World Cup Dreams
A news channel was showing a story on India’s world cup win in 1983. I watched images of Kapil Dev lifting the trophy and thought to myself would I be lucky this year, to see same kind of footage but live on my television. Would team India be able to achieve the glory that they are seeking and that we, Indian cricket fans, are hoping after every four years? This was 17th March, 2007 and India was scheduled to play their first match.
10 days, thereafter, as the Indian team is knocked out of tournament, I am sitting here totally disappointed. It is not that I'm a big cricket fanatic. I rarely watch cricket matches on a regular basis. I prefer watching Formula 1 instead. But as the World Cup arrives, my interest in cricket regains. It is just the whole excitement that is built around this major tournament, which gets me into cricket gear since 1992. But this year has been most terrible. Although, we haven't won any world cup since 1983, but Team India had been able to show some good cricket reaching finals, or semi-finals. But nothing like this year, when they pathetically got knocked out in the first round of league matches.
The start of the tournament was itself a no-show. Loosing to Bangladesh, the team which ranks way below India, was the first sign. The whole team was lacking the main thing that is needed in modern day cricket - aggression. It was visible from the body language of the players on the field when they were trying to defend a pathetic score laid by poor batting performance. I wasted my whole night hoping that next delivery will do the tricks. But as I said it truly turned out to be shear waste of time.
Even after loosing, hopes were alive. So many calculations were done as to how India can reach the next round. Now, it was nothing but game of run-rate. But before that they have to beat Sri-Lanka. Playing against the first time entrant, Bermuda, the results were predictable. The team put up a great show that day beating and breaking many records. World Cup dreams were alive once again.
I was sad; I had to travel on the day of Indo-Lanka match. I followed the score as long as I was receiving signal on my FM radio while traveling in train. Late at night, I also came to know about the target that India had to chase. I became a little skeptical at that time only. I had expected a much lesser score. But hoping for best I went to sleep. As soon as I woke up, I took my mobile and send a request for score. SMS came, I read the score and it was all over for India. Now I was glad, I didn't cancel my trip to watch the game.
On reaching my destination, I got busy in other work that I was not able to follow the reviews and comments on newspapers or television. Neither, I wanted to hear or read it. But I did laugh a lot on hearing that some people died due to depression. Such is the craziness for this sport. For me, I was looking forward for some real good cricket by some of the best teams in world fighting in the next round. No matter, if our team was there or not. If we love cricket, we should enjoy it fully.
I was also well amused on hearing some reports that people were hoping that Bermuda wins over Bangladesh. C'mon people. Grow UP!!!
10 days, thereafter, as the Indian team is knocked out of tournament, I am sitting here totally disappointed. It is not that I'm a big cricket fanatic. I rarely watch cricket matches on a regular basis. I prefer watching Formula 1 instead. But as the World Cup arrives, my interest in cricket regains. It is just the whole excitement that is built around this major tournament, which gets me into cricket gear since 1992. But this year has been most terrible. Although, we haven't won any world cup since 1983, but Team India had been able to show some good cricket reaching finals, or semi-finals. But nothing like this year, when they pathetically got knocked out in the first round of league matches.
The start of the tournament was itself a no-show. Loosing to Bangladesh, the team which ranks way below India, was the first sign. The whole team was lacking the main thing that is needed in modern day cricket - aggression. It was visible from the body language of the players on the field when they were trying to defend a pathetic score laid by poor batting performance. I wasted my whole night hoping that next delivery will do the tricks. But as I said it truly turned out to be shear waste of time.
Even after loosing, hopes were alive. So many calculations were done as to how India can reach the next round. Now, it was nothing but game of run-rate. But before that they have to beat Sri-Lanka. Playing against the first time entrant, Bermuda, the results were predictable. The team put up a great show that day beating and breaking many records. World Cup dreams were alive once again.
I was sad; I had to travel on the day of Indo-Lanka match. I followed the score as long as I was receiving signal on my FM radio while traveling in train. Late at night, I also came to know about the target that India had to chase. I became a little skeptical at that time only. I had expected a much lesser score. But hoping for best I went to sleep. As soon as I woke up, I took my mobile and send a request for score. SMS came, I read the score and it was all over for India. Now I was glad, I didn't cancel my trip to watch the game.
On reaching my destination, I got busy in other work that I was not able to follow the reviews and comments on newspapers or television. Neither, I wanted to hear or read it. But I did laugh a lot on hearing that some people died due to depression. Such is the craziness for this sport. For me, I was looking forward for some real good cricket by some of the best teams in world fighting in the next round. No matter, if our team was there or not. If we love cricket, we should enjoy it fully.
I was also well amused on hearing some reports that people were hoping that Bermuda wins over Bangladesh. C'mon people. Grow UP!!!
2 comments:
hu ha hara INDIA :(
chill man .it happens .. lets see what's next on BCCI action plans...i see some openings for our WARRIORS in the national team... heheheh
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