Cricket fever

So here it is.. I cannot NOT write about what just happened yesterday…No way, I've been an ecstatic kid since the past 19 hours and 37 minutes. And I know I’m not alone…

So much has been written and is being written right now about Saturday night and that makes it more electrifying. Cricket is probably the only passion that we all have in common as a country. I do not want to begin about where we could go as a nation if we developed more such common passions.

Anyways, like many Indian cricket fans, I am no different. I have followed this team very closely ever since I could sing the Indian National Anthem.  As one of the optimist fans, I hated all the criticism about cricket being a silly sport, Tendulkar being over-rated(!!), lack of good all-rounders, the collapse once Sachin departs etc. I failed to understand the critics. Why would one watch a game so closely only to find faults in it? I shut my ears to everything negative that was being printed and said; especially the news channels and print media, which took every opportunity to show the team in bad light. Patience is the key to success, and what better example than looking at Sachin’s career as a sportsman.

I, like most of my friends never knew what it was to win the World Cup. We had only heard from our parents and grandparents about the 1983 World Cup. They spoke about how India played the entire tournament, where they saw the finals, how they celebrated et al. The only thing that perhaps came close to that feeling was the win at finals at the T20 Championship against Pakistan. Cannot forget Misbah’s shot straight to Sreesanth’s hands. Then again, every win against Pakistan in the World Cup was special. But all this hype was just a consolation to the bigger cup that we failed to get. The loss at Eden Gardens in 1996 against Sri Lanka pinched me really hard too. I was in middle school then, but still remember that one Indian who was left on the pitch to shed tears, and that Sachin Tendulkar had to take rounds of the stadium to tell the crowd to calm down. He was my hero right then. He was probably consoling us then, by saying – “I am not leaving this game till I hold that cup in my hands for all of you”. Yes Sachin, most of us had heard that and we continued to shower our undying love and support for the game. We were not giving up, not even after the numerous match-fixing scams.

By 2007, I was already in my 20s. Was ready to watch the great trio – Sachin, Saurav and Dravid take us all the way through the tournament. Little did I know that it was going to be India’s biggest let down performance? I was shattered. I didn’t want to watch the remaining of the World Cup and for heaven’s sake not the cup going to Ricky Ponting. Was it the worst Indian team ever? I didn’t think so…but something was wrong, terribly wrong.  

And then there was a change in the overall game itself. T20 had been introduced for the impatient generation. It was a lot of fun though. And the change in the Indian team? Our coach from the World Cup had gone; the trio had decided NOT to play the T20 World Cup and I wasn’t sure about a team which didn’t have Saurav as captain and Sachin-Dravid as team members. But one thing remained the same. The Indian jersey. My take on the newly appointed wicket-keeper turned captain- Hair is too long, plays risky shots, and has no experience as a leader. But this gentleman – Mr. MS Dhoni proved me and many others wrong in just a span of a month. Yuvi hit 6 6s, India beat Pakistan twice, Joginder Sharma bowled the last over and India had WON the T20 world cup – without a coach and the trio. Watching it at a small hotel in Srirampur in India made it a feeling to remember for a lifetime. Yes, Indians can be Champions, and I was witness to it. It wasn’t the real cup…but to hell, it was a World Championship!

2007 till date, the only time I was really saddened was when Saurav Ganguly announced his retirement. Apart from that, Dhoni and company had only impressed. We had now become the top team in Test cricket and 2^nd best in ODIs, Sachin had made 200* (and reached a million other milestones) and India had entered the 2011 World Cup as one of the favorites. Bring it ON! 

From a college-goer to an office-goer, life had changed for me since the last time India played a World Cup. This time expectations were higher, excitement higher…we were playing in the sub-continent! Through the easy Bangladesh, easier Netherland, fierce England, shaky Ireland, firm South Africa and nervous West-Indies, we were placed, rather destined to play Australia in the Quarterfinals at Motera. Aussies had just lost to Pakistan, and we too played our best to show the former World Champions how it is done. Yes, we had just shown the exit door to Ricky Ponting! No more yellow ruling the World Cup. In fact I will support any team that defeats Ricky Ponting. Watching this win at Uptown with a bunch of friends only added to the excitement of watching that Ponting face.

Bring on the Pakis, our favorite team to play against at the World Cup. In that one week I can only remember being super nervous. 30^th March was taking forever to come. Meanwhile Afridi’s remarks on Sachin weren’t that comforting. But I knew India was going to win… we all knew it. India was not going to lose to Pakistan, not at the semi-finals in Mohali. This time at Nirvana, we jumped and cheered and screamed at every Pakistani wicket that fell. We were overjoyed, and this time I didn’t want to miss out the winning moment. I have it saved as a video to be played multiple times. It was a moment to cherish – India had beaten Pakistan by 29 runs to reach the Finals of the World Cup.

I am not running out of words here. I have so much to say.

India vz Sri Lanka in the Finals – 2^nd April, 2011 on a Saturday at the Wankhede stadium in Mumbai. The buildup was nerve wrecking. But India was going to win for SURE. There was no doubt in my mind about that. May be coz I wasn’t even thinking of Sri Lanka. I was just waiting to see that cup in Dhoni and Sachin’s hands. 31/2 when I reached Nirvana, wasn’t really the start I expected for a chase to 274. Sachin wasn’t going to make his 100^th 100 here as well. But India winning was far more important than anything else. From rocking back and forth, rubbing my nails, sweating and every other act of nervousness…it was really getting to me. Being in a swarm of jittery Indians was probably a bit comforting though.

And then the moment came. MS Dhoni hit a 6 above the bowler’s head. Just stood there waiting, looking at the ball go into the stands followed by a swirl of the bat. He stood there watching how he had perfectly aimed at winning the world cup, how every decision of his had proved to be the best and he was just being responsible for an entire nation going mad. Not just the nation, but every Indian cricket fan across the world. From watching on projector screens on terraces, at home with family, in a bar with friends, or on the TV in an electronic shop…this shot was for all of us! Dhoni had played the innings of a match winner, Yuvi the innings of a series winner and Sachin – the hero was paraded on the shoulders of his team mates. The cup was OURS ..And we finally saw Sachin hold it too. Team India, you have shown our generation what it feels like to be the World Champions. 

Virat Kohli summed up the feelings of every Indian very well – “He has carried the burden of the country on his shoulders for 21 years, it was time we carried him on ours”. Well said fella, we will remember you for this for a long time.