#almostcricket, p.s: i love you

Five ways to say 'love' without saying it (borderline, narcissist post alert)

1. This column is purely dedicated to you (you are my only dedicated reader, please read)

2. Gifting a pre-loved book, Biography of Rahul Dravid by Devendra Prabhudesai (nothing known as too many books in a home)

3. Categorising cricket jerseys as one item of clothing/laundry (they don't need ironing)

4. I'll go meet the girls when the match is on, so you have the telly to yourself (read: me time)

5. This post, which speaks of generating quick content on the eve of a long weekend

Side note: In case, you missed it, #almostcricket doesn't appear on weekends and Public Holidays. We'll be back on Monday, October 3 now! This is my excuse to avoid writing on all days. Yes, I am the boss and so I’ve decided to take mental days off.

Tell me: What do you want to read next or don’t? Just send over a gift card. I am also now open to collaborating for exposure. Have you participated in the ongoing competition to win F&B vouchers? Head here: to win

I was not kidding about the latter, so here you go.

Read this post to win!

Here

Note on collaboration for exposure: Mr Toad’s, Dubai’s go-to destination for big-screen sports action and great F&B deals has launched ‘Championships at the Pad’, with bargain packages of food and drinks to celebrate the Cricket World Cup. With an international snack menu reflecting classic cuisine from participating teams, Championships at the Pad has food from AED30, with platters of four different dishes for AED109, washed down with an all-day happy hour with hops, grapes, and spirits from just AED25.

What will you win? Five of you will win vouchers for Dh200/each from Mr. Toad’s, which will be valid at their outlets at Al Jaddaf, Dubai Investments Park, Garhoud, and Dubai Silicon Oasis.

How will you win? Do you know the drill?

• Like and follow @mrtoadsme and @purvagr to qualify

• Next, tag three of your friends, mentioning which Mr, Mrs, Miss, and Ms the individual is from the list on the column on the website and why in the comments on socials or the portal. Bonus points: If you come up with another ‘stereotype’. And yes, keep the game on as you can participate multiple times (with different players, of course)

• Sit back and keep reading, playing, and praying your team wins until then.

Rewind to how it all started (and support if you want it to last)

• Number of World Cups I’ve missed in my lifetime: 12

• The names of cricketers I knew before I got married

• Reasons that intrigue and amuse me when people want to match at the stadium

• Questions I’ve asked and I shouldn't

• Comments and questions that concern cricket and the spouse, raised recently by the readers (yes, I have a few now)

• At the pub, with the Mr

• It’s the fans that make a game

• SRK can sell anything — even cricket when called hockey

A hashtag I never thought I'd use

#cricketlove

P.S.: I hope to write for 17 days until the CWC 2023 kickstart, so if you want to suffer (with me) keep coming back here for daily doses of what for now and for the lack of a better name I am calling my #notaboutcricket project, #almostcricket. If you’re into the LIKE, SHARE, and SUBSCRIBE to the FREE PLAN (damn!!) way of living then, of course, you can do that too. I also accept gift cards, just saying. Reach me at hello@purvagrover.com.