India is my country.Cricket is my religion.And I witnesses the salvation of my religion two nights ago.When almost 28 years ago,Kapil Dev's underdogs stunned the world to snatch the Prudential World Cup from the mighty West Indians on June 25,1983,I was more than 6 years from being born,the seniormost playing member of the current Indian team was a little over 9 years of age,the captain about 1 and some of the rest hadn't yet seen the light of the world.It was a Saturday.Now,28 years later,on April 2,2011,another Saturday,finally,that nostalgic afternoon at the Lord's could peacefully retire to the past.We can afford to bask in the glory of the present.That trophy of dreams of a 1.21 billion-crazy-nation is ours again!
Ever since I've watched and understood cricket,I've known that India were world champions once.Just for that once.I've always tried to imagine,from reminiscences of people who lived the moment,how it would have felt celebrating being top of the world.
I was acquianted with World Cup cricket,and cricket in general,as early as 1992,incidentally,the first Cup Sachin Tendulkar featured in.Of course,at just about 3 years old,I didn't understand the game,but at least picked the fact that it was an enjoyable activity,which kept people (at least my father) happy.I would try to imitate the poses I watched the players make,mostly shots played by batsmen with some wooden plank I'd find lying around.Soon,I was holding a plastic bat,much to my father's amusement.
It was the Wills World Cup 1996 held in the subcontinent that thrust me into watching full time.I was about 6 and a half and imbibed the enthusiasm that my infant mind noticed centred around a sporting event.I was rather quick learning the bare physics of the game at that tender age,because I didn't wanna be left out of the fun.Within no time,I started reading and memorizing the names of the participant teams and their players.This was the first occasion that planted the seeds of nationalism in my mind.I understood that I lived in a country called 'India',where cricket is pretty important to people and the World Cup means everything.And that in the Indian team played a childish looking bloke who they called Sachin Tendulkar,who was the centre of all the craze.
And there were some other important guys as well,I heard,like Shane Warne,Brian Lara,Allan Donald,Courtney Walsh,Wasim Akram,Dominic Cork,Graeme Hick,etc.I remember watching Tendulkar score a century,for the first time in my life,against Sri Lanka in Delhi.The first conscious tinge of defeat in the same match.I was overwhelmed by the fanaticism around the Indo-Pak quarter final in Bangalore.The delight of victory.Bit by bit,I entered into an irrevocable emotional attachment with 'India' and cricket.Then came the semifinal at the Eden Gardens in Calcutta.School broke about an hour ago than scheduled on account of the match.I was reminded that Sri Lanka had already beaten in the match I mentioned earlier.A sigh of relief when Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana dismissed cheaply after the Lankans were put into bat by Mohammed Azharuddin even after winning the toss.Sachin Tendulkar's run and hopes of India making the final receiving a death blow and the crowd turning violent soon after.Who can forget that black day in the history of Indian cricket and the legendary Eden Gardens.120-8 chasing 258,the umpires marched the teams out of the ground,a weeping Vinod Kambli bringing out my bloody tears - which I can't explain till today.The match was awarded to Sri Lanka on default.
Sri Lanka went to lift the Cup in Karachi,but the humiliation painted on our face has since lived in my heart.There was a photograph in the newspapers the morning following the Eden debacle showing a garland of shoes adorning a larger than life image of the Indian cricket team,put on by angry and disappointed fans.That photo has remained indelible forever in my memory.Since then,every time India took on Sri Lanka,or appeared in the following editions of the quadrennial event,the photograph returned to haunt me,calling for revenge,kinda satisfied when India returned the humiliation in a World Cup event,in a Group match in Taunton,during the English summer of 1999.
What was I thinking of when Sachin Tendulkar nicked that ever so slightly leaving the bat delivery to the safe custody of Sangakkara's gloves?I can't swear that I wasn't thinking of that picture.Maybe more than of the tumbling Sourav Ganguly's men took in 2003 at the Wanderers,Johannesburg.And above all,eight years on,will the last dream elude the man just walking out the pitch of his home stage once again?And that,I did not have it in me to wait for another four years to well up fresh hopes of that ultimate prize.
I placed a pillow on my lap seated on a chair,rested my legs on my bed right beside,fetched a book,kept it on the pillow and started reading.M mother turned around on the bed and lay with her face turned away from the telecast.As if it's gonna work!If I was superstitious by nature,I'd say,it worked!Gambhir and Kohli slowly put the chase back on track,as I kept on reminding myself of how Kohli had it in himself to handle the pressure like he had done a few times before,one being the magnificent match winning century against Australia last year,bringing the team out of a similarly tight spot.Some of my friends had almost lost hope as Tendulkar flattered to deceive,taking a cue from the thunderstruck crowd at the Wankhede,some stopped watching the match itself.Even then I had a chuckle to myself as I spotted the legendary Rajnikant in the stands,thinking of the superhuman jokes about him in the market.Perhaps he could win it for us?
Just as I was starting to relax a bit,Kohli hit one back in the air for Tillekaratne Dilshan take an acrobatic catch off his own bowling.What happened next took everyone by surprise.I received a text from a friend claiming that Yuvraj would play another match winning innings only to watch the largely out of touch captain,the former no. 1 batsman in ICC ODI rankings,Mahendra Singh Dhoni,promoting himself ahead of the man with the Midas touch.And I think,hmm,logical though,with having already seen three off spinners into the attack,Randiv,Muralitharan and Dilshan,and having noticed that Kohli was exercising greater ease in handling them.With Yuvraj coming in,they might have settled into a rhythem with two left handers at the crease.
Rest is history.Dhoni played like a man completely different from the batsman we saw throughout the tournament.The intent was present right from the very first ball he faced,along with the resolve to guide the innings along.The bottom hand play flourished as he bullied the ball into the cover fence time and again as only he can do with his fierce cuts and push drives.And he sealed it with another old Dhoni trademark,the lofted shot into the crowd just like he used to finish when he was still raw in international cricket.Calling it a "captain's knock" will be a gross understatement.It was the proverbial blow of the blacksmith.Or shall I say 'Blue'smith?
The final was always gonna anybody's game.57 overs into the match,Sri Lanka had the upper hand.Mahela Jayawardena,choosing to stamp his class in the final with a delightful hundred,denting India's spirit towards the end with Kulasekara and Perera's assistance as they plundered 63 of the last 5 overs of the Sri Lankan innings,the bating powerplay.Malinga sent the two most feared batsmen upfront within 6.1 overs.But,seriously,it was the fielding that spelt out the difference in between the teams.India were electric in the field from the onset,Yuvraj Singh looking the same man who was once considered one of the best at point in world cricket.On the other hand,the Islanders were sloppy.Kulasekara dropped,quite a tough one at that but in a close World Cup final these are catches that win you matches,Gambhir on 30.One might repeat that legendary folklore from 1999,dude,he dropped the Cup!
There were two surprise inclusions for the final,one in each team.Sreesanth,who fell out of favour after a dismal performance in the very first match of the World Cup,found himself in for the very last match.He started reasonably well,but lost his way,leaking runs regularly.On the Sri Lankan side,as many as 4 changes were forced by the unavailability of Angelo Mathews,but none more striking that that of Suraj Randiv.There he was in the Emerald Island not selected in the original squad,he's called up as a standby and thrown into the Grand Finale of all out of nowhere.Muttiah Muralitharan was forced into playing one last match in international cricket,one last attempt at lifting the World Cup as only he among all the 22 playing had the experience of having done it before.His injury meant he wasn't as lethal a bowler and a champion like him had to finish second best.
The ghosts of the past had been exorcised,of the shock exit in 2007,the stumble at the final hurdle in 2003,and what not.Now I can mock at that photograph from 15 years ago and banish it forever!And above all,for that all important 'childish looking bloke' who came and saw for 5 consecutive editions,but never conquered,has now in the 6th attempt,made that wretched,forever elusive trophy his own,and deservedly so.He was instrumental,again - top run getter for his team,second highest run scorer in the tournament.And suddenly,I wonder if he has enough motivation left to continue representing the country in ODIs any more.At least for now,in stark contrast to a 27 year old Lasith Malinga,Sachin,soon to be 38,hasn't expressly ruled out the possibility of him playing in the next World Cup in 2015!
MS Dhoni never stops catching you unawares.A few hours from the historical victory,he emerges with his brand new,almost bald look!What is this guy,creeps?He had gone for cropping the long locks that we for long came to identify with him after that ICC World Twenty20 triumph.Thank your luck that there isn't an ICC tournament for Tests!
Had the World Cup come home 4 years back,the champions would have earned a well-deserved rest.But the richest cricket board in the world has found new ways and resources to replenish its wealth.The Indian Premier League has been a huge hit over the last 3 years and the golden goose of the BCCI,and they saw no reason for scrapping the crickentertainment package this year even if it meant kicking off the event within 6 days of the conclusion of the tournament of tournaments.I strongly felt the IPL ought to be given a miss this year.An inhuman scheme to plan another long and exacting ordeal in the heat and humidity right after we had one.I have serious doubts about how many players who have survived a reasonable length in the just concluded extravaganza will actually start in the IPL.All the more reason with the IPL having trodden a scandalous terrain since lids blew off commercial transactions concerning the franchisees.Also,the BCCI ran a huge risk of a fall in demand had the Indian team disappointed in the World Cup.
Well,now with the World Cup glory ours,at least the fans aren't tired in the least.Two more teams - Sahara Pune Warriors and Kochi Tuskers Kerala - and a relaid format to spice up the show.Make no mistake,if the World Cup is the achievement,the IPL's gonna be the celebration.It was noteworthy to hear the cheer of the Mumbai crowd when the name of Lasith Malinga was announced at the awards ceremony.They are waiting for their blue eyed toe crusher!
Having said all that,I've gotta concede,it'll feel incredibly awkward to see two men who steered a side to the greatest of victories 3 days ago,Gautam Gambhir and MS Dhoni,will be leading their respective troops against one another in only 3 days time,when Kolkata Knight Riders challenge Chennai Super Kings in Chennai in the inaugural match of Season 4 of the Indian Premier League.
Ever since I've watched and understood cricket,I've known that India were world champions once.Just for that once.I've always tried to imagine,from reminiscences of people who lived the moment,how it would have felt celebrating being top of the world.
I was acquianted with World Cup cricket,and cricket in general,as early as 1992,incidentally,the first Cup Sachin Tendulkar featured in.Of course,at just about 3 years old,I didn't understand the game,but at least picked the fact that it was an enjoyable activity,which kept people (at least my father) happy.I would try to imitate the poses I watched the players make,mostly shots played by batsmen with some wooden plank I'd find lying around.Soon,I was holding a plastic bat,much to my father's amusement.
It was the Wills World Cup 1996 held in the subcontinent that thrust me into watching full time.I was about 6 and a half and imbibed the enthusiasm that my infant mind noticed centred around a sporting event.I was rather quick learning the bare physics of the game at that tender age,because I didn't wanna be left out of the fun.Within no time,I started reading and memorizing the names of the participant teams and their players.This was the first occasion that planted the seeds of nationalism in my mind.I understood that I lived in a country called 'India',where cricket is pretty important to people and the World Cup means everything.And that in the Indian team played a childish looking bloke who they called Sachin Tendulkar,who was the centre of all the craze.
And there were some other important guys as well,I heard,like Shane Warne,Brian Lara,Allan Donald,Courtney Walsh,Wasim Akram,Dominic Cork,Graeme Hick,etc.I remember watching Tendulkar score a century,for the first time in my life,against Sri Lanka in Delhi.The first conscious tinge of defeat in the same match.I was overwhelmed by the fanaticism around the Indo-Pak quarter final in Bangalore.The delight of victory.Bit by bit,I entered into an irrevocable emotional attachment with 'India' and cricket.Then came the semifinal at the Eden Gardens in Calcutta.School broke about an hour ago than scheduled on account of the match.I was reminded that Sri Lanka had already beaten in the match I mentioned earlier.A sigh of relief when Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana dismissed cheaply after the Lankans were put into bat by Mohammed Azharuddin even after winning the toss.Sachin Tendulkar's run and hopes of India making the final receiving a death blow and the crowd turning violent soon after.Who can forget that black day in the history of Indian cricket and the legendary Eden Gardens.120-8 chasing 258,the umpires marched the teams out of the ground,a weeping Vinod Kambli bringing out my bloody tears - which I can't explain till today.The match was awarded to Sri Lanka on default.
Sri Lanka went to lift the Cup in Karachi,but the humiliation painted on our face has since lived in my heart.There was a photograph in the newspapers the morning following the Eden debacle showing a garland of shoes adorning a larger than life image of the Indian cricket team,put on by angry and disappointed fans.That photo has remained indelible forever in my memory.Since then,every time India took on Sri Lanka,or appeared in the following editions of the quadrennial event,the photograph returned to haunt me,calling for revenge,kinda satisfied when India returned the humiliation in a World Cup event,in a Group match in Taunton,during the English summer of 1999.
What was I thinking of when Sachin Tendulkar nicked that ever so slightly leaving the bat delivery to the safe custody of Sangakkara's gloves?I can't swear that I wasn't thinking of that picture.Maybe more than of the tumbling Sourav Ganguly's men took in 2003 at the Wanderers,Johannesburg.And above all,eight years on,will the last dream elude the man just walking out the pitch of his home stage once again?And that,I did not have it in me to wait for another four years to well up fresh hopes of that ultimate prize.
I placed a pillow on my lap seated on a chair,rested my legs on my bed right beside,fetched a book,kept it on the pillow and started reading.M mother turned around on the bed and lay with her face turned away from the telecast.As if it's gonna work!If I was superstitious by nature,I'd say,it worked!Gambhir and Kohli slowly put the chase back on track,as I kept on reminding myself of how Kohli had it in himself to handle the pressure like he had done a few times before,one being the magnificent match winning century against Australia last year,bringing the team out of a similarly tight spot.Some of my friends had almost lost hope as Tendulkar flattered to deceive,taking a cue from the thunderstruck crowd at the Wankhede,some stopped watching the match itself.Even then I had a chuckle to myself as I spotted the legendary Rajnikant in the stands,thinking of the superhuman jokes about him in the market.Perhaps he could win it for us?
Just as I was starting to relax a bit,Kohli hit one back in the air for Tillekaratne Dilshan take an acrobatic catch off his own bowling.What happened next took everyone by surprise.I received a text from a friend claiming that Yuvraj would play another match winning innings only to watch the largely out of touch captain,the former no. 1 batsman in ICC ODI rankings,Mahendra Singh Dhoni,promoting himself ahead of the man with the Midas touch.And I think,hmm,logical though,with having already seen three off spinners into the attack,Randiv,Muralitharan and Dilshan,and having noticed that Kohli was exercising greater ease in handling them.With Yuvraj coming in,they might have settled into a rhythem with two left handers at the crease.
Rest is history.Dhoni played like a man completely different from the batsman we saw throughout the tournament.The intent was present right from the very first ball he faced,along with the resolve to guide the innings along.The bottom hand play flourished as he bullied the ball into the cover fence time and again as only he can do with his fierce cuts and push drives.And he sealed it with another old Dhoni trademark,the lofted shot into the crowd just like he used to finish when he was still raw in international cricket.Calling it a "captain's knock" will be a gross understatement.It was the proverbial blow of the blacksmith.Or shall I say 'Blue'smith?
The final was always gonna anybody's game.57 overs into the match,Sri Lanka had the upper hand.Mahela Jayawardena,choosing to stamp his class in the final with a delightful hundred,denting India's spirit towards the end with Kulasekara and Perera's assistance as they plundered 63 of the last 5 overs of the Sri Lankan innings,the bating powerplay.Malinga sent the two most feared batsmen upfront within 6.1 overs.But,seriously,it was the fielding that spelt out the difference in between the teams.India were electric in the field from the onset,Yuvraj Singh looking the same man who was once considered one of the best at point in world cricket.On the other hand,the Islanders were sloppy.Kulasekara dropped,quite a tough one at that but in a close World Cup final these are catches that win you matches,Gambhir on 30.One might repeat that legendary folklore from 1999,dude,he dropped the Cup!
There were two surprise inclusions for the final,one in each team.Sreesanth,who fell out of favour after a dismal performance in the very first match of the World Cup,found himself in for the very last match.He started reasonably well,but lost his way,leaking runs regularly.On the Sri Lankan side,as many as 4 changes were forced by the unavailability of Angelo Mathews,but none more striking that that of Suraj Randiv.There he was in the Emerald Island not selected in the original squad,he's called up as a standby and thrown into the Grand Finale of all out of nowhere.Muttiah Muralitharan was forced into playing one last match in international cricket,one last attempt at lifting the World Cup as only he among all the 22 playing had the experience of having done it before.His injury meant he wasn't as lethal a bowler and a champion like him had to finish second best.
The ghosts of the past had been exorcised,of the shock exit in 2007,the stumble at the final hurdle in 2003,and what not.Now I can mock at that photograph from 15 years ago and banish it forever!And above all,for that all important 'childish looking bloke' who came and saw for 5 consecutive editions,but never conquered,has now in the 6th attempt,made that wretched,forever elusive trophy his own,and deservedly so.He was instrumental,again - top run getter for his team,second highest run scorer in the tournament.And suddenly,I wonder if he has enough motivation left to continue representing the country in ODIs any more.At least for now,in stark contrast to a 27 year old Lasith Malinga,Sachin,soon to be 38,hasn't expressly ruled out the possibility of him playing in the next World Cup in 2015!
MS Dhoni never stops catching you unawares.A few hours from the historical victory,he emerges with his brand new,almost bald look!What is this guy,creeps?He had gone for cropping the long locks that we for long came to identify with him after that ICC World Twenty20 triumph.Thank your luck that there isn't an ICC tournament for Tests!
Had the World Cup come home 4 years back,the champions would have earned a well-deserved rest.But the richest cricket board in the world has found new ways and resources to replenish its wealth.The Indian Premier League has been a huge hit over the last 3 years and the golden goose of the BCCI,and they saw no reason for scrapping the crickentertainment package this year even if it meant kicking off the event within 6 days of the conclusion of the tournament of tournaments.I strongly felt the IPL ought to be given a miss this year.An inhuman scheme to plan another long and exacting ordeal in the heat and humidity right after we had one.I have serious doubts about how many players who have survived a reasonable length in the just concluded extravaganza will actually start in the IPL.All the more reason with the IPL having trodden a scandalous terrain since lids blew off commercial transactions concerning the franchisees.Also,the BCCI ran a huge risk of a fall in demand had the Indian team disappointed in the World Cup.
Well,now with the World Cup glory ours,at least the fans aren't tired in the least.Two more teams - Sahara Pune Warriors and Kochi Tuskers Kerala - and a relaid format to spice up the show.Make no mistake,if the World Cup is the achievement,the IPL's gonna be the celebration.It was noteworthy to hear the cheer of the Mumbai crowd when the name of Lasith Malinga was announced at the awards ceremony.They are waiting for their blue eyed toe crusher!
Having said all that,I've gotta concede,it'll feel incredibly awkward to see two men who steered a side to the greatest of victories 3 days ago,Gautam Gambhir and MS Dhoni,will be leading their respective troops against one another in only 3 days time,when Kolkata Knight Riders challenge Chennai Super Kings in Chennai in the inaugural match of Season 4 of the Indian Premier League.
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