Just when MS Dhoni got run out. The final nail on India’s world cup campaign was bolted and put to rest. It was not as if after a mammoth total of 329 was comfortable to be chased from the start, but till he was at the crease, there was little hope left in all of us, cheering from our homes and the huge numbers at the stadium itself.
We lost to a better team. We did everything right in the whole tournament. Surprisingly, our bowling attack was the superstar of the lot. We fielded well and most of our batters also got good runs on the board. This, coming from a team which was not in the list of favourites of hardly any. Even when it was the defending Champions.
Perhaps the game against Pakistan set things up. The passion rose and so did the performance. Beating South Africa and in the manner which we did ? Well, the hopes of 1.2 Billion were now scaling new heights.
Nasser Hussain made a statement the other day, actually putting a question to Rahul Dravid while in the commentary box, “ Did India peaked too early?”. Along came the cheeky reply from Dravid, “It is better to peak early then not peak at all”. Of course, it was a friendly jibe by Jammy. Now, I do wonder, did we peaked too early ?
I’m no expert. Just a cricket fan and hence reading too much into all this, or about the momentum would be wrong.
Anyways, as we stand now, we lost our first game in this world cup. Heartbreaking ? Yes.
You can see people out with swords, blaming one or the other. To the bizzare extent that people have been blaming Anushka Sharma whole throughout the day, just when Kohli got out!! Call it “Just Kidding” or anything, it just goes to show how we are so used to blaming something on others. Especially, Women. Not just that, the “Most watched English News Channel” in India says, ” Shamed in Sydney”?!!! I mean shame on you for even bringing such words out of your sensationalizing news channel only looking for TRPs. Stand by your country, not just when they win, but also when they lose. More so, when they’ve played exceptional cricket in the whole tournament. And they were not bad even today!!
I enjoyed the Australian tour, even though we couldn’t win. I enjoyed this World cup, when we won. Today, I am definitely sad that we couldn’t reach the finals, but I’m content that we could reach this far.
I would just like to say, Thank you Team India for putting up a good show. Hope you’ve learnt a lot and in future, you’d make us proud, again.
Dhoni, you fought hard. But then there’s only so much a man can do. You are the hope for us and I’m glad that you are not retiring now. That statement at the presentation ceremony that you are not retiring brought a smile, and I’m thankful for that.
Thank you, Team India.