In this weekly column,Sourav Ganguly reports from a totally brand-new pitch,Knights & Angels As a cricketer,I always wondered how cricket commentators comment about a game and its players. And here I am sitting on this podium with two more for company and doing exactly that. Sometimes googlies are thrown even off the pitch,and this is certainly one such occasion. As the stage fills up with these hopeful girls trying to take their first wobbly steps into the professional world,I made a solemn promise to myself. Just as I was an honest captain of the Indian cricket team,I will be honest with the selection of my Angels. My face reflects what is in my heart,and sometimes the heart does cloud the thinking of the mind,but I will most certainly keep my emotions under check and make the correct choices. I have seen a few Hollywood films that have featured cheerleading as a theme,but in India things are different because of our rich and traditional culture. And keeping to the norms of our society,our Angels will be selected. The girls vying to be Angels represent almost every region and socio economic strata of India. They have come from different places and diverse backgrounds. I remember one such girl called Geena from Delhi. This spunky girl just out of her teens is a call centre executive. With her salary of four and a half thousand rupees,Geena supports herself and her family too. And today,she is here to try her hand to change the fortunes of her destiny. Sitting in my comfortable chair,it is difficult not to let your heart go out to this plucky girl. Thankfully,she was one of the best dancers of her gang of girls. There are so many emotions when people are competing for something. And you are now part of somebody's emotions as they scream with elation or sob with disappointment. And as a cricketer and a member of a team,I have gone through all these feelings,sometimes for myself,sometimes for my team mates. So the process will continue for two more weeks,as we go about selecting the remaining eight girls,who will then join the chosen eight and compete to be the Angels for my Knights. Catch Knights & Angels,every Saturday night on NDTV Imagine.
