C'mon India... do it... one last time!

YES! We’ve done it... we’ve avenged the defeat in the 2003 World Cup finals. Kingsmead came to resemble Little India as thousands of Indian flags were waved with abandon. And what more...we ourselves are now in a final... a dream final... an India vs Pakistan final in a World Cup. So what’s if it is a Twenty20 World Cup. A World Cup is a World Cup after all.

In my post on September 11 (Cricket’s latest avatar: Can Team India adapt?), I had mentioned that “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…”
So far my prediction, or should I say my wish, has come true... Let’s hope this time we go one step further and get back the cup...the cup that matters.

What’s notable about this Indian team is its self belief and fearless attitude. Be it the eccentric Sreesanth, the cool Irfan Pathan, the intense Dinesh Karthik, the calm and responsible Mahendra Singh Dhoni, composed Harbhajan Singh, RP Singh and Joginder Sharma, flashy Robin Uthappa and Rohit Sharma, or the crown prince Yuvraj Singh... every member in this team has played their part and played it to the best of their abilities so far.

Now they have just one more game to go... perhaps the most important game of their lives as no one had given them a chance in this tournament. It’s time to prove all those critics wrong.
It’s time for the team that made an early exit in the 50-over format of the World Cup in humiliating circumstances just six months ago, to throw everything into the game on Monday afternoon at the Wanderers as they have done so far in this tournament. Nothing short of over 200% intensity would do.

C’mon India... you can do it... one last time.

It will surprise no one if the DJ decides to kick off the festivities with Redemption Song.

Underdogs India knocks 'chokers' South Africa out of Twenty20 World Cup

When a young Indian team under the captainship of Mahendra Singh Dhoni landed in South Africa about 10 days ago for the Twenty20 cricket world cup, nobody gave them any chance. They were the “underdogs”. However, people have now started taking the “underdogs” seriously when, in two successive days, they put it across two teams with the most experience in this version of cricket.

The hero of the match against South Africa was a 20-year-old making his debut. Rohit Sharma played with the poise, composure and temperament of an experienced professional. And if we add his exceptional fielding abilities to his batting, we can say that India has found a long-term middle-order batsman who should eventually make a mark in all forms of the game.

India, who is all of one game old in this format when the Twenty20 WC started, has shut many critics with their awesome performance. While we got to see some awesome batting display in the match against England, the victory against “chokers” South Africa — one of the best teams in cricket that has failed to go past the semi-final stage of a major tournament since being readmitted to the international fold in 1991 — saw significant performances in batting and a sensational display of fielding skills — Dinesh Karthik’s sensational catch to dismiss Graeme Smith, and Rohit Sharma’s Jonty Rhodes-like dive to run out Justin Kemp.

The only area that India needs to keep a watch on is the indiscipline in bowling. They gave away a handful in wides. Their excellence in other areas along with South Africa’s uncanny ability to play their worst cricket at the biggest stages allowed India to get away with it, but on Saturday against Australia such profligacy might cost them dear.