Getting world cup !

It could not get any better. Take my words for it... it was the best ever match one could imagine. It was an India vs. Pakistan in world cup final. The first 20-20 world cup. I am not only a cricket lover, but also have played a lot of circket. Had reached upto the gates of Ranji selection, but had to select my studies over it. Still my interest keeps me a part of some cricket team, wherever I am. Currently I play for my company's team.

After a heart-breaking 50 over world cup early this year, I had become apathic towards watching Indian cricket team playing. I dont know which series they played after the world cup. But, the pace and enery, added with short duration of 20-20 attracted me a lot and I watched many games. Watching Yuvraj hitting 6 sixes in an over was a real experience and it had definately increased my blood to an extent that I really got back to cricket in my fullest. The SA and AUS matches were enough to give a lot of confidence not only to me, but also to the entire nation that India can win the world cup this time (after 24 years).

I, along with few of my friends, planned to watch this match in my house. We ensured that everyone reaches on time... I left my office at 4:00, the match was at 5:30.. (thanks to bangalore traffic and all the enthu india supporters leaving early.. I was just one of them). I bought some cold-drinks and other snacks on the way to home, enough for the 3 hour game.. All others reached just before the start of the game. And the game started....

It is a real fun to watch a match in a group... you have a lot of commets, reactions....etc...etc.. India won the toss and elected to bat..Watching Yusuf Pathan to start his international career as an opnener in Ind-Pak world cup final was strange.. We all just started on indian team and management.. but Pathan started off in style.. guess what.. YES.. with a six.. and we all agreed with the indian team immidiately.. the guys was real good and his short innings presented a summary of his capabilities. Rest of the Indian batting was ok.... we kept shouting on every 4 and 6.. kept critizing for running slow... "Cummon. you can run 2 here" !
Gautam Gambhir and Rohit Sharma were the real discovery of this tournament. And I suddenly realized that the cold-drink and snacks were all over in the first innings only.. so much excitement....:)

Second innings was Pakistan batting to chase a moderate 157.. We were all tensed about it... we could not bat to score a score that we had expected.. We cursed Yuvraj for his attitude in this game.... We got many comments saying that he was not happy about Dhoni being the captain and so he wants India to loose today.. his fathers comments following his 6 sixes etc.. Our cook joined us and he prepared some quite good "pakodas" in the break.

Pak innings started with these thing going on.... Good bowling by RP singh and bad by Srisanth was the hot discussion in the first few overs... overall, the game went fine for us till 15 overs.. Pak were 99/6 and the target was to get 59 runs in 5 overs.... around 12 per over. We almost started celebrating.. 16th over only 5 runs, nice work by Pathan.. Some of the fireworks had already started by that time.. We did not change our places while watching the final overs as we thought that may change something..;).. yes, we believed that at that moment !

And then started the Master.. Misbah.. he went for 3 sixes in 17th over.. Bhajji could not control him... We started getting concerned now.... and little did we know that it was just the starting.. Sohail went for two more in the next over by Irfan Pathan. We could take it any more.... Last two overs left.. 20 to make with 2 wickets left. The chances were definately 50-50 now... it all changed with those big sixes. PR singh put the 19th over of 7 runs and the target changed to 13 runs in 6 balls. Not impossible. And guess what..? We did not have a good baller left. Yoginder sharma was not that impressive a baller to us, but he had done it against Australia. Habhajan had gone for 19 in an over... and the strike batsman was Misbah.. We all were quite when Sharma went for his first ball.. and a wide !!! To hell with you.. dont you know the conditions out there... He anyway compensated with a dot next ball... 12 from 5.. but was not impossible.. not at all for the Almighty Misbah.. The second ball was a six.. a big six.. this was end of our hope.. We cursed everyone in the Indian team.. Then Misbah went for a paddle shot to finish the game, the ball went up in the air.. all we could see was the ball in air in our two-dimentional television sets. Thought it is a 4.. And Suddenly a magical moment. We saw Srisanth there under the ball... he got it. The ball could not travel to the distance as Sharma had put it slow this time. We started shouting like mad... the whole area was full of joy.. lots of crackers and fireworks all around. We shouted even louder "Bharat Mata Ki ... Jai !!!" and "Jai Hind !!!"..... One of my friends later said jokingly " Misbah thought, there is no one in that area and hit the shot. He forgot that Malayali's are there in every part of the world !"....

This was a life time experience to have. Proud to be Indian..
Jai Hind !