Cricket is a religion in India and we all follow it .When it comes to cricket we forgot everything: No ego clashes No conflicts No caste-ism and No regionalism. For those 8 hours we are just one nation CRIKINDIA wrapped up in the tri color flag. For the people born post 1983 ,The WCC 2011 victory has been by far among the most patriotic moment along with the Gold medal triumph at the Olympics by Abhinav bindra.But for the cricket frenzied nation this is much more exhilarating, rejuvenating and epitome of all sagas that happened on Indian soil.
The expectations of 1.2 billion cricket afficianados, who are so impulsive that they can carry them on shoulders from Kashmir to Kanya kumari in case of a win and can even burn their houses to ashes in case of even a loss , can give Goose Bumps to even the calmest and coolest man on planet. But as said ‘A coward builds his own graveyard in his own backyard”. But this time The man in blue were lead by a man who decided to soak all the pressure of his teammates by himself and let them play their natural game ignoring the politics of selection and the involvement of media .Instead of again carrying the loads of expectations of whole nation to bring back the world cup after 28 long years, they made it simple Just bring the cup for Sachin –The GOD of cricket just as a tribute to his overwhelming contribution to Indian cricket. The aim was same but the weights were reduced to a unimaginable extent. This aim weaved the team into a cohesive unit where everybody forgot about all records and jinx associated with the game.
Fortune favors the brave: It was the dedication, perseverance, and the fighting spirit of Indian cricket team that paved the way for long strides of success all through the tournament. Goals were set for each match, some tricks worked, some failed but most of the experimentations were done at the League stage. Till that time Indian team bowling was criticized a lot as in not a single match they could perform according to the reputation. The hopes which were built on a very high note before the start of the tournament were somewhere dazzled by the lackluster performance. But there was one person who was smiling at every presentation ceremony during the leagues and that was the Indian captain DHONI who with his witty smile kept on telling everybody that they have a lot to deliver in the knockout stage.So even the ordinary performance of the ODI Rank 2 Indian team could not deteriorate the high hopes of the billions optimistic Indians!
Knockout stage : They were all high drama games. Stakes were high, tension prevailing as they faced the mighty Austrailians in the quarters. It was like the clash of Titans. One side the defending champions claiming for the fourth consecutive title and on other side a team playing for their champion Lil Master.Everything worked :The carom ball of Aswin,the reverse swing of Zak,the doosra of harbhajan followed by the perennial Sachin, clinical shots of Gambhir and the majestic touch of Yuvi!All this guided India to a famous win over the mighty world champions and to denounce the end of the cricketing aura for the Aussies.
Next came what most people predicted as the game of the tournament .Match between rivals India and Pakistan. Rather than being the test of cricketing skills, it was the test of nerves. Politicians make no stone unturned to make it a Political Criko drama. Both sides of the border were having butterflies in their stomach.Blistering start by Sehwag and the numerous life lines to the Lil master could help india to make a respectable total that was not quite enough on the flat track according to cricket pundits.But as luck would have it Indian Bowlers came for the rescue operations, rise their games for the occasions and helped India to break a number of jinx and retain the record of being unbeaten by Pakistan in the world cup.For many Indians it was all they wanted from this team as they never ever at any cost want to get beaten by their arch rivals!
Final: Now it was the time for the BIG occasion .Match between the mighty Lankans having the noxious ‘M’factor and the mighty reputed Indian batting line up. The atmosphere was totally different ,Asians giants clashing for the biggest title.Offices were closed,roads were dying to see human faces,Projectors were placed ,stadium was jam packed with the faces painted with the tri color and it seemed that the breath of the entire nation was at a stop at about 2.30 on 2nd April.The coin was tossed and with an unusual chaos during the toss,the match started.Indian bowling was very disciplined for most of the time during the Lankan innings but the flashy Jayawardhane with his superb touch and immense power blew the tide in favour of the tigers.The total was too high to chase,and all the records were going against India. As usual news channels broke out singing prayers for Sachin as for them it was still a one man game.All the heart of millions of Indian fan choked when Sehwag and Sachin got out within first few overs .For more than 70% Indians fans including me,the game was over,TV sets were shut down with just one voice.
”Sachin never play under pressure.Why do we call him GOD? Its useless to expect from Indian team”
Sachin has done a lot during the journey,So its useless to put a pressure on one man each and every time.But what to say..We are typical Indian cricket fans!
The calmness of Gambhir and the steadiness of Virat started a great Indian run chase for a already lost battle. Not even for a second they showed that they have the pressure of such a mighty run chase and that too in the finals. It was their partnership that raised a ray of hope among the then low spirited fans. Then came the Indian captain, promoting himself up the order and determined to chastise the criticizers .He showed the real grit and determination of a leader rising to his best for the biggest occasion, showed why he was called Captain Cool!The mighty 6 at the end sealed the fate of the nation as their proudest moment has come to them after a long wait.All eyes were wet on the overwhelming success.All the festivals seems to be really timid infront of this big extravaganza of cricket.The tri color was raising high all through India.Suddenly 1.2 biilion population feel the sense of being invincible.That moment can’t be expressed,cant be penned down ,it could be just felt .The patriotism was at its Zenith and the heart of every Indian with consensus was screaming India jeet gaya! A moment to cherish for lifetime.
WE ARE WORLD CHAMPIONS!!!
