The World(Cup) In Our Lap

Mahendra Singh Dhoni whirled his bat twice in the air. His eyes said a billion words, although his face was as stoic as ever, as he saw the ball soar into the crowd. Yuvraj Singh sank onto his knees and buried his face in his head. Virat Kohli, Suresh Raina and R Ashwin ran onto the ground, reveling in the glory of the biggest moment of their lives. S Sreesanth danced in the dressing room. Sachin Tendulkar, the man who had seen it all and yet not experienced this moment, was the last one to run onto the ground. He did not see the winning hit from his captain; he was busy praying fervently, inside the dressing room.

Harbhajan Singh and Yuvraj Singh, could not hold back their tears. Nor could those 35,000 odd people inside the Wankhede, who had experienced the greatest moment of their lives. Or those 1.2 billion Indians glued to their television sets. The World Cup took a long time coming but finally, it did!

As the feeling started sinking in, Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s eyes became moist. So did Sachin’s when he hugged Yuvraj Singh. Virender Sehwag, almost always seen laughing away merrily, was holding back his tears. These were scenes, no one had ever seen.

As the players hoisted Sachin on their shoulders, and took a victory lap of the Wankhede, the tricolor fluttered strong and high, in his proud hands. I don’t know if it was Sachin, who was feeling more proud waving the tricolor, or the flag itself, which got a chance to be in the hallowed hands of the great man.

The almighty had written a perfect script for India’s favourite son, giving him the ultimate honour to lift the World Cup, in his country, in his hometown, on the grounds of his beloved Wankhede stadium, where he had once been a ball boy in that Reliance Cup semi-final of 1987, where he had seen his country go down to the Aussies, and vowed that one day he would lift that trophy, for his nation, in front of the world. Lift the trophy he did, only to be lifted by his own team mates who wanted it more for him, than they did for themselves.

That in essence is the beauty of team-sport , a twenty two year old Virat Kohli, playing in his first world cup, dedicating the happiest moment of his life to a man, who started his cricketing career when Virat was barely born, a rejuvenated Yuvraj Singh, battling with form and fitness before the World cup saying that the special someone for whom he was playing the World Cup, was Sachin Tendulkar and the talismanic captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the chief architect of India’s biggest win ever, quietly receding into the background and letting Sachin Tendulkar captivate the limelight during the team’s victory march. What scenes those!

The capacity crowd at Wankhede, gave a fitting send-off to their hero, knowing that they wouldn’t probably see him again at their home ground. Some saluted, some cried, some waved, but none could take their eyes off him, eyes that were moist, with tears of joy, as well as a tinge of sadness, knowing they won’t see their idol again in a World Cup victory.

They say it’s God who is the controller of our emotions, of what we go through, but if eleven people, who with their deeds bestow so much happiness to a billion and a half people all over the world, would it not be right to call them demi-gods?

To those fifteen members of the squad, the wreckers in chief -Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Zaheer Khan, Gautam Gambhir; the able allies – Ashish Nehra, Harbhajan Singh, R Ashwin, Yusuf Pathan, S Sreesanth, Piyush Chawla; the unsung heroes – Suresh Raina, Virat Kohli, Munaf Patel; the greatest captain to ever walk out for India- Mahendra Singh Dhoni and finally in the words of coach Gary Kirsten, “the greatest sporting role-model he’s ever met”, Sachin Tendulkar: Thanks for all the wonderful memories of the last month and a half. We will cherish this till we live and die. You have given a nation, unparalleled joy.

And to end, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, once said that it took him months to get out of depression after India’s early exit in the 2007 World Cup.

It will take us years to come out of this jubilation, Mahi!

Thanks.

dhairyatrivedi