Life goes for a toss, thanks to cricket

BANGALORE: Sneha, a housewife, has rescheduled her ''homework''. Mohan Rao, a bank official, has sent in a leave letter saying "I am suffering from cricket fever".
Ravikant Sharma has been keeping awake at night to catch up with the day''s work.
Life is no longer the same for the cricket-crazy Bangalore ever since action across the border reached fever pitch.The C word has forced its way into our lives, and people are modifying schedules and lifestyles accordingly.
In households, the second Indo-Pak test beginning on Monday means an early beginning: washing machines are switched on and chores completed even before the toss is made.
In offices, too, work goes for a toss as employees gather around the in-house television.
Cricket fan Satyarekha, a II PUC commerce student, has three theory final exams in a row starting Monday.
"Swalpa kashta," she describes her agony of being torn between match and textbooks. Bangalore boy Rahul Dravid''s mother, too, will be following the matches closely.
Says Pushpa Dravid: "We don''t have any fixed schedule. My husband watches the match continuously. I come and go."
Cricket time also means eat-out time. Grab a pizza while watching the match at a pizzeria. Pizza Corner supervisor Peter says they have seen a 25 per cent increase in door deliveries during ODIs and a 10 per cent increase during Tests.
Fashion guru Prasad Bidappa says: "We try and do as little work as possible during these matches. We scheduled our work as soon as the Indo-Pak match dates were announced. Test matches are difficult to watch because they take long."
P Roy Chermanna, Country Manager (Edu), Hewlett Packard, says: "When there is a cricket match, especially India-Pakistan, everything is out of gear. We all go to Koramangala Club to watch cricket on the large screen. Even my mother Kamala, who is not much of a cricket buff, gets sucked into this."
General Surgeon Anil B. Agadi says: "We meet up with friends on these occasions and use it as a get-together, especially when there is a day-night match or a match on a Sunday."