Bowled Over

So the World Cup is over and you are all set for the IPL to begin. Ummm what? Did I say the World Cup was over? Oh! I meant the match is over, the cup is ours and the hangover of the win…well that’s here to stay :)

The country is proud, the players happy and the sponsors gloating, this WC will always be special for reasons which go far beyond the victory.

I never thought I’d ever love the game, I mean love watching it. If you’ve spent even a bit of your childhood in this country like I have, you have definitely played the game in some colony park or street ;) I could however never have imagined that I would actually take a day off to watch the match live at Mohali, cheer till my throat hurt, get upset everytime Nehra dropped a catch and even sadder when they dropped Nehra due to his fracture in the finals (Need I mention replace him with Sreesanth?).

The fact that everyone prayed Sachin would make his century but wished harder that the team would win ( Usually both happening isn’t seen very often),the sigh of disbelief in the stadium when Yuvi got out for 0 in the semis and screams of joy evertime he took a wicket when bowling, are sounds that reverberate far beyond the walls of that stadium.

Most lunch breaks at office leading to the semis were like a Math class where everyone was trying to hone their permutation and combination skills and some had even started sporting the role of the soothsayer. Who would win and who would lose for India to play in the semis or who should win and who should lose for India to play against Mr. Afridi who is upset over the heart ,it’s size and other matters!

Well the Cup is ours, Sachin’s collection is complete, Dhoni’s captaincy acknowledged and the disappointments and achievements all leveled with the sound of the nations applause ( read as dancing on streets, fire crackers, parties (personal and political), bollywood glitz, etc, etc).

Speaking of Bollywood Glitz how can we forget Aamir sporting a moustache and a certain Miss. Pandey being in the limelight for plans of sporting nothing at all ;)

Well I don’t know if we managed to change the game but what I do know is that we managed something bigger…keeping the faith.

Here’s to a nation that has it all to achieve anything, most importantly achieve anything as a team.

Sanchita Johri