I am not a cricket expert but i love the game. And of course another little thing happened that made it mandatory that I write this post. On april 2, 2011 INDIA WON THE FREAKIN' WORLD CUP!!!!! (go ahead scream. I'll wait for it. We'll do it *each & every* time someone mentions it). Yes, the dream came true. We are the world champions. For the next 4 years ours will be the team which will be looked up to. Which will be the measuring stick for excellence in the game of cricket.
The thing with the world cup is that it still remains the grand daddy of all cricket tournaments despite the advent of T20's & the IPL. The major reason being that it occurs just once every 4 years. That is just twice in a decade (uniike the T20 WC which occurs every 2 years & the IPL which is an annual event). So the chance to back your nation's team & support them with all your heart & passion for the ultimate glory comes just once every 4 years.
I was too young to grasp the 1996 tournament but I faintly remember the disappointment in the house when India lost the semi finals to Sri Lanka & subsequently the infamous shot of Vinod Kambli in tears. The first real & very fond memories for me are that of the 1999 world cup. India was led by Mohd Azharuddin & faced an exit in the knock out stages. Of course Australia famously went on to win that tournament under the terrific leadership of Steve Waugh.
Little did one know that in the 2 subsequent world cups we'll see similar scenes of the men in yellow celebrating with the bubbly & lifting the cup. This time led by the aggressive & scruffy Ricky Ponting instead of the gentle & agreeable Waugh.
In the 2003 World Cup as the Indian team battled tough oppositions I battled the tough board exams which thankfully ended at just about the right time for us to catch the finals. And what do you know India were through, led by a rather appealing Saurav Ganguly. The stage was set, the nation held its breath & we were all set to take the cup back after 20 years.
Um...not quite.
Australia put up a gargantuan total of 358 on the board & one knew it was next to impossible to chase it down. India lost by 125 runs. It was one of those days that left many with a lump in the throat. Dejected & disappointed we once again accepted that we just weren't good enough on the given day & gave ourselves sympathetic pats on the back.
The less said about our 2007 campaign the better. Led by Rahul "the wall" Dravid India lost disastrously to minnows Bangladesh in their very first match. it was shocking to say the least. After a consolation win against Bermuda we were unable to deliver once again when it was required against Sri Lanka in a do-or-die situation. For the first time in 15 years we were unable to qualify for the knock out stages. It was shameful.
Out came the sharp knives of criricism from all corners, as did the sms forwards humiliating & ridiculing the team members individually. For a brief while a nation had stopped believing in its heroes & had lost the passion for the sport they were crazy about.
But then as Dravid hung the skipper's cap following the debacle, a young nifty Indian wicket keeper with a flair for hair (I know!) took the mantle. And that's where the tide changed my dear friend. (Did I just say 'my dear friend'? Oh my God, screw you Navjot Sidhu!)
That man was of course Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
A team's aspirations & achievements are signified by its leader, & here was a leader that the Indian cricket team so desperately needed. We conquered one accolade after another under his leadership. 1st ever T20 WC, the Border-Gavaskar trophy, & attaining the number 1 spot in the ICC test rankings to name a few.
But it all culminated at the 2011 World Cup. THIS was the stage where Dhoni & the team had to prove their mettle. I've got to be honest with you. Yes, I wanted our team to win it, but deep in my heart I was skeptical. It was too good to be true. A world cup win at home? Certainly life wasn't a fairy tale, was it? Were we THAT good?
The answer was Yes, yes & yes. I've never been happier to be proved wrong :D
No one from my generation will ever forget the 2011 World cup. We started as favourites, we stuck to the cause & most importantly we believed. The boisterous support for the team was evident all through the social networks, the media, in our conversations & most essentially in our hearts & minds. When we look back at it we have every reason to be proud.
We were never really outplayed in any match. Yes we tied with England & lost to South Africa in the league games but even those were very close calls. And once we were in the knock out stages, the rest was as they say history. The next three victories have been etched in our brains with golden ink. I don't know about you but in future whenever i'm pissed off, or feeling blue I'm gonna find solace in remembering Ponting's face as he faced defeat & saw the World Cup slip out of Australia's hand when Yuvraj Singh thumped the shots for the winning runs. It was Epic! (yes with a capital E).
And who can forget the frenzy, hype & hysteria & the subsequent joy, ecstacy & elation of the Ind Vs. Pak semi-final? There's no other cricket match in the world that carries more tension, excitement & weight of expectations. Beating our neighbours is ALWAYS a pleasure & we did it once again. That's 5-0 in a World cup suckers! We were through to the finals!
And then of course THE night of the 2nd of April, 2011. Ind Vs. Sri Lanka World cup final. Wankhede stadium, Mumbai (I'm trying very very hard to maintain my composure here but the hormones of the fanboy inside me are raging :D). After scoring 60 odd in their 2nd powerplay SL poised a modest total of 275 to chase for the Indians. Many had already started biting their nails at this point. Then on the very 2nd ball of the 1st over Lasith Malinga trapped Sehwag leg before. The nation went 'GULP!'. A few terrific boundaries later Sachin "the GOD" Tendulkar was caught behind on 18. Stunned silence. Will it be a repeat of '03?
HELL NO!
We were here to win & win we did! Gautam Gambhir scored a gutsy 97, Virat Kohli showed immense maturity in scoring a patient & graceful innings of 35 & then of course M.S.Dhoni pulled off a magnificent captain's knock just when the whole nation needed him to. A splendid 91 of just 79 balls.
It wasn't all that easy though. At one point we required 30 runs off the last 26 balls of the match. Forget nails, we had progressed to biting our bones by this point. But alas! We pulled through. Yes we did.
For years we have seen the TV grabs of Mohinder Amarnath bowling Michael Holding & running away with the stumps to give India the World Cup victory of 1983. Now our generation has a new moment of glory, that of M.S.Dhoni hitting a six to score the winning runs of the match.
There's no point in describing the scenes that followed after the six, because they're just that- inexpressible.
Tears flowed once again but these were tears of joy. The World cup had come home after 28 long long years. it was the time for a cloudburst of jubilation, joy & merriment.
I've probably never seen Sachin Tendulkar so happy on the cricket field. And that's saying something for a man who has played the game for 2 decades & has 99 international centuries under his belt. Perched on top of Yusuf Pathan's shoulders with the Indian flag wrapped around him you could sense that the legend's tireless dedication had bear fruit.
It was a victory that silenced all the critics. Those who said that our batting relied on the onus of a single man, those who were against Dhoni's bold captainship decisions & his batting prowess, those who said our middle order was weak & it showed once & for all that this team had the knack for finishing things off .
After the victory Sachin said "winning the world cup is the ultimate achievement & I'm experiencing it now". So is the nation Sach. So is the nation.
