gate had a small radio pressed to his ear. He didn't even look up when I walked in. He just raised 1 finger, meaning, don't talk to me. A scooter was parked outside with the key still in it. Nobody was going to steal anything that evening. It's rare for the lane to be so quiet. I could hear my own slippers on the road. At 7:40 someone hit a six and the whole lane roared at once. Windows, balconies, a woman on a terrace. My daughter shouted from our balcony, Papa, did you see it? I'd missed it. I was holding milk. I went upstairs and watched the replay with her. She explained it to me twice, very seriously. We lost by 6 runs. Nobody on the lane spoke much after that. The dogs came back first.

The 6 houses echo is exactly how my road sounds too. Same wicket, 6 different delays. Our building has 1 old uncle who follows the match on the radio, so he shouts a few seconds early. Then he gets embarrassed when the television catches up. Everyone pretends not to notice. Nice that your daughter was waiting upstairs. I'd have wanted that replay too.

Same here during the last India match. The corner store was shut and the tea man had his TV on a crate.