Cricket's “Holy Grail”

After the trauma of being ousted in the first round of the last world cup in the Carribean, the fight for the game’s ultimate glory, reached the Indian sub-continent this year and India started their campaign in style against co-hosts Bangladesh. Following a near loss and a loss, India made it to the knock out phase to meet old foes Australia that really set the tone for the rest of the tournament. India raised the level of the game just when it mattered and beat the Aussies without great difficulty. The prince (not of Kolkata) rose to the occasion and that celebration just after hitting the winning runs will, long be remembered for the intensity and the fact that how much it meant for each of them to win the cup. Next in line was probably the biggest match in probably the last six world cups that I could remember. India Vs Pakistan in a World Cup Semi-Final. It just could not get any bigger than that.

The match lived up to its expectations and India after losing their way in the middle, came back strongly to beat the men in green. Sri Lanka on the other half of the draw had a comparatively easier campaign and defeated England and New Zealand quite comfortably in the quarters and the semis, respectively.

The final was a real humdinger with India starting strongly and then losing the plot towards the end of the Sri Lankan innings. The Lankans led by an absolutely stunning performance from the out-of-form, Mahela Jayawardane, notched up 91 runs in the last ten overs to post 274 in their 50 overs. It was a very good effort and India had to really play out of their skin to not only defeat Sri Lanka but also history as no team had chased 274 successfully in a world cup final and no team had won it as a host country. India started its innings on a bad note with both Sehwag and Sachin falling cheaply but the young guns rose to the occasion. Gautam Gambhir first partnered with Virat Kohli and then the Skipper, who came in at No 4 ahead of Yuvraj and played an absolute blinder . He made 91 of just 79 balls that not only sealed India’s victory but also pipped Gambhir’s 97 for the Man of the Match award. M.S.Dhoni led by example giving an exemplary display of batting under immense pressure to etch his name along with some all time great captains like Kapil Dev, Clive Lloyd, Imran Khan and Ricky Ponting.

That picture of the Indian team with the World Cup of 2011 will remain etched in my mind for ever. It has given India’s “Next Gen” a chance to experience the euphoria and ecstasy when the team scales the summit. This has also given the greatest cricketer of India the one thing that was missing from his long list of achievements, the winning medal of the Cricket World Cup

mrigank roy

With the onset of dusk on the first Monday of 2010, one more day had passed and the wait was nothing less than agonizing. I had just had my dinner and after speaking to Mishti I thought of retiring for the day. Various thoughts of how things would turn out, on the big day, clogged my mind and I don’t know when I had fallen asleep with those thoughts. When Mishti called up at three in the morning, the next day, I knew that the wait was probably coming to an end and perhaps, the “big day” had arrived.

A few phone calls later I had reached my in-laws’ place and after seeing Mishti in utter discomfort, I knew that my wait to become a father was slowly but surely coming to an end. After the initial confirmation from the doctor, Mishti was admitted to the maternity ward of the local nursing home at around seven in the morning. The pain had slowly begun to take its toll and gradually, it was getting from bad to worse. I was with her throughout till the time the doors were finally closed for me, at around ten.

It was I and Mamoni (My mother-in-law) who were outside, patrolling the corridor in another agonizing wait, hoping for the pain to give way to tears of joy. I was then joined by maa and other relatives. I was then advised by everyone to come back after a quick bite as it may be a long day ahead. Reluctantly, I went down and once I came back, I heard, “It’s a Boy” and my joy knew no bounds. I remember that I just had a smile on my face and was relieved that all went well. When the nurse came out of the ward with my son and handed him over to me, I was transfixed and didn’t know what to say. He had only one eye open, so I asked the nurse if he is fine or is he the next “Captain Haddock”. That was definitely the most unforgettable and the happiest moment of my life. Today Mrigank is one year old and the “Circle of Life” continues…