It was 13th July 2002. Me, a young Cricket fan with India as the favorite team, was hopeful of a trophy. However, England came out and posted a 325! A score so mammoth at the time, that it deflated all hopes of a trophy almost immediately. And even though India had a great start with Ganguly and Sehwag going all guns blazing, it still seemed like an impossible mountain to climb. Such was the state of Indian cricket then, us, the young fans, did not have belief in the team to be a challenger to the mighty powers of the cricketing world. And when India was 140 odd for 5 and Tendulkar departed, I went to sleep, dejected and unable to eat food. The same old story was repeating itself. My favorite team was losing yet another big match.
Midway through my disturbed sleep, I was woken
up by Papa, an otherwise cricket critic who did not want his son to be
distracted from other priorities in life, for a game we never excelled in.
“Pushkin uth dekh India jeet rahi hai” he said, watching the
match alone as an exception. I was bewildered! I did not believe the words that
came out of his mouth until I ran out and saw the scoreline on the TV myself.
It was 250 odd, still for the loss of 5 and an unknown pair of Yuvraj Singh and
Mohammad Kaif were pulling off a heist! For the next 40 odd minutes, I sat and
witnessed the unimaginable! That last 2 run shot by Kaif followed by the
shirtless roar of Dada, will forever be etched in my memory. That night, the
new Team India, taught a young teenage mind, that it is not over unless it is
over. Taught the young Indians to dream and achieve what seems impossible. Gave
us hope that India can win and win from grave situations. Taught the nation to
support the team right till the end! Made us look upto our cricketing stars as
heroes in real life.
And it was with this hope that we started the
day on 23rd March 2003. It was the final of a World Cup which our
heroes Sachin, Sehwag, Ganguly, Dravid, Zaheer and others HAD to win for us!
The lead up to this day was nothing but ideal. India was coming off a terrible
tour of New Zealand and the start of the World Cup campaign itself was very
shaky. There was belief when our favorite captain declared just before the
World Cup that there is no reason why Tendulkar cannot open the innings again.
And Tendulkar did what he did best back then – instilled hope in the hearts of
the nation, hope that he will bring the cup home this time. The way he and the
rest of the team played after the first two matches, it made the cup seem
closer, it was ours to win! The media that morning, had already declared, that bees
saal baad, cup aayega!
So even though Zaheer went for 15 in the first
over of the match and Ponting decimated the Indian bowling with a 140 odd to
take Australia to 359, there was hope. Just 9 months back, we had pulled off a
win from the jaws of defeat. We had chased a 325. This Indian team was an
improved one and was dominant for the majority of the World Cup. The young
teenager me was ever so sure of our team chasing this down! And I had learnt
from July 2002 to never lose hope in my team. To
always watch till the end.
That 1st over caught and bowled by McGrath
shook me up. My hero, my God had just departed after a magnificent shot for 4,
leaving his team and the nation reeling. But there was hope. Sehwag and Ganguly
were playing well and we still had the heroes of Natwest in Yuvraj and Kaif to
come. I watched in hope initially and despair later as wicket after wicket fell
and we crumbled like a pack of cards. I watched till the end this time. Till we
had lost. Till my hero picked up the player of the tournament trophy, but not
the World Cup. Till the mighty Australian team, the “invincible in finals”
Australian team, picked up the World Cup trophy. This match left a scar on my
young teenage mind. A fear of facing Australia in the finals of big
tournaments.
Cut to 19th November 2023. India,
the most dominant team by a distance in the World Cup, was facing Australia in
the finals. 20 years later, it was probably the last opportunity for my
generation to see our heroes achieve the impossible - beat the invincible
Australia in a World Cup final. After all, the early teenagers of 2003, are in
mid 30s now and probably had the last chance to look up to players as OUR heroes. I probably don’t see myself having the same enthusiasm in 2027, the
teen-like passion that there was for last 20 years. I don’t see myself in 2027
watching ODI matches with never dying hope till the very end. For Kohli and
Rohit to win 2023 was the only way the scar of 2003 could be healed.
Ironically, this time again, our prime bowler
leaked 15 in the first over to reignite the wound of 2003. This time again an
Australian smashed a century to be the player of the match in a World Cup
final. This time again, the Indian batting crumbled under pressure. This time
again, the fear of playing Australia in a World Cup final made us underperform.
This time again, the player of the tournament did not get to lift the World
Cup. For a generation which grieved 2003, this could have been the only
redemption. Not to be…
