Anand Mahindra after India's gold in Lawn Bowls: 'I’d better learn what this game is all about'

Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra even hinted that Lawn Bowls maybe included in activities carried out at Club Mahindra.

Anand Mahindra had been cheering for India's Lawn Bowls team at the Commonwealth Games at Birmingham even before it won the game and when India won its historic first gold in this category, the industrialist made his mind--to learn what Lawn Bowls is all about.

"I never thought I would get excited by a game of Lawn Bowls. Frankly I don’t even know how the game is played! But if India is winning, well then, I’m on my feet cheering!" he had tweeted before the game.

Here's his euphoric tweet after the win:

GOLD! Now I’d better learn what this game is all about! Shabaash #TeamIndia#LawnBowls#CWG2022https://t.co/2JxRH6I5y9

— anand mahindra (@anandmahindra) August 2, 2022

In this, Anand Mahindra joins several others as the game is not as popular as others played in the Commonwealth Games and very little about it is known in India.

Lawn Bowls is one of the oldest sport in the Commonwealth Games,  and has featured in every edition since 1930. To play the game, a ball (known as a bowl) is rolled toward a smaller stationary ball, called a jack. The aim is to roll one’s bowls so that they come to rest nearer to the jack than those of an opponent; this is sometimes achieved by knocking aside an opponent’s bowl or the jack.

Lawn Bowls is played in four formats--singles, pairs, triples, and fours. Only two teams can compete in a Lawn Bowls game at a time.

A game starts with one team rolling the jack from one end to the other and it must travel at least 23 metres. The point where the jack stops is the target for the players for that end.

The teams then take turns to roll their bowls towards the target. Once the total number of allocated throws are completed, it marks the end of the round and scores are then calculated.

Points are awarded for each bowl a team places closer to the jack than its opponents closest bowl. The team with more points after 18 ends will win. Teams can also pre-decide the points or number ends to be played in a match.