A Prelude to the India Sri Lanka Final

Did anyone predict that ?? If we go according to internet gossips, many did predict an India- Sri Lanka final which was no doubt a result of the fans unable to come out of their rigid mindset after watching a humongous number of cricket ties between the two nations . Tonight , however the stakes are different . It is not a Karbon Mobile Bilateral series or a Micromax One Day Series which they would be eyeing upon. It is a rare trophy which comes once every four years and promises to give all the nations an equal chance to have a shot at it. Yes, it is the Cup that counts. A night which will remain etched on their minds for some time to come. A night where both the teams would hate to experience defeat . A match which is more to them than their lives. A spectacle which has brought the two cricket crazy nations forget about their economic difficulties or their faltering democracies.

India –Sri Lanka deserving finalists??? Who cares

I have read numerous articles on how India and Sri Lanka deserve to be in the World cup final. Yes, they have been the two best teams in this tournament. On one hand, India provided their fans with feelings directly proportional to that of a sinusoidal wave( A loss tonight would definitely mean we are at the trough of the wave ) while on the other, Sri Lanka marched forward to the finals without much difficulty. The fact that they have not been tested doesn’t hold true, but the clinical manner in which they have booked one hand onto the trophy speaks volumes of their team strength. India are peaking at the right time but Sri Lanka have the better overall team. And if people make the point that Sri Lanka’s middle order is weak, so is India’s. The fact that Sri Lanka have been exemplary in the big finals is an understatement . They reached the 2009 T20 finals and ended up runners up in the last World Cup. So overall history is on the side of the Lankans and losing a third final in the space of four years is a record which will haunt them forever. But India have the home advantage. A fact that can rattle the nerves of the best in the business. India possess the best batting unit ever to have graced the sport . And they have Sachin who is nothing short of a demi-God .

Sadly Winners takes it all that counts

This is a final which has no favourites. A match which will swing to and fro faster than a pendulum. A single dismissal can spell doom on a team and a great knock on this day will be remembered by an entire generation of cricket lovers . Yet as we draw closer to the final, we have an uncanny feeling of being the favourites and not fearing our opponent . Our opponent is not the Great Australian team of the early 2000’s nor the South African team which is currently the best team in the world and yet have not been able to shelve their choker’s tag. And a feeling that our very own Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar would fittingly strike a century of century’s to guide India to the World Cup trophy one his home ground is keeping us all excited. Oh Boy !! The script just could not have been better .

A victory tonight would not cast black shadows on the prospect of other sports. Yet it will make people believe in the beauty of sports and how it can bind together people from different communities. A loss would definitely be catastrophic for the nation. Amidst the rumors of the match being fixed, one simply doesn’t care any more. We do not want Cricket to win tonight. Let it win some day else. For today let there be only one winner: Team India.

One final note to the Indian players: What we do in life echoes in eternity. We’ve given the final the big build-up. Let’s now sit back, shout at the top of our voices and bleed blue!!