The score was a perfect 10. India was on a roll. The Gods had smiled and we were a nation of one billion plus sleepwalkers who believed that our cricketing superheroes were unassailable in their quest for the coveted trophy.
We talked cricket over breakfast, walked cricket during lunch breaks, dreamed cricket during siestas, and endlessly engaged in cricketing banter in restaurants, trains, buses and parks, like it was the only language we knew. On the crucial day of the finale, when an exuberant nation held its collective breath, the bouncer hit us on the face, leaving behind a trail of crushed dreams in its wake. The winning streak ended, and gasps replaced the roars. The nation that was united in jubilation, wept in unison.
Yet in the midst of quiet despair, the resilience of the cricket fans prevailed. They faced the defeat with dignity, a testimony to the fact that one bad day does not define a career. For, in the world of sports, as in life, the sun sets, only to rise again. It is but a chapter in the larger picture of cricketing ebbs and flows. The hope for another superlative performance, lingers on the horizon.
"Let's hit the rewind button to the 1983 World cup, an era when cricket was a gentleman's game. India gatecrashing into the finals was not a part of the script.. Yet, we beat the mighty West indies, and when Kapil Dev held the trophy aloft, it was much more than a victory.. It was a tectonic shift in the cricketing universe and "Kapil's devils", were the new kids on the block. It was our ticket to stardom and we announced our arrival on the big stage.
As Indians traveled abroad in the eighties, in search of greener pastures, Sharjah emerged as a scorching desert theatre, where intense cricketing duels were fought between India and Pakistan. Every clash was epic and almost gladiatorial, associated with national honour, dreams and the echoes of history. The spectre of Javed Miandad's last ball six in one such clash, haunted the Indians for what seemed like eternity, till the Gods decided to rewrite the script. A string of victories followed in all editions of the World cup, including the quarter final in Bangalore, which proved to be a watershed moment in India's march to glory. The ghost was thus exorcised.
Cricket in India thus metamorphosed from a sport to a cultural phenomenon, something akin to a religion, replete with rituals and prayers, evoking passion and fervour and even becoming a viable career option for millions of young aspirants.
The English probably rue the day they left us a legacy of the English language and cricket. The former unlocked the key to a tech revolution and propelled us from a so-called land of snake charmers and bullock carts to the emerging tech capital of the world, and the latter gave us the blueprint for a cricketing revolution. They gave us a few ingredients, we added the spices and turned it into a banquet that left everyone hungry for more.
There was a time when the cricketing giants sneered at the prospect of playing cricket in India citing reasons like heat, hygiene, crowds and stomach bugs. These very same powerhouses are today elbowing each other to be a part of our annual extravaganza - the iconic IPL. Woven in the tapestry of the IPL saga are several success stories that have transformed lives and livelihoods.
Fast forward to the present and here we are, in a lull after the storm. The one and a half month long journey of exhilaration might have ended in shock for a billion plus fans, but let us applaud our heroes and support them in this hour of distress. They were high on commitment and skill, but found themselves on the wrong side of the thin line between triumph and heartbreak on that one big day when it mattered most. It was a cruel reminder that in the uncertain world of sports, even the mightiest can be humbled on an off day.
Our dream of lifting the trophy was not shattered, it was merely deferred. As our cricketers stride on to the field again, let our cheers reverberate through the stadium and let us express the pride and gratitude of a nation that worships its cricketing icons.
Latha Raghuram.