“The only time that a World Cup was held in South Africa, Team India made it to the finals though the whole nation had written them off after a defeat in the group stages to Australia… and cricket is a funny game. So who knows (what's may happen this time)…”
This is what I had written in my post on September 11 - the day the Twenty20 World Cup began. A fortnight later Mahi and his boys have proved me right by pulling off a remarkable and almost unbelievable victory in the first Twenty20 World Cup.
What a moment for Indian cricket! Who would have dreamt of this victory? A young and enterprising team, led from the front by a great captain, winning the tournament in which the pundits had written us off. Without Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly, the result was against all expectations.
This no-fear cricket has not only warmed all Indian hearts but instilled tremendous belief in India’s new-generation team. Above all, the win has, as Dhoni said, done the “repair work” that was necessary after India’s disastrous exit from the World Cup earlier this year. This is really looking good for the future of Indian cricket.
India beat the biggest teams in international cricket, Australia, South Africa, England and Pakistan (twice). The team batted like lions, bowled like tigers and fielded like leopards. In a tournament that was supposed to give nothing but trouble to the bowlers, the opposition never got on top of our attack, and don’t forget we did not have Zaheer Khan. Bowlers like RP Singh, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Sreesanth and Joginder Singh did it for us.
This win celebrates youth. Yuvraj Singh hitting six sixes in an over, Robin Uthappa, who can come in at any situation and make his mark, Rohit Sharma, not intimidated by the opposition even on debut, Irfan Pathan, once the blue-eyed boy of Indian cricket who came back the hard way after being sent home in the middle of a tour. And a special mention to Gautam Gambhir whose quiet but effective contribution laid the foundations for Yuvraj’s heroics.
Age is on their side as it is for the captain who led from the front. MS Dhoni has shown that he has the capabilities of being a true leader, one who can lead from the front and inspire his team. His appointment as ODI skipper is probably one of best things to have happened to Indian cricket in a long time.
All the best to Dhoni and his boys! Hope you give us many more such reasons to rejoice in future.
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