ah, where do we start? The numbers? The facts? The series of events that led to this moment? or just the sheer intesnity of the tidal wave of emotions sweeping through a billion-plus hearts? April 2nd, 2011 will be forever etched in the memories of a generation, scratching out the agony of March 23rd, 2003, as the world saw a Demi-God's destiny fulfilled, a nation's pride restored, one leader with his beliefs vindicated. Two images shall be engraved on the minds canvas: "EL CAPITAN"'s finish with an exclamation point - the winning six , and the victory lap with the Demi-God, misty eyed and hoisted on the shoulders of GenNext.
over a span of six weeks, we've seen an epic unfold before out very eyes. been through the depths of hapless despair, ridden crests of ecstasy and witnessed the reprise of a sublime talent who looked all but lost in the wilderness just a few months back. that is another testament to the nous of one MS Dhoni, who before the campaign kicked off, had sounded off the warning about Yuvraj being a dangerous player who knows how to excel in a long tournament. Just watch out if Yuvi gets a couple of fifties, he had said, and was he proven right or what! 4 man-of-the match performances, 4 fifties, 15 wickets and one World Cup final chase-finish later, Yuvraj Singh stands as the Man of the tournament, at the culmination of one of the most extraordinary redemptions in world cricket.
and Yuvraj in turn, had announced that he was playing the world cup for someone special. Who could be more special than the Demi-God himdelf! In his sixth world cup campaign, he was the one man who showed unwavering single minded determination to carry the team to the end through sheer will power if need be. Afterall, he's been doing the same for over two decades. We've been saying all along that it would be poetic for Sachin to lift THE trophy at his home ground, even grander if with his hundredth century. well, better the trophy than the century. all we can say is that it was destiny. Why else would that damp morning in 2003 have turned into a run-fest for a rampaging Ponting? Why else would that belter at the Eden chave crumbled to a square-turning nightmare that evening in 1996? Each of those campaigns had its high points, its stellar performances. While 1996 was Sachin all the way, 2003 saw him aided by a remarkably perentrating Indian bowling (Srinath, Zaheer, and Nehra had more than 11 wickets each) only to be let down at the final hurdle. Not this time.
this time, India knew it didn't have a penetrating attack. Zaheer was THE strike bowler, the Ace of Spades in the hands of the indomitable gambler, MS Dhoni. And he used Zak exactly like one. Throughout the tournament, Zak was Dhoni's go-to man. Need a wicket, go to Zak. The ball's doing a bit, go to Zak. too many runs in the middle overs, go to Zak. Stilfing a batting powerplay, go to Zak. Hell, just for kicks, go to Zak once a while!! And has he delivered or what. apart from the forgettable las three overs, [that this time didnt cost the world] Zak has been impeccable, clinical and completeley nerve-less, deservedly finishing as the top wicket taker, alongside Shahid Afridi who metamorphosed into a phenomenon that carried Pakistan to the semis on his own wings. Zaheer, though found almost unexpected support in Yuvraj's innoucous left-arm spin. The effect of which was amply visible in the knock-out stages, even if one chooses to not consider the matches against Ireland n Holland.
This was also a world cup which saw 5 Indian centuries from 4 different individuals. Sehwag fired big in the first game, with Kohli following his footsteps. Sachin crossed the 3-figure mark twice, against England and against South Africa showcasing the divine elegance of his subtle craft. The last one came from Yuvraj in Chennai, against the Windies in a display of pure grit and determination. That ton, and Zak's kunckled slower ball to dismiss Devon Smith were the points when the tide turned decisively. It infused beleif in a team that had been criticized for toothless bowling, irresponsible powerplay batting and downright pathetic feilding. The team India that took the field against WI, and in the knock-out stages was a transformed unit. The energy had lifted, there was a sense of purpose in each move, you could feel that the pieces were all starting to fall in place.
This is where we pause and doff our hats to Garry Kirsten, Paddy Upton and the complete support staff, and for the umpteenth time, acknowledge MS Dhoni's sublimely instinctive and seemingly autocratic yet inspired brand of leadership. The decision to use R.Ashwin right at the business end, the "mistake" of picking Nehra over Ashwin in the Semis, the "trials" to settle on the final team composition, the willingness to look past the "atleast 2 spinners in an Indian team" school of thought, and the masterstroke of almost shielding Yuvraj from Murali in the final were all big moves that came off. Of course there were others that did not, but all's well that ends well. Dhoni's knock in the finals almost overshadowed Gambhir's fighting 97 and the Gambhir-Kohli reconstruction. It just goes to show that this Indian team did what the Aussies did in 2003 : Every time the team found itself in a crisis, somebody put their hand up. more often than not it was Yuvraj, but in the big game, it was the Captain's turn to seal the campaign in his own inimitible style. As the man himself said, he had let the pressure get the better of him earlier, but not this time. This time he knew exactly what was required, and we once again saw the calm, calculative, confident Dhoni, assured of his ability to hit the power shots when needed. And like the IPL semifinals last year, he controlled the chase to perfection, exploding in a flurry of boundaries at the end to finish it off with a disdainful swipe over mid wicket for six.
while all this was unfolding on the field, one man's cherished vision was coming to fruition. Twenty-one years of blood, sweat and tears finally... finally crystalized in a moment of unbridled joy. In a way, it was also the dream of a whole generation of Indians like us, who have bled blue all this while. To tell you the truth, the only constant in some of our lives has been Sachin's presence at the wicket. He's been India's blue-eyed boy ever since we've gained cognisance of the world around us. For those of us who've witnessed the devastating loss of 1996 as children, the heartbreak of 2003 and the complete debacle of 2007, this victory coems as a panacea to all the wounds of that past. If that the effect on mortals like us, one can just imagine what it means to sachin himself. Virat Kohli couldn't have summed it up better "He's carried the hopes of a billion for twenty-one years, its about time we carried him on ours". He's seen it slip away five times, agonizingly close once, a little further once more, but it was to happen on this night. the whole thing somehow had a sense of pre-ordainedness, as if the Gods themselves had appointed this night as the night when the Demi-God would finally see his destiny fulfilled. This victory is for all those who have bled blue. This victory is for Sachin. word limit.
