© Shailesh Nigam, Varun Khanna (for respective articles)
So, Pakistan are the new world champions of T20 cricket (or chaddi cricket, as my friend & co-blogger Varun would call it).
Did they deserve to win? I think they did, despite my being an Indian who would be the most unlikely supporter of anything Pakistani. Though I can also have a last laugh by saying in the same breath that India beat Pakistan in this very World Cup even before the first official ball was bowled in the championship. So, we’ve vanquished the eventual victors, and by that very logic are better than them. However, I do not wish to steal their thunder, and for once I will applaud them for their achievement.
The pre-tournament favourites for me were South Africa, Sri Lanka and India (not necessarily in the same order). However, there were other teams who gave two hoots to what I thought and came to the party. Both West Indies & Pakistan showed that they were hungry and ready to play big daddy. Amongst the early favourites, the South Africans did reach the semis but choked at that stage as they so often do (maybe they should get an automatic bypass to the finals the next time they qualify for finals in a championship, and then maybe they can lift a cup). Both Australia (who weren’t in anybody’s reckoning despite being the best team otherwise – I know I am playing with peril by saying this, but no arguments please) & India (the defending champs) withered away in the early stages to set up the final clash between Sri Lanka & Pakistan. Finally, the champion is a country that didn’t just deserve to win; it ‘needed’ to win badly.
The two finalists were nations whose cricketing destiny seems to be intertwined ever since the terrorist attack on Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore on 4th of March, 2009. Pakistan has been the pariah of cricket ever since. That they have been reduced to becoming touring cricketers, who are now forced to embark on a journey every time they want to play international cricket, since no nation wants to tour the terror-ridden Pakistan, has meant that they’ve not had too much going for them for some time now. They did need something to revive them, and for sure this victory is going to do wonders to the sport and the general feel-good factor in the country.
Sports has a way of creating a mood across any nation, and it finally reflects in the economy & general behavior of people. Is it because the people are generally happy after the victory, prone to partying & spending on self, family & friends? Or is it merely coincidental? Historic evidence suggests that every time Brazil has won the football world cup, their economy has received a huge boost. Indian cricket (and Indian confidence) really started looking up post the 1983 world cup win. When Italy won the FIFA Cup in 2006, for months it seemed that the nation was forever in a celebratory mood, and the economy went into 5th gear. Since it has happened so many times to so many nations, it can’t just be written off as a coincident. And I do hope this victory does something similar to Pakistan – they really need to have something to rejoice about. They need to come out of their closet and become a part of the developing world where terrorism has no place. They need to bask in the glory of what they have achieved, and not bicker over what was never theirs. They need to shun violence & hatred, and embrace friendship & goodwill towards others. They need to be seen as people who one can be friends with. History has given Pakistan an opportunity, and as a neighbour I do hope they grab this one.
Showing posts with label India. Show all posts
Showing posts with label India. Show all posts
Monday, June 22, 2009
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Dutch courage humbles the English in their own backyard
© Shailesh Nigam, Varun Khanna (for respective articles)
Dutch courage – what is it exactly? The term has its origins in naval warfare. In the old days, the Dutch navy was feared by all other navies because of the courage it demonstrated in fighting a sea battle. This was especially true during the Anglo-Dutch wars of the 17th & 18th centuries, when Netherlands & Britain were bitter rivals, and the Dutch were particularly dreaded by the British navy, and the Dutch East India Company was forever taking on the British East India Company in atrociously daring attacks. It was rationalized that such an attack could only be undertaken by a drunk man, who was not scared of anything at all. And thus, the phrase Dutch courage came into existence as a slang for courage gained from alcoholic intoxication.
Well yesterday, the Dutch proved once again that they have absolutely no fear of how strong the opposition may be, and especially Britain needs to be extremely wary when facing them. Were the Dutch cricketers drunk before the match or not, I do not know. What I can safely say is that they would definitely by drunk on the success of beating England, and Pakistan, who are next in their line, must be a worried lot.
Like Varun had written yesterday, predicting a winner in Twenty20 match is not an easy task. It is akin to predicting the future. There is only one problem though… the difficult aspect about predicting the future is that… uhm, it’s pretty difficult to predict. And as was demonstrated yesterday, this holds equally true for cricket. Or, at least, Twenty20 cricket.
Well, the tournament has begun with a huge upset, and that is the beauty of this game. One can never say who will win on a given day. Though, I also notice a trend thus far – most winners in practice matches and in the opener too are teams batting second. So, maybe, just after the toss, we can predict a winner most of the times. Hope Dhoni notices this too, and wins all tosses for India… starting with the one today, or we might witness yet another upset.
Dutch courage – what is it exactly? The term has its origins in naval warfare. In the old days, the Dutch navy was feared by all other navies because of the courage it demonstrated in fighting a sea battle. This was especially true during the Anglo-Dutch wars of the 17th & 18th centuries, when Netherlands & Britain were bitter rivals, and the Dutch were particularly dreaded by the British navy, and the Dutch East India Company was forever taking on the British East India Company in atrociously daring attacks. It was rationalized that such an attack could only be undertaken by a drunk man, who was not scared of anything at all. And thus, the phrase Dutch courage came into existence as a slang for courage gained from alcoholic intoxication.
Well yesterday, the Dutch proved once again that they have absolutely no fear of how strong the opposition may be, and especially Britain needs to be extremely wary when facing them. Were the Dutch cricketers drunk before the match or not, I do not know. What I can safely say is that they would definitely by drunk on the success of beating England, and Pakistan, who are next in their line, must be a worried lot.
Like Varun had written yesterday, predicting a winner in Twenty20 match is not an easy task. It is akin to predicting the future. There is only one problem though… the difficult aspect about predicting the future is that… uhm, it’s pretty difficult to predict. And as was demonstrated yesterday, this holds equally true for cricket. Or, at least, Twenty20 cricket.
Well, the tournament has begun with a huge upset, and that is the beauty of this game. One can never say who will win on a given day. Though, I also notice a trend thus far – most winners in practice matches and in the opener too are teams batting second. So, maybe, just after the toss, we can predict a winner most of the times. Hope Dhoni notices this too, and wins all tosses for India… starting with the one today, or we might witness yet another upset.
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
India are the World Champions of Cricket!!!
India are the World Champions of Cricket!!!
India are the World Champions of Cricket!!!
India are the World Champions of Cricket!!!
Well, it still hasn’t sunk in, and therefore the twice-repetition. Just when nobody expected them to win, Indians have finally emerged as the well-deserved suitors of this new, lively, nubile 20-only bride of cricket, and the honeymoon has just begun.
What a match? If ever, there was a match that swung more than the swingers of Irfan Pathan, it was this one. I almost had two heart attacks before the Indians romped home and picked up the trophy. But I think enough has been written, said, read & heard about the match, and whatever I may say now would only be old wine in a new bottle, and so I shall spare you the misery. What I will dwell upon are other aspects of India’s victory & what it augurs for Indian cricket.
First things first: this young Indian team has proved to everyone that they have absolutely no fear. The big stage fright does not weaken their nerves; in fact, it motivates them to higher levels. And playing & winning against Pakistan is just a small hurdle that can be cleared easily. Reputations do not matter; great play does – that is what epitomizes the team belief & is reflected in their spirit on the field. South Africa & Australia have already learnt their lesson the hard way – by being chucked out of the tournament just when they thought they were close to winning it. The message from the team clearly is, “Bring ‘em on and then some more!”
While Dhoni & his men have shown that they mean business, and are ready to rule the world, we must remember that this is T20. A traditional 50-overs a side one-day match is a completely different ball game, and they would do well not to get too carried away, and to be mentally & physically prepared for that as well. The taste of success can be very heady causing hangovers that take forever to get out of, and the team needs to be ready for the next challenge pretty soon. As regards tests, I think the team would be very different and would include the trinity of Sachin, Sourav & Rahul, but it would still be nice to have the boys who have performed be a part of the new-look India that has no past baggage to carry.
Coming to the trinity, I was fairly surprised to notice that none of them went to South Africa to cheer the team for the finals! After all, this was a world cup final, made even more interesting & important by the fact that it was against our arch-rivals, Pakistan. So, what were our seniors doing here sitting inside their homes watching the match on television? Why did they miss being a part of history – win or lose, it was going to be a historic moment for India? Why did they not cheer for the team from the stands? Did they rue the fact that they thought that T20 was frivolous and chose not to participate? Or were they jealous of this young team that has performed miracles without any of the top 3 being in the team, and could make them redundant in the small form of the game? I know that such thoughts should not colour my imagination, but what to do – my imagination is quite colourful!
Finally, I must admit that the slug-fest was quite entertaining. That India won the championship was an icing on the cake. And I am forced to take back my earlier opinion on bowlers being marauded in this crazy & cacophonic carnival of cricket. When it mattered the most, the bowlers did stand up to be counted and proved that when a batsman is hell-bent upon trying to hit every ball for a six, it is a good bowler, who practices his skill well, who can make a difference.
Well done India, and keep it up!
India are the World Champions of Cricket!!!
India are the World Champions of Cricket!!!
Well, it still hasn’t sunk in, and therefore the twice-repetition. Just when nobody expected them to win, Indians have finally emerged as the well-deserved suitors of this new, lively, nubile 20-only bride of cricket, and the honeymoon has just begun.
What a match? If ever, there was a match that swung more than the swingers of Irfan Pathan, it was this one. I almost had two heart attacks before the Indians romped home and picked up the trophy. But I think enough has been written, said, read & heard about the match, and whatever I may say now would only be old wine in a new bottle, and so I shall spare you the misery. What I will dwell upon are other aspects of India’s victory & what it augurs for Indian cricket.
First things first: this young Indian team has proved to everyone that they have absolutely no fear. The big stage fright does not weaken their nerves; in fact, it motivates them to higher levels. And playing & winning against Pakistan is just a small hurdle that can be cleared easily. Reputations do not matter; great play does – that is what epitomizes the team belief & is reflected in their spirit on the field. South Africa & Australia have already learnt their lesson the hard way – by being chucked out of the tournament just when they thought they were close to winning it. The message from the team clearly is, “Bring ‘em on and then some more!”
While Dhoni & his men have shown that they mean business, and are ready to rule the world, we must remember that this is T20. A traditional 50-overs a side one-day match is a completely different ball game, and they would do well not to get too carried away, and to be mentally & physically prepared for that as well. The taste of success can be very heady causing hangovers that take forever to get out of, and the team needs to be ready for the next challenge pretty soon. As regards tests, I think the team would be very different and would include the trinity of Sachin, Sourav & Rahul, but it would still be nice to have the boys who have performed be a part of the new-look India that has no past baggage to carry.
Coming to the trinity, I was fairly surprised to notice that none of them went to South Africa to cheer the team for the finals! After all, this was a world cup final, made even more interesting & important by the fact that it was against our arch-rivals, Pakistan. So, what were our seniors doing here sitting inside their homes watching the match on television? Why did they miss being a part of history – win or lose, it was going to be a historic moment for India? Why did they not cheer for the team from the stands? Did they rue the fact that they thought that T20 was frivolous and chose not to participate? Or were they jealous of this young team that has performed miracles without any of the top 3 being in the team, and could make them redundant in the small form of the game? I know that such thoughts should not colour my imagination, but what to do – my imagination is quite colourful!
Finally, I must admit that the slug-fest was quite entertaining. That India won the championship was an icing on the cake. And I am forced to take back my earlier opinion on bowlers being marauded in this crazy & cacophonic carnival of cricket. When it mattered the most, the bowlers did stand up to be counted and proved that when a batsman is hell-bent upon trying to hit every ball for a six, it is a good bowler, who practices his skill well, who can make a difference.
Well done India, and keep it up!
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