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World Cup 2011 -
World Cup 2011
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Tuesday, 05 April 2011 01:12 |
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Contributed by Yogesh Gandhi
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(5897 views) |
Team India has done it!
The dream that kept the nation going for over a month was fulfilled last night when MSD and boys lifted the cup at the fortress Wankhede defeating a spirited Lankan side. With that win, MSD has done an encore of Kapil paaji’s feat in 1983.
It took 28 long years to come, but boy was it well worth it! Indian team gave its millions of fans a reason to celebrate and proved in the process that this team was “quite something.” When the moment itself arrived, a billion fans screamed, and those who made them scream, broke into impromptu tears of happiness.
Those tears told a story of dream that kept them going, a story of determination, a story of belief that turned into reality, backed by the sheer ability to stay unruffled despite all odds.
The grand finale is never an easy proposition and team India despite losing the toss, fielded gamely to tie Sri Lanka up and keep their openers down. Pair of Tharanga and Dilshan found the going tough against a disciplined bowling attack and perished before inflicting much damage.
Sangakkara and Mahela batted brilliantly on a pitch that had a bit of bounce and turn and consolidated the innings superbly in the middle overs. While Sanga got out, just when he was looking good, trying to cut Yuvraj Singh, Mahela Jayawardene played a knock that was beautiful, delicate, yet effective. His knock was a master class in letting the ball come on to the bat and guiding it into gaps with perfection. His century in the final will be long remembered as a poetic effort in a losing cause. However what he did in the process was to give the Lankans a chance with a competitive total of 274 on the board.
The stage was set for the duo of Sachin and Sehwag, but India suffered their first setback in the first over when Sehwag was caught plumb in front. The Master middled everything and looked set for a big one before Malinga forced him to nick one to Sanga. At 31-2, signs were looking ominous. Pitch however was playing beautifully.
Virat and Gambhir then put their heads down and started repeating the kind of game one saw when Sanga and Mahela were batting together. Dilshan broke the promising partnership with a stunner of a return catch to get the number of Virat. Stunned silence engulfed Wankhede.
Cometh the hour. Cometh the man. In walked MSD, ahead of Yuvraj Singh, in what was a colossal move that defined the future of the game. He ran hard, manoeuvred the ball, and then set back to send Murali past cover point on more occasion than one. The scorecard kept ticking, and in the company of Gambhir, Indians negated the threat of Lankan spinners and a raging Malinga.
Such was the assurance with which MSD played that it started playing on the minds of Lankans and Gambhir seemed to benefit from the calm presence of the skipper at other end. He looked set for a hundred, but played a shot that will rankle him for long time to come and went back at 97, just three short of a memorable century in the finale. By that time, he had done enough to give India an unassailable edge in the game. The magic of Murali and the threat of Malinga were tamed in a high class display of disciplined batting.
In walked the man in form, the Man of the Tournament, to see final few runs off in the company of MSD. In a fitting conclusion to the game, Dhoni launched Kulsekara into the orbit and sent the country into a frenzy of celebrations.
MSD well and truly led from the front and took it upon himself to see India through to the Championship title with the best 91 runs of his life. In the end, he made the total of 274 look too little, significant given the fact that they were chasing a good total in the final. Dhoni literally worked like a ring master to keep Lankans at bay and goaded his partners to see India through. This knock will be remembered more for his willingness to shoulder responsibility and will rank as one of the best knocks of the World Cup history, for its sheer effectiveness and efficiency.
With that win, team India gave The Master the best gift that they could have, the World Championship that he had wanted so much since he stepped on the field in ‘89. With that win, team India proved that they have much more in them than just the batting might, that ‘more’ was the self belief. It was evident through those three wins in the knock-out stage- a composed chase against Australia, the game of nerves against Pakistan, and a remarkably well paced chased against Sri Lanka in the final.
Thank you team India you have given us a reason to celebrate, a reason to believe and a reason to smile with pride. We owe it to you.
!joomlacomment 4.0 Copyright (C) 2009 Compojoom.com . All rights reserved."
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