2nd April 2011,
A date that will always be etched in the memory of every Indian cricket lover. A day when the entire nation celebrated a festival irrespective of their religion. A day when the dreams of billions of Indians across the globe were fulfilled. A day when we brought home the trophy after 28 long years.
It was the first time in the history of cricket that two Asian countries met each other at a World Cup final. The match was scheduled to be played at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium. This World Cup Final was going to be Master Blaster Sachin's last world cup and it was also MS Dhoni's first ODI world cup final as a captain.
I can recall what this day was like, 10 years back. A 10-year-old little girl anxiously sitting in front of the television with her hands folded and lips sealed. All she could understand about cricket were its basic rules. She only knew what a boundary and wicket meant.
During the first innings of the 2011 World Cup Finale game, with every boundary that was added to Sri Lanka's scoreboard, the little girl's heart would beat so fast that she thought it would explode. And with every wicket that came into India's pocket, she would take a sigh of relief. As if some kind of heavyweight had been lifted from her heart.
That girl, so blindly in love for her team and sport crossed all levels of logical boundaries to make them win. From ringing god's doorbell to sitting like a statue to believing in every superstition that she could. She did it all. Although the target set by
During the 2nd Innings of the game, it was India's chance to bat. India had to chase a total of 275 runs in 50overs to bring home the cup. To everyone's disappointment, India lost its 1st wicket during the very first over! The master departed for the final time with only 18 runs in his pocket. It was that moment when that little girl again started praying. She made all possible deals she could with god - ' God, if you make India win, I will drink milk every day ' or ' i will study every day '.
Gautam Gambhir brought stability to the game with a good 97 runs in 122 balls. Virat's dismissal made our captain cool step up and take the responsibility of finishing the game. Dhoni and Yuvraj put up an extremely strong partnership front and eventually took the total to 277 and brought home the World Cup.
That little girl who was just 10 in 2011 is 20 today. What she heard as the commentary 10 years back is still etched in her memory. These words by Ravi Shastri keeps ringing in every Indian cricket lovers ears -
"Dhoni finishes off in style!
A magnificent strike into the crowd
India lift the World Cup after 28 years!
The party start in the dressing room
And its an Indian Captain who's been absolutely magnificent
in the night of the final"
Comments