That winning feeling...

Speechless. On 2nd April 2011, Saturday, India beat Sri Lanka by 6 wickets to register a famous world cup win. What followed after that was ecstasy and euphoria in the entire nation. The 1.2 billion dreams had come true and people were on the streets dancing and waving the country flag high. The partying on Wednesday after the semi final victory looked like dress rehearsal as the winning feeling on Saturday was even more exhilarating. India had lifted the world cup 28 years after Kapil Dev’s Devils had achieved at Lord’s in England. So this victory meant a whole lot to the new generation. Hence I feel proud to be part of the generation that has won the world cup.



It has taken more than 24 hours for that winning feeling to sink in and only after that I have been able to concentrate and actually think about what I am supposed to write of the final game of World Cup 2011 that we all witnessed. In my last blog, I said Mumbai should make noise and not let the Lankans feel into the game and the people in the stadium obliged my wish. They made so much noise that the match ref could not hear what the captains call during the toss. The repeat toss went in favour of Sanga and the pressure was right back on my Men in Blue. Dilshan and Sangakarra got to good starts and fell away cheaply to Harbhajan and Yuvraj Singh. But one man carried on the Lankan batting right till the end with his superb graceful batting. Jayawardene did not play one wrong shot and just toyed with Indian bowlers by his late cuts, cover drives and exquisite foot work.

India was set a stiff target of 275 to chase. Sehwag and Sachin were dismissed early by Malinga. At 31/2, I will be honest to say that I felt huge disappointment and had lost some hope of winning the cup. I started to feel better when Dhoni came into bat and kept rotating strike and never let the required run rate go beyond 7 RPO. Gautam Gambhir played a masterstroke innings and feel sad for him to have missed out on a century. By the time he got out I knew the match was well within our grasp and I was just gearing upto jump in joy. And then Dhoni provided the killer’s finish and rest as they say is history. The heroes have now become immortals. The victory lap with Sachin sitting on young shoulders of Kohli and Pathan sent shivers down my spine and it was a very nostalgic moment. I am sure the tears of joy will flow again and everytime I see Dhoni, Sachim, Yuvraj and the rest of the team lift the World Cup. We are the World Champions for the next 4 years. Yay!!!!

Here I provide you with my ratings out of 10 for the 15 member squad.

Virender Sehwag – He made a great start to world cup by scoring 175 and it remained the highest score in this world cup. He provided starts to India in every game and picked up crucial catches in the field. He remains India’s best hope in future as well to retain the supremacy in all forms of the game. Rating: 9/10.

Sachin Tendulkar – During the entire world cup, he played with immense pressure to complete his 100th ton. Unfortunately he couldn’t but that doesn’t matter to him as we saw his celebrations in the end. All he wanted was to win the cup and wear the gold medal. His 22 year dream came true. Rating: 10/10

Gautam Gambhir – He got starts in all the game but the hundred remained elusive to him this tournament. His innings of 97 in the final will be remembered for a long time. Rating: 9/10

Virat Kohli – He scored century on world cup debut against Bangladesh. He is the young blood of bold and aggressive Indian team and that shows in the field as well. He is hugely talented and will certainly do well in next tournament as he did now. Rating: 9/10

Yuvraj Singh – He was the talisman of this Indian victory. He bowled superbly his 10 overs in all the games by picking up wickets every time. He was focussed when he was on the crease while batting, he was determined to achieve success for himself and for the team. 4 Man of the Match awards before the final meant he was the favourite to get Player of the Tournament and an Audi sedan version car. He has given joy to the billion people and it’s his world cup. No doubts. Rating: 10/10.

MS Dhoni – He is the captain cool of Indian cricket. He made some brave decisions and he stuck by it. He backed his players and to give 200% in every game and was also humble in accepting the mistakes he made. Cometh the hour, Cometh the man and he proved with a scintillating knock in the finals. Rating: 10/10

Suresh Raina – He did not play the first five games of the world cup. But that did not dent his confidence. He is India’s one of the best finishers and he proved it in the game against Australia and Pakistan. With him playing in the side it helps improve the overall team fielding as well, and again he is one for the future. Rating: 8/10

Yusuf Pathan – He came in with reputation of big hitter in this world cup and a useful spinner. He got his chances but he was barely effective. But there is no denying the talent and he should use this as a learning curve and show the world what he is capable of in the upcoming tournaments. Rating: 7/10

Harbhajan Singh – India’s leading off spinner had a lot of burden on his shoulders. His tactics were to not give runs to the opposition but also look to pick wickets. He was successful in some games but not so much in others. He picked up few wickets but those were the crucial ones in the late slog overs. He always brings passion and commitment to the team and it was evident in the finals too. He has much more to offer to the Indian team. Ratings: 8/10

R Ashwin – This young Chennai lad got the most popularity votes amongst all Indians. He was one member which entire nation wished played every game instead of the seamers. Dhoni always said he has the attitude to play the big games and Ashwin’s mettle was tested against Aussies. He came out in flying colors. Rating: 8/10

Zaheer Khan – He was the lynchpin of Indian attack. Leading wicket taker in the tournament, he bowled superbly with the new ball, old ball and any ball. The captain wanted wicket, he gave it to him. He not only performed above expectations but also helped himself by banishing those 2003 memories. Rating: 10/10

Munaf Patel – He made it to the Indian squad after impressive performances in South African tour. He did well in the world cup as well by bowling within his limits. He didn’t try anything flashy and kept the flow of runs under check. His contribution to the team winning in semi final cannot be counted out. Rating: 8/10

Ashish Nehra – He is the bowler who went from zero to hero in this world cup campaign. He was branded as villain after India’s loss to Saffers but he redeemed himself against Pakistan. He missed out in the finals because of broken finger but his place will also remain etched in history books for his heroic effort in the semi finals. Rating: 7/10

S Sreesanth – He will be obviously disappointed by his performance in the world cup. He needs to put his head in right place to become India’s spearhead bowler. His inclusion in the world cup also came as surprise to many and he will now know he has to fight for his place in this side. Rating: 4/10

Piyush Chawla – He was taken as an additional bowler with leg spin as variety to offer. He did well in the practice games against Australia and New Zealand and we all thought he will be the go-to man in the world cup. For a leg spinner, his googly is the secret weapon but for Piyush it was his predictable delivery. He got it all wrong and he too will have to go back and get his basics right to make place in this 11 member team. Rating: 4/10

Overall winning the world cup is a team effort so to entire team I would say it is a 10 on 10.

Now ofcourse players have to savour the victory and within a week turn up for playing the season 4 of the Indian Premier League. That’s the irony of whole thinf, the players who were unified in dressing room playing for the country will now battle each other in what promises to be 51 days of entertainment and celebration of Indian Cricket.
Cheers INDIA!!!