Pressure at work, long commutes and endless household chores leave little time for each other for many Mumbai couples.  Add non-stop cricket to this mix, and nerves are getting frazzled in many homes.

Twenty-seven-year-old Bhavna Lakhani describes the changes in her husband's behaviour during cricket matches as 'metamorphic' even after being married for a year and a half. She recalls an instance, during a recent cricket match, when her husband had not spoken to her for over two hours. “I started dancing in front of the TV but he merely kept shifting his head from one side to another to watch the match.”

She finally gave up and tried to enjoy the match instead. But the T20 World Cup coming close on the heels of 59 matches of the just-concluded IPL in South Africa, with Roger Federer's French Open triumph in between, has tested her patience. “I think it is boring. At least the T20 matches are short,” says the PR consultant. So what is she doing about it? Bhavna feels there will be no compromise. “I can live with that. I'll be fine.”

Kundan Shah, 32, a travel associate, does not find cricket boring and enjoys watching when India plays. Yet, she finds it hard to relate to her husband, Parag's excitement. “Once, during an India-Pakistan match, he broke the glass of the centre table when a Pakistani player got out,” says Kundan. She doesn't understand why everyone gets worked up if she surfs channels during an ad break.

For Miloni Jhaveri, however, the problem is exactly the opposite.  The 28-year-old housewife shares a great passion for cricket with her brothers and cousins, but it's a game that leaves her husband, Tejas, cold.   “After marriage I watch fewer matches because of Viva, my daughter, and other things,” she says. Initially, she adds, her husband would be irritated by it and once asked her to keep the noise down during a cricket match. However, over time, his attitude has mellowed and she has got him interested by pointing out the finer points of the game.

“He has started watching cricket but not with my cousins,” Miloni smiles.

 

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