PHOTO: TITU DAS

Taking a break from their daily academic activities, a group of friends met up at an open space in Jhalakathi’s Bharatkathi village yesterday evening. After stampeding on the uneven ground to transform it into a pitch, they set up the wickets -- three fallen branches from nearby trees. Their faces lit up in joy as one of them drew numbers on the mud and covered it with the bat, putting small lines by its edge as markers and waiting for each player to select one to determine the batting lineup.