April 5, 2011

We are on top of the world!

 

This is probably the moment everyone had waited for,“The World Cup” and let me tell this, it wasn’t quite surprising to see these teams, India and Sri Lanka, in the final. Before the WC began, i wrote a post on the teams that have a nice chance of winning it. Here is a small excerpt

“The Teams I think, will have great a chance are India, Srilanka and England. I simply dont care who takes the title as long as it is not SL but it would be all the more special if India end up winning it because that would be the best retirement gift that the master blaster will ever get!”  

Two things are quite clear. No 1: I cant be more wrong about the England team. No 2: It boiled down to Sachin’s retirement gift and my hatred towards SL cricket. I have been dissing Sri Lankan cricketers for quite a time and despise everything Sri Lankan. I feel there is an aura of ‘OC’inness surrounding them.

  The thing I really liked about this world cup was the rise of the Irish. They really deserve to play cricket with top teams.The fact that there would be only 10 teams in 2015 is downright demoralising and unfair on the associate members and it aint helping spreading cricket. If there is any other team Whom i would have wanted to get the booty, it would’ve been Pakistan. The way Afridi handled after they lost to us was simply amazing. Such a brave heart he was and so gracious in defeat! I wish “others” take an ode from Shahid’s behaviour.

It really left a bad taste in the mouth when Sangakkara, who is the most diplomatic bugger you would ever see said he didnt know what he said at the toss when we clearly know he said ‘Tails” and lost it. The guy talk bollocks to the press how great a player is and then drop him in the match! Why dont you say it on the face you moron! We beat far more tougher teams on our way to final than what SL did, playing at the same pitch for the both the quarters and semis and never came out of little cozy home barring a match against NZ.

Let me tell you something, the thing I am going to try now is probably one of the hardest things for me do. Looking at SL without any bias. I promise that I tried my best but excuse if I slip up because it’s bound to happen :-P

  Looking at World Cups right from 1996, there has been no turning back for Sri Lanka. 1996 - winners, 2003 – semi-finals, 2007 and 2011– runners . They’ve been pretty consistent in World cups. They’ve always had these freakish players who changed the game for the good. Starting from Sanath’s over the top hitting to Randiv’s “I wont bend my back and bowl” style. They’ve got this X-factor around them that probably makes them get where they are right now. When someone leaves another freak comes by and takes his place.

Mendis for example bowls a style of bowling that is called “Soddukku” in local terms. There are so many bowlers around here in Chennai who can do what Mendis does. If you walk around a few streets you can see bowlers with a slingy action like Malinga’s playing there. The problem is we tamper too much of one’s own technique and Lankans dont, that is their strength. Another thing they are good at is using their resources. They have so many mediocre cricketers and yet they perform well! Lets take the case of Angelo Mathews’ bowling. The guy opens the bowling and does a decent job! I am really clueless as to how a bowler like Angelo manage to contain the batsmen. But they do pull it off with other players like Thisara Perrera, the guy couldn’t bat for life when he played for CSK. He opens the bowling (Angelo –type) and also bats lower down and scores runs! They keep on doing this!

I wouldn’t hesitate to say we truly deserve to be at the top of the food chain! Considering we lost Sachin and Sehwag cheaply, played Sreesanth and yet manage to win it comfortably, chasing the highest number of runs in a World cup final and become the first home team to win the Title. Boy! Didn’t Dhoni find the right stage to score that 90 odd runs. Respect to Dhoni, not because he won us the world cup but because he had the guts to accept that he played with the pressure that he would be asked about Sreesanth’s inclusion if India failed.

It was really funny how Virat Kohli managed to get into every shot of the camera man after we won the world cup! The guy is so thrilled to see him on TV. I mean, he fields a ball and the next moment he watches the big screen! Dont give the “He is seeing how his technique is” crap. Wherever the camera goes Virat follows :-) Whatever, everything is forgiven and all these 15 players ( including Sreesanth) will be immortal in the annals of Indian cricket.

Kiwis proved they had wings but they cant fly; Saffers lit another tube light with their recent “Choke”; Poms proved they aren’t far away from the Saffers, after all there are so many South Africans in their team; Aussies came know how it feels to be at the other end of the boot; Pakistan lost the match but they won hearts and Afridi proved he bowls faster than Nehra; Windies continued to disappoint; Irish showed us some pride; Yuvraj rose from the ashes to become the Man of Tournament; Zaheer became India’s best of bowler in the tournament perhaps at the moment, he is the best we have; Dhoni proved why he is a Midas and finally the Master Blaster got his hands on his dream.

It was as if every fan had won the cup! Winning the most prestigious thing in the sport in front of your home crowd is something out of the world. For once I forgot how much I hated Sri Lankan but remembered how much I loved India. The Prize to the players for the winning the world cup, 1 crore but the joy in the faces of a billion when they did it, simply PRICELESS!

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hahaha, good one. Also typically YOU! :D What else does one expect, anyway? ;)Small correction: Sri Lanka made it to the super-sixes of the 2003 World Cup (I guess!), not semi-finals. The four semi-finalists were Kenya, India, "give-me-another-easy-win" Australia and New Zealand.

I really don't know what happened at the toss - whatever I know is from what I have read - but Sangakkara, at least in my opinion at least, is among the nicest captains in the circuit at the moment. He's also very gracious. Of course, the grace may be more diplomacy, less authenticity, but I have never traced anything fake about the Southpaw.

The line about Saffers, "choke" and tube lights was hilarious. The observation about "wherever the camera goes, Kohli follows!" (reminded of the punch line Hutch had for a long time, when it was still Hutch! :D) is interesting too. As for England, I guess they could have made the semis had it not been for the almost incessant spate at which they lost players due to injury and other related issues.

Pakistan surely won hearts and the ten team tournament in 2015 is likely, in my opinion, to be not just unfair (as you have said: not giving the associates a window isn't great!) but still dragged out because every team will be playing nine league games followed by a round of four en route to the summit. No Quarter Finals/Super Sixes/ Super Eights. The format stinks. But ICC HAS conceded that in 2019 there may be place for the associates. But most of these young and priming kids in Ireland etc will have faded away by then. Very unfortunate!

Anonymous said...

Sorry buddy: I was wrong about SL not reaching the semis in 2003! It turns out they did :D

Madman said...

Downright stupidity to just have 10 teams for a world cup! Ireland or ranked number 10 right now! What more do you expect! That is ahead of ZIM who are at 11th.

That would be another CHampions trophy not a wordlcup!

I hate all these going around stop a good team from progressing, makes my blood boil and increase my BP. If only I can i would slap the daylight off those dipshits in the ICC!

Anyway that would improve chances of SA making to the Semis. No knockouts up till that no? :-P

And I also heard that they are compensating it by including for associate teams in T20 WC.

2003 WC pathi all details I know di :-P (gounder style) that is the first WC i actually watched with full interest :-D Have a lot of fond memories :-)

For once I didnt hate OC lanka and viola they got the toughest opponent in the semis :-D