World Cup 2011 – We won it this time!

I was there, in 1983, when India won their first ever Cricket World Cup by defeating West Indies. We Indian believed in our heart, that we can do it, but in our mind, we were not 100% sure, if India can defeat two times World Champion, in the final of World Cup! But the underdog did it and lifts the cup! I still remember those days, when there was no live telecast, and radio was the only hope for us. But, it was 1983, so radio also gave you live commentary till midnight, and then goes silent. No, the match continues, and commentary will be transmitted from the ground, but our very own AIR (All India Radio) will just record it, and not transmit it post-midnight. Why? I still don’t know after 28 years. Maybe back then, there was no culture of overnight shift, or it was thought that people will not be awake, even for World Cup Cricket, and India playing in final, post-midnight. So, the arrangement was that the commentary of post-midnight will be recorded, and replayed, as it is, from 4 AM onward. So, in those days, you have only option of getting the outcome of the game was in the evening, when AIR or our very own DoorDarshan airs their daily news, or if you are not privileged one with radio set or a TV, wait till next day to read it in the newspapers. So, we all Cricket fans listen to radio till mid-night, and then sleep with alarm to wake up and start listening to the recorded commentary from 4 AM, cheering to every ball, which has already bowled 4 hours earlier!  That’s how we celebrated our victory in 1983! 

But 2011 is different, India is no underdog anymore! We are hosting the World Cup! We are one of the front-runners for the cup! And 28 years later, every ball is watched live by billions of Indian across the globe! It’s not only telecast live by our DoorDarshan, but also on 2 private sports channels! The same feed is used on both private channels, but one with Hindi commentary, to cater the Hindi speaking millions of viewer! We saw Sri Lanka struggle to get them to a decent score, we saw Mahela Jayawardene knocking a century, we saw Sreesanth getting a bearing in his every over, we saw 66 runs in last 5 overs, we got worried as the target becomes 275, from what we expected (by the game till 45th over) to be 230 max. 

Then we got shocked by Sehwag getting out on just second ball of the match, with score of 0-1 in just 0.2 overs. We got into real depression when it was 31-2 with Sachin got out! It was almost over for India! We were hoping at least 150 from both Sachin and Sehwag! Losing both so early in the game, with such a high target to achieve, it seems impossible! Most of us lost our hope! It looks like a one sided game, a repeat of Eden Garden India-Sri Lanka Semi Final match in 1996! For those who don’t remember, that match was called off and Sri Lanka was awarded the match, pushing them to Final, where they defeated Australia to win their first World Cup. The reason for calling off that match was score of India 120 for 8 wickets in just 34.1 overs! The viewers in stadium started throwing stuff at players, because they could not stand the pathetic situation of Indian team. I know that was not sporting at all, and I still think that was a black day for Cricket, especially because it happened in Kolkata, my city! But coming back to 2011, it looked like we are going for the same repeat, and will be done by 35-38 overs! BUT!!! Well, you know the meaning of this “BUT”, you must have watched it! India, coming back into the game, with Gambhir and  Kohli staying on firm ground, keeping the asking run rate under control, and not showing any pressure of having lost 2 (most) important wickets in just six overs! Then after Ganbhir got out, by his own mistake, just 4 runs away from his century, we saw entry of Dhoni! Another setback for us, as Dhoni has not played good in any of this World Cup matches! Why Dhoni now? Send Yuvi! We need Yuvi here to hit hard! That was the voices coming out of our heart! But, Dhoni has something else in his mind! He took charge of what Ganbhir left, and stayed till the end, to hit the winning six for India! 

So, after 28 long years, we won the World Cup again! Dhoni and his team has got a place in history, along with legends like Kapil Dev, Ravi Shastri, Sunil Gavasker and others of 1983 squad! The greatest Batsman of our time, Sachin’s dream of being part of a World Cup winning team is fulfilled! And our generation, who has only read about or told about 1983, witness the history in making! They now can understand our feelings, back in 1983! 

There are two reasons which are very important in this victory of India, at least to me:

1. We took the cup in style, by taking our revenge on the way to the Cup! First it was current Champion Australia, who literary crushed us in 2003 World Cup Final, defeated us by 125 runs! Then it’s our Arch Rival, Pakistan! Well, Pakistan never won a World Cup match from us, but again, it was not easy! And well, any defeat of Pakistan in India Pakistan match is a treat for all Indian cricket fans! Then the final with Sri Lanka, where we needed to take revenge of our 120-8 in 34.1 overs score of 1996 World Cup Semi Final! In another word, the road to victory was not easy for India, but we not only won, we won it in Style!
2. It was a victory of Indian team, and an indication that we are ready to play without Sachin! Yes, I know people will not like it, but Sachin is getting old, and he has to call it off some day. We should be ready to accept that Sachin will not be in the team forever. And the final match shows that our new generation is ready to take over from Sachin. I know that we owe a lot to Sachin for our victory over Pakistan in Semi Final, but the Final displayed the courage of young blood playing under pressure, and giving victory to India! 

You all know what happened after the match, the craziness on the ground, all across India, people coming out of their home on the street to celebrate! Our cell phone network were jammed, I was not able to call anyone for 20 minutes! Social Networking sites were full of updates about this! It was a combination of Holi and Deewali on the same night! India went crazy! Indian went crazy! You greet everyone you see, for the victory! The celebration continued all night long! But it’s not over yet, the celebration will continue today, and the days to come! 

India has won the World Cup! Congratulations to all of us! Thank You Dhoni! Thank You India Team! We could not have asked for more!