In the rain, on a mat, they played on

Srinagar, Apr 18: On a drenched patch of land in central Kashmir’s Dabipora area in district Budgam, where every step risked a fall and every stroke came with uncertainty, a group of young cricketers chose not to walk away. With rain pouring, the outfield turning into slush, and a thin mat serving as their pitch, they played on, turning an ordinary local match into an extraordinary story that has now gone viral.

What appeared on social media as a daring, almost unbelievable cricket match played under heavy rain had a story far deeper than just visuals. The match, involving two local village teams, was initially expected to follow routine play. However, persistent rain disrupted proceedings, forcing organisers to consider ending it through the Duckworth-Lewis method.

But the game refused to end on paper.

According to Ashfaq Ahmad, the local organiser of the match, who recorded and uploaded the video, one of the captains stood firm against the decision. “After hours of waiting, the match was supposed to be decided through the DL method, but the captain of one team refused to accept it,” he said. “He said they would continue playing, even in the rain.”

What followed was a remarkable display of determination. The players continued on a slippery, uneven surface, with no grass cover and a mat laid over wet soil. Every movement was cautious, yet committed.

Ashfaq while speaking to Greater Kashmir said that the decision to play wasn’t just about competition, but compulsion. “The teams had come from far-off places, some from around six kilometres away. They knew there might not be another chance to play if the match was stopped,” he said.

The incident also sheds light on a larger issue, the lack of proper sports infrastructure in the area. “There is no proper ground in this sub-district,” Ashfaq said. “The boys here prepare this ground themselves. They spend money from their own pockets, remove water manually, and even arrange pipes to drain it out.”

He added that even access to land remains a challenge. “On both sides of the ground, landowners don’t always allow us to play. Sometimes, the players have to pay from their own pockets just to use that space,” he said.

Despite these odds, cricket continues to thrive, driven purely by passion. Ashfaq, who has previously uploaded similar videos, said he expected attention but not the scale of response it received this time. “I had uploaded a video from this same ground two years ago, and that also went viral. But this time, people are reacting more strongly,” he said.

When asked what message he intended to convey through the video, his answer was clear. “It shows both, the passion of the boys and the lack of proper grounds here,” he said.

In the end, the match was completed, and a result was achieved. But beyond the scoreline, what remains is a powerful image of young cricketers choosing resilience over retreat, and a reminder that in places like Budgam, the game survives not because of facilities, but in spite of their absence.