A post about the World Cup missing from a cricket freak… So, finally, here it is…
Woolmer murdered! Pakistan out! Records tumbling almost every second day. This had to be THE most happening cricket world cup ever! Yet, for some weird reason, this World Cup didn’t give any birth of excitement inside me. Almost every Indian is an eternal optimist when it comes to India at the World Cup. So, I joined the million others in ranking India as one of the favourites to bring home the cup.
But now I am just sad and disappointed. Just like the million others are! Not just because India showed their worst ever performance after 1979, but also because of the way a few Indian legends will bid adieu to the World Cup. It is indeed sad to see Sachin, Sourav, Rahul and Kumble go out to such a sad self-inflicted farewell.
Indians still had hopes of making it to the round of Super 8, despite the first loss. Memories of a slow start during the 2003 World Cup came back. But that team was different. They believed in being like Phoenix—rising from the ashes! This team was hit by the huge roadblock tried on them by a coach with his weird and ‘out of the box’ ideas. He called it the ‘process’. Every defeat (and there were many at that) was termed as a ‘learning experience’ for the youngsters. I am really sorry Mr. Process, but your two years of experimentation with the process cost us dear, broke our hearts and almost ruined the career of a best ever left-hander India has ever produced.
Post mortems will flow out in the media and a few questions will be raised and be left unanswered. Fingers will be pointed. ‘Dravid’s captaincy desired more’, ‘the process failed’, ‘Sachin should retire’, so on and so forth. What’s the point? We can only watch a worthy winner lift the trophy a month from now.
Woolmer murdered! Pakistan out! Records tumbling almost every second day. This had to be THE most happening cricket world cup ever! Yet, for some weird reason, this World Cup didn’t give any birth of excitement inside me. Almost every Indian is an eternal optimist when it comes to India at the World Cup. So, I joined the million others in ranking India as one of the favourites to bring home the cup.
But now I am just sad and disappointed. Just like the million others are! Not just because India showed their worst ever performance after 1979, but also because of the way a few Indian legends will bid adieu to the World Cup. It is indeed sad to see Sachin, Sourav, Rahul and Kumble go out to such a sad self-inflicted farewell.
Indians still had hopes of making it to the round of Super 8, despite the first loss. Memories of a slow start during the 2003 World Cup came back. But that team was different. They believed in being like Phoenix—rising from the ashes! This team was hit by the huge roadblock tried on them by a coach with his weird and ‘out of the box’ ideas. He called it the ‘process’. Every defeat (and there were many at that) was termed as a ‘learning experience’ for the youngsters. I am really sorry Mr. Process, but your two years of experimentation with the process cost us dear, broke our hearts and almost ruined the career of a best ever left-hander India has ever produced.
Post mortems will flow out in the media and a few questions will be raised and be left unanswered. Fingers will be pointed. ‘Dravid’s captaincy desired more’, ‘the process failed’, ‘Sachin should retire’, so on and so forth. What’s the point? We can only watch a worthy winner lift the trophy a month from now.
But then, all will be forgotten when India heads for the Twenty20 World Cup next year in South Africa. That will trigger a fresh ray of hope and prayers, but the team will have a new foreigner (read coach) on board and possibly a new leader too.
4 comments:
So true Blessen, Indians being eternal optimists when it comes to cricket at World Cup. When it comes to sports, I think India and Indians are known only for cricket though we play other games as well. It's high time, our cricket fans start looking at the game in its real perspective. Also the team should take it up seriously and not beam on victores of the past. We sure do not deserve to win the cup.
Saw the Australia-South Africa match yesterday. What a cracking performance!
I have always, always, always wondered what on earth makes people sit and watch a match that a group of people play and the same get paid big bucks for the same. What does the viewer get in the end???? I mean they're the ones who take the prize money home as well as the crores that they make from endorsements. Cricket is and always will remain a WEIRD game 4 me!!
i am not a cricket fan at all. ya, it hurt all the more coz they said that Sachin, who is one of the greatest cricketers, will go down in history without a world cup to his name.
tht is i guess the only thing that hurt!
I thought that was the saddest part...the way some legendary cricketers will be bidding adieu to the game. This was their last world cup and they failed to make it memorable.
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