The World Cup frenzy!

Cricket is one sport we Indians fancy more than anything else. Oh, how the last month went by, with the world cup going on and the Indian team being very strong! Our topic of discussion in college would be all about cricket. We cursed the players if they played awful and we praised them to the highest level if they played well the very next match. I have grown up watching cricket and playing at school, streets, apartments, etc. And when our parents would house arrest us, we played indoors breaking tube lights, fans, windows and teapoys. Such was the craze seeded in me.

I have a memory of four world cups. Before every world cup starts, the stories of how India won the 1983 world cup would be most talked about. The media shows Kapil and his men proudly holding the cup in their hands and then interviews them. I would hear my grandpa, uncle’s talk about how marvellous that day was. I used to feel so proud of the team while I wasn’t even born to see the game. I envied them and always wanted to be part of that generation. The dream has finally come true. But it is redefined.

I can’t even begin to tell you incredible the feeling of India winning the world cup is but I can be sure as hell that I share this feeling with a billion people. We have got something to talk about and treasure for ages.

I feel so stupid to be a part of the crowd that judged, let alone misjudge the captain, M S Dhoni. I will always remember the look in his eyes when he hit the winning sixer for India. Dhoni started off as the cool dude with the long hair, who played crazy and out of the book shots. He was real good at that. We have seen him mature over the years into this sensible cricketer who made the right decisions. His calmness when there is a lot of pressure simply amazes me. Dhoni, in my view, has to be one of the coolest captains. He got us the World Cup, T20 World Cup, Positioned us at top of test cricket and Champions league cup for CSK. As they say, the captain knows best.

The greedy part of me still asks for

1. Sachin’s 100^th Century.

2. Ashwin should have played. Or say Sreesanth shouldn’t have played.

I can’t wait to see Sachin’s 100^th century. There is no doubt that it’s going to be a classic one be it world cup or not. He played constantly well throughout the tournament. When asked Kohli, what it was like to carry Sachin around the stadium, he gave this beautiful reply which is stuck in my head.

"Tendulkar has carried the burden of nation for 21 years; It was time we carried him" - Virat kholi.

Gary Kirsten did really do wonders to the Indian team. He was one my favourite cricketer and now he remains the best coach.

As a lover of the game, I have to say that Sri Lanka played really well. It is the batting order that gave us edge over them. The only reason India-Pakistan match was thrilling was because we were playing Pakistan. The first-class cricket was in the finals against Sri Lanka.

There are two things yesterdays match did for me. The first one made me write this blog post. The second one adorned and enhanced the love I had for cricket.

Jai ho!