What a game!!

Uff,....Ever guessed whether  a girl can write about cricket!!  To make things more impropriate, it’s me who’s writing about it. Don’t hope to much expectation thou but I criss-cross my finger to make it better and I bet, the contents are much better than mandira bedi’s so called saree/s  :-)

24-03-2011 , India Vs  Australia something which woke every one up ( aaah ‘most of them’ because I heard Volvo driver and conductor discussing that it seems Indian won against Australia after 2 days from the date where in the driver replies “Is It!!” ...ya I know ‘what a shame’ people were unaware) ; But as an Indian, I feel the tip toe kneeling experience can be seen only in India for cricket and especially when it’s opponent be someone so ‘legend’ and ‘the all time rivals’. I keep wondering and feeling ashamed ( ?? yes ashamed ) when the stadium growls, sings, dances with lightning rods ( I mean the fire crackers ) or by the hindi bolywood maska chaska songs , how will the other country people feel, wouldn’t they say “oh so much of gawar” ?; But when I think further I say “chalo dikadhe India”, gawar or no gawar, When India plays the Indian within the heart just dance and sings as a true Indian should :-) and yes even I was not able to resist when such a battle occurs ...chalo yer not always do we see gabar aur thakor ka thakrar ;-)

The temperature of the environment was something similar to me; it was the same heat which I felt, when I sat in an exam hall and wait for the Question paper to be in my hand. “What will be the Questions?”, “Will I know the answers?”, “Will I be able to answer it well?” etc & etc. It’s like 50 different Questions our batsman has to face and 50 different bowling styles has to be thrown at the opponent in such a way that they will not be able to answer them in any circumstances and for the first time I felt that, yes our bowlers had tried their level best, of all combination of Questions (in the pattern of bowling) at the Ausis. I am not an expert in this, but might be because of the pitch or our new faces (esp. Ashwin) Ausis (except Pointing, 104) had a tough time.

Also when bowling, there was an confusion in the minds of Ausis esp. Shaun Tait when shewag/sachin hit a 4 for the first over , it just conveys and says  in his reaction “Now what did I do”. I have seen 2003 world cup match where India reached the final, There is something different today and that’s the Confidence of the team and the same was missing in Ausis especially when there was 4 run hit by shewag in Brett Lee’s over, pointing was shuddered and heard the commentator suggesting the thought of pointing “What can I do”

I like Ausis team frankly especially when Mcgrath, Gilchrist with Breet Lee and Pointing, they were the best but as per the saying “What goes up has to come down” there has to be an end for the legend otherwise they are not called ‘the legend’ ;-) and seriously, on an happy note, these legends were defeated by us “INDIAN’S”

30-03-2011 India Defeated Pakistan. It was a moment where in all Indian watched, unlike Australia match I watched this one completely without any break ;-).  Everyone had a mindset that India will win, because never has India lost against Pakistan in World cup and as all Indian says “It’s ‘Prestige’ more important than the ‘Game’, Hence we will win”. 

In both the matches 260 was something lucky for us... We targeted 260 and I hoped to see the same score appear in the Finals (Nearly!! 275 was our target in Finals).

But the best part of this match was the group which sat to watch. It was my last World cup match watched in Pg with all we girls, we had a very good time. Making Strategy to make our self calm down and watch the match with happy –fun thoughts made the evening/night very interesting. Each bowl was something like ‘one heart stroke’, eagerly waiting for their wicket. Yes our score (Indian’s) was 260 and it was by hard work indeed.  To be frank, I wasn’t much satisfied with our score but my Pg girls did not give up, they encouraged me, to think in the winning stroke direction. Predicting that a wicket would fall now and it did happen at the very next moment made us say “waw we are so lucky to the Indian team”.  We were superstitious; with the position of each of us sitting when the wicket fell, with the TV volume level, and soon. Can’t imagine the moment the last wicket was taken, all girls just jumped to cry with happiness. Ha what a night :-)  

And then It was India vs. Srilanka on 2^nd April 2011. For sure no one would forget the day the history was repeated after 1983, after 28 years I suppose we won the World cup and it’s something captivating. ‘Never expected!!’, this is what I express my thought on it. But dad has said during the match, that if Indian Team won that cup, then they are truly the champions of the champions, because the hard pain work is recognized.

With Srilanka, Pakistan and Australia; I feel Indian team has emerged from the muddy pond. And to the decorative royal castle, I suppose, because the very next moment when the Team India won the cup, there was a rush of money being followed with crore’s, awards and no idea what else.

Team India with the World cup - 2nd April 2011

@Team India: Congrats for bringing that cup, All the best and keep going... de ghuma ke

-Prathi