Yesterday marked the end of the financial year for the corporate world;Today represents the birth of Lord Rama, the seventh incarnation of Vishnu where as tomorrow signifies the sweet little taste of victory.It has been a year since India has re-emerged as the world champions.Reemerged after a long wait.A wait of 28 years.A wait which could have ended under John Wright & Sourav Ganguly if not for the batting debacle at Johannesburg during the final match of the '03 world cup. A tournament in which India exhiibited commanding performances,only raising the hope.The hope which lasted During the semi finals against Kenya.The hope which raised when Sachin Tendulkar hit a mighty boundary against Glenn McGrath during the first over of the Indian Innings of that match while chasing an enormous target set by the Kangaroos.But sadly,the hope didn't last beyond that over.
By 2011,things changed.Tremendously.India found an extraordinary 'Captain Cool' and a perfectly capable youthful team,heading towards the competition with the tag of 'favorites',asking for huge rise.And the big men,rose to the big occasion.Raina emerged as an outstanding finisher,Yuvraj solved the mystery of fifth bowler,Sachin & Gambhir led with consistent stroke plays & Zaheer Khan proved himself an Ace amongst the Indian Arsenal.And giving the billion people a reason to cheer & cherish about.Few damn good memories.
Loud laughs for every misfield.Then came the shock when the opening batsmen departed.It was huge moment of silence when Sachin started walking towards the pavilion.That moment of realizationthat defeat is as far away as victory!It was followed by a dry patch of overs making boundaries hard to come by.The crowd fell into retrospection for a fraction of period,until Gambhir & Kohli started building a steady partnership which couldn't last long.When Kohli departed & the cameras turned towards the pavilion,there was sense of astonishment in the audi.As a matter of fact,in the nation.It was Dhoni,who was walking in, instead of the in-form Yuvraj.It was a bold move.A move which might not have been worth the risk & gamble, if not for his terrific & electrifying captain's performance.They played a patient & tactical game,Gambhir & Dhoni,slotting the ball into vacant areas, utilizing their strengths against spin bowling,converting singles into twos & twos into threes,looking for that occasional boundary to keep up against pressure & on a whole looking for that upper hand over the game leading towards the end.As the match approached the slog overs,it was not the same Dhoni, who has shown erroneous performance through out the tournament,it was a vintage & flamboyant Dhoni who has worked his way into the India team through hard hitting.It was boundaries raining all over the pitch inspiring the crowd to cheerful ways.With just inches away from victory,all the students went crazy.Standing on the chairs, screaming through joy,beaming with smiles;it was a paradise for cricket lovers.And when Dhoni finished off the game in style,atmosphere went crazy.People were hugging,laughing,screaming,celebrating & doing what-not.It was chaos all around.Chaos resulting from extreme happiness.The one moment where the entire diversified nation of India,felt very proud of!On television,I could see the team celebrating & waving hands at the crowd, while moving along the perimeter of the Wankhede Stadium.When Sachin walked out smiling like a school boy,I could sense the feeling of achievement & satisfaction in his eyes.Drops of tears rolled through my eyes.
Turn in to the present scenario & you will sense a turmoil of form.The last few series depicts the contrasting results.A ruthless performance at home followed by a dismal away display,seldom performing like the world champions,the title to which they are entitled till the next world cup.But still,memories float afresh recollecting the beautiful memories of that day.The day of the Grand Finale.Memories,which may last still the very last moments of the lives of all the Bitsians!
