It’s all about the razzmatazz. Of lovely ladies, wearing just-about-there costumes with hip-shaking movements that would even make Shakira red with envy. Not just that, these girls do the jigs in set pieces so effortlessly and efficiently that would rival Ronaldinho’s brilliance on field after he scores a goal. Life without these lovely cheerleaders is unimaginable in Twenty20 — they make cricket ‘bootylicious’, so to say, with their presence. But the life of a cheerleader is hardly a song and dance. A bunch mixed up of trained professionals and fresh graduates, they make money the hard way. Jackie is just one of them. She’s lost count of the number of times she’s stepped up that little stage to “shake my booty.” Twenty20, they say, is quickfix cricket. Yet, it’s a 9 to 5 job for these girls. “We come at 9 in time for the first match, a couple of hours rest and then again get ready for the afternoon match,” she says. There are about 30 of them at one time, and they have to perform every time a wicket falls, a four or sixer is hit, or a landmark is reached. More the number of fours and sixes, more the hard work for them. But they hardly complain. The purists, who have a distaste for this format of cricket, are scoffing at the idea of providing entertainment in this “form and figure.” Unfortunately, even the cricketers see themselves as Vishwamitra here, assuring everyone that they will not be lured into the Urvashis and Menekas of modern-day cricket. “We will not get distracted by this,” says MS Dhoni. “All this music and cheerleaders hardly matter. We are too focused on the game. Remember it’s the World Cup.”Even people from the West Indies, who have a popular, entertaining culture back home, disregard this. “The crowd back home is similar to this with music and all such attractions but the players’ priority is to play well in front of the crowds. They will not get distracted by these cheerleaders,” says Ramnaresh Sarwan. Whatever the cricketers may feel about the whole concept, partcularly the cheerleaders, the crowd simply loves them. They want to get closer to them and take snaps. Jackie has even signed many autographs but deep inside she and her team knows who the real stars are.Pasting a smile on her face, she and her team shows the crowd that they enjoy dancing, they appreciate and realise the value of each hit, each wicket. In fact they are just being professionals. That’s life in a day of a cheerleader. “It’s really hard work, trust me,” Jackie winks.And just then, the DJ churns out the famous number. ‘You know my hips don’t lie, I’m starting to feel it’s right.”
