As the clock struck 3:05 p.m. on April Fool's Day, I was more than happy to leave school and head home for a weekend synonymous of cricketing extravaganza. History and destiny were bound together in a tantalizing farewell for two champions, Sachin Tendulkar and Muttiah Muralitharan. One man was still yearning to get his hands on the World Cup trophy, while the latter had once touched it before. The first Saturday of April 2011 held the much-awaited triumph after 28 years for one country and retributive jubilation for the other, which boiled in turmoil, in balance. The stage was set, undoubtedly.
Going down the memory lane, let's recall the tormenting loss of Team India to Australia in the final of the 2003 Cricket World Cup that was played in Johannesburg, South Africa. There was no Paddy Upton or Gary Kirsten and signs of the Indians wilting under the pressure were consistently showing up. Sourav Ganguly, still one of the most successful captains of the Indian cricket team, had been demoralized. His side was, simply, outplayed by a dominant Australian side as they won their second consecutive World Cup title. Our confidence was more often than not very low; self-belief had to be instilled in everyone and quite soon so. You can say the arrival and stay of Greg Chappell was almost forgettable as a terrible performance of Team India in the 2007 Cricket World Cup hosted by the West Indies, saw them out of the competition in the group stage itself. This was unacceptable.
A change of a large magnitude was required. The stars aligned and then came two special people to the helm. Gary Kirsten was the newly appointed coach as Mahendra Singh Dhoni became the captain of the team. A reversal of fortunes was evident when India won the inaugural World T-20 Championships. From then on, it was a totally different cricketing period for Dhoni and Co. whose campaign bore no resemblance with previous captains'. He took the team to some famous victories; they started looking better with every series. Late 2010 brought a daunting and difficult task of facing the South Africans on their land for a full series. India managed to draw the Test series, but came up short, not by a big margin, in the one-dayers. It was time for the Cricket World Cup 2011 in the buzzing sub-continent.
India kick-started their World Cup campaign with a thumping win over Bangladesh and tied with England in a humdinger of a contest. Wins over Ireland and Netherlands were picked up with considerable effort, whereas the loss against South Africa spilled beans all over. The team needed to rebound and the win against West Indies managed to heal some wounds. A lot was left to achieve.
With more than a billion hearts beating, it was time for India to be at their best, and they were. On the sun-baked Motera pitch, India were invincible. Although a few butterflies fluttered around, this special team threw the defending champions out. The semi-final with Pakistan proved to be the decisive match as the team was riding high on confidence. It wasn't all smooth as it may sound, but they made it look easy and convincing; an attribute of an excellent team. The final flourish in India's economic, cultural, and fashion capital - Mumbai - tested their skills and abilities, but victory was sweet. Smiles were upon faces everywhere and the whole of India, which still has many underlying caste problems, was united. The biggest festival in the world had just begun.
I can say I am lucky to have experienced what I did. We are World Champions!
Amidst all the euphoria, let's not forget three important men - Gary, Dhoni, and Tendulkar. They richly deserve it.
Going down the memory lane, let's recall the tormenting loss of Team India to Australia in the final of the 2003 Cricket World Cup that was played in Johannesburg, South Africa. There was no Paddy Upton or Gary Kirsten and signs of the Indians wilting under the pressure were consistently showing up. Sourav Ganguly, still one of the most successful captains of the Indian cricket team, had been demoralized. His side was, simply, outplayed by a dominant Australian side as they won their second consecutive World Cup title. Our confidence was more often than not very low; self-belief had to be instilled in everyone and quite soon so. You can say the arrival and stay of Greg Chappell was almost forgettable as a terrible performance of Team India in the 2007 Cricket World Cup hosted by the West Indies, saw them out of the competition in the group stage itself. This was unacceptable.
A change of a large magnitude was required. The stars aligned and then came two special people to the helm. Gary Kirsten was the newly appointed coach as Mahendra Singh Dhoni became the captain of the team. A reversal of fortunes was evident when India won the inaugural World T-20 Championships. From then on, it was a totally different cricketing period for Dhoni and Co. whose campaign bore no resemblance with previous captains'. He took the team to some famous victories; they started looking better with every series. Late 2010 brought a daunting and difficult task of facing the South Africans on their land for a full series. India managed to draw the Test series, but came up short, not by a big margin, in the one-dayers. It was time for the Cricket World Cup 2011 in the buzzing sub-continent.
India kick-started their World Cup campaign with a thumping win over Bangladesh and tied with England in a humdinger of a contest. Wins over Ireland and Netherlands were picked up with considerable effort, whereas the loss against South Africa spilled beans all over. The team needed to rebound and the win against West Indies managed to heal some wounds. A lot was left to achieve.
With more than a billion hearts beating, it was time for India to be at their best, and they were. On the sun-baked Motera pitch, India were invincible. Although a few butterflies fluttered around, this special team threw the defending champions out. The semi-final with Pakistan proved to be the decisive match as the team was riding high on confidence. It wasn't all smooth as it may sound, but they made it look easy and convincing; an attribute of an excellent team. The final flourish in India's economic, cultural, and fashion capital - Mumbai - tested their skills and abilities, but victory was sweet. Smiles were upon faces everywhere and the whole of India, which still has many underlying caste problems, was united. The biggest festival in the world had just begun.
I can say I am lucky to have experienced what I did. We are World Champions!
Amidst all the euphoria, let's not forget three important men - Gary, Dhoni, and Tendulkar. They richly deserve it.
