India beat Sri Lanka in the Finals of the ICC World Cup 2011 on April 2, 2011. The Indians all over the world erupted in Joy. From the President of India to the daily wager on the street, all were united in their wish. Everyone wanted India to win this World Cup and the 15 men in Blue just did that.
Sport is an amazing activity that bridges caste, creed and enmity of all kinds and puts a big smile, fills hearts with abundance of Joy and leaves life long memories. In a Country of more than a billion, Cricket was just a culture in 1983 when Kapil’s Devils lifted India’s first ever World Cup title. Their victory in 1983 gave birth to ‘Cricket - The Religion’, in India. The game became more popular in India over the last 28 years, more so, after the first IPL T-20 tournament, and justifiably the euphoria this time was extra-ordinary.
The celebrations were unprecedented. Probably the Indian Independence was the only other BIG event that caused countrywide celebration of greater magnitude than this. The decibel levels on the streets were soaring as the night progressed. Many parties saw the rising of the Sun in the East and still continued. The Politicians, Bollywood Stars, Ex-Cricketers and Cricket Fans were on the streets, embracing each other and celebrating the moment.
The game started with confusion on who won the toss. Dhoni flipped the coin and it was ‘Heads’. Dhoni initially said that he would bat. Then came, the confusion on what call Kumar Sangakkara made. The match-referee was not clear on what he heard. Dhoni’s initial reaction indicates that Dhoni heard Kumar Sangakkara calling it ‘Tails’. Kumar would have known what he called and this confusion should have been sorted out by the two captains amicably. Instead, they went for a re-toss. What a way to start the Final!
On a day when both Captains surprised each other with their team combinations, none of which dictated the course of the game, it boiled down to the one who would lead the team from the front with his performance. Fortunately for India, Dhoni the batsman was present in the Field on the day when it matters the most.
Dhoni’s batting form has not been that great in the last 12 months. But, whenever he has promoted himself, up the order, he has done extremely well. He has a good record as a Batsman in the Big games, be it the ODIs, IPL or Champions League. His decision to take the pressure, head-on, considering his form, was indeed a courageous one.
Dhoni has lot of experience keeping wickets for Murali and playing him in the nets when both these men were playing together for the Chennai Super Kings. He put that experience in full use and never let Murali dominate the proceedings. Dhoni was assured and calm and let his emotion only on one occasion during the finishing stages of the game. A good knock from Dhoni was long overdue and he could not have wished for a better day than this to get into his form.
No captain has ever lifted a World Cup without making a special performance as Player in atleast one of the Games. For India, Kapil Dev hit that famous 175 in the 1983 World Cup. Dhoni who had a dismal World Cup till the Finals, ensured that the tradition of the World Cup was kept.
He played a very sensible knock under tremendous pressure. His shots were precise and powerful. He took a little time to settle down and to gauge the pace of the wicket. Unlike his previous outings, he picked many singles in the initial phase of this innings. The Boundaries and Sixers were coming at the right time, releasing the pressure. Before the Lankans could notice, Dhoni had reached his fifty and only when the match was over, many realized that Dhoni had made 91 in just 79 Balls.
It was truly a special innings from Dhoni. Whether this is enough to silence the critics or not is immaterial now as the World Cup victory overshadows everything. The critics now are more than happy for winning the World Cup and all of Dhoni’s selection errors and poor batting performances will be ignored.
The Indians are the World Cup Champions now and that is all it matters. Indians are the only team in the world that has won the 20 Overs, 50 Overs and 60 Overs World Cup Championship. Only West Indies can equal this record if they manage to win a 20 Overs and 50 Overs World Cup in the Future.
This is the time to enjoy and celebrate. The men in blue have given the Indians a nice gift for Ugadi. Let us cherish this moment.
Happy Ugadi !!!
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