"There are just two types of players. One who hold their nerves and win championships and the rest are all the others" -- the greatest game ever played.
As yuvi descended on the middle of the pitch in wankhede the whole nation stood up. Some in awe, some in praise while all with a sense of proud of being an Indian. Our moment had arrived and it had taken some time alright.
For me the journey to this day began way back in the year 2000 at the ICC Knockout trophy at Nairobi, kenya. That was a tourney which saw players like Yuvi and zaheer make their debut at the big stage, and they did it in style. A young team with veterans like sachin and ganguly , humbled the then world heavy weights australia and SA. Though the men in blue lost the finals to new zealand , they made sure that the world takes notice of a new force in cricket and move ahead of the fixing turmoil.
Ganguly's captaincy heralded a new era in Indian cricket. It touched greater heights after nairobi, in the famous series against Australia in 2001, when Steve Waugh's strong team was defeated 2-1 in a Test series after having taken a 1-0 lead at Mumbai. It was all about self belief, a quality missing from the Indian teams of the decade before 2000.
The team started winning abroad, something that was unheard of and was never associated with this team. Test victories came in Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, West Indies, England, Australia, and a famous series victory against arch-rivals Pakistan in 2004. It was during this time that the Indian batting order became one of the strongest in world cricket. We had players like sehwag and Yuvi who were unaware of the term "fear". We had the God of offside and the most aggressive captain this team has seen, Dada. Then we had players like VVS and Rahul who by their sheer grit and technique would make the opposition bowlers cry. Then Of course we always always ....had Sachin.
Sure there have been ups and downs in the past 10 years with this team, but nonetheless it always showed a promise of evolving and shaking off the tag of a one man army.
What we see today is a team that has taken a decade to mature and has kept faith in their ability to win. Dhoni has been a revelation. He is perhaps the coolest captain on the field since S.Waugh. The ability to absorb pressure and remain calm is his greatest ability.
A month and half earlier we had planned to go to GOA on this long weekend and had no idea that the finals were on 2nd April..That saturday was a dream. I remember we left for the shacks when sachin got out. It was a terrible feeling. we were in the Las Vegas of India and still the mood was gloomy. Till the time we were actually able to find a place the situation was a bit stable on the field. It was about a hundred or so on board and the flags and whistles were out on the beach. Unbelievable atmosphere. Really what more do u want from life.... A table with candlelights on an awesome beach, with friends. World cup finals, big screens thousands of people, india chasing well. And we won it .....the crowd speechless for a second... thunderous the next. The mind caught in a state of frenzy whether to dance or to shout or cry or just stare in awe.... the body though didnt wait for the signal , it started doing everything.We cried with Yuvi and bhajji ...we cried and were on our knees when pathan lifted sachin .This was our moment. It was a celebration of being an Indian...the pitiful cultural and caste divides dissolved. It was one of those rare occasions in this country when people shed that narrow mindedness and braced one and all. The hysteric slogans of Vande Matram from a thousand people belonging to a multitude of backgrounds exploded in the skies throughout the night.
My friend asked me the other morning,,,, please tell me it wasn't a dream...and i just smiled...
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