My parents first bought a TV home on December 25, 1984. In the last four decades I have seen almost all the international cricket that has featured the Indian Men’s Cricket Team and has been broadcast live in India, even getting up for games in New Zealand starting at 2.30 in the morning in New Zealand. And that’s quite a lot.
But I have never seen a game like this. 30 runs required of 30 balls and six wickets in hand. And Henrik Klaasen going like the whole town was about to burn down, and he had to catch the last plane out.
Who doesn’t win from such a situation in this day and age?
It was the end. Done and dusted. Over and out. Khallas. Finish. Khatam. Tak taka tak.
India would have lost yet another World Cup final in a matter of seven months and a few days.
Virat Kohli’s slow inning would have been blamed. 76 of 59 balls. He would have also probably played his last T20 international, at least that’s what I thought until 30 mins back.
Suryakumar Yadav’s lack of runs in clutch games would also have been offered as a reason for India’s loss. In fact, it already has been. The Malayalis would have said they didn’t play Sanju…ye to hona hi tha…
Or the fact that Rohit Sharma should have bowled Hardik when he bowled Axar—an over which almost put India out of the game—given that the spinners had already gone for too many runs by then.
Some commentators who have been commentating as long as I have been watching cricket would have said that India should have sent Hardik before Shivam Dubey. Mr Pandya barely got any balls to bat.
Meme makers would have talked about lucky generals or the fact that Rahul Dravid had never won the World Cup. Which is why need Gautam Gambhir as the next coach, some Hindi commentators would have said. And even more frivolous reasons would have been offered.
But everything is obvious once you know the answer. And things didn’t turn out as they seemed they would, even after I had switched off my TV and was following the game on Cricinfo–the heart can only take so much.
Bumrah did Bumrah things, which Sanjana will now ask him about on ICC Digital’s Instagram feed.
Arshadeep—who very quietly has accumulated 79 wickets in T20 internationals and already become one of India’s most successful T20 bowlers—chipped in.
Surya took a catch that one can possibly see only once in a lifetime. And Hardik’s lack of time with the bat was more than made up for by his time with the ball.
Meanwhile, Virat did Virat things, saved his best for the last with the bat, and drummed all up the support that India needed on the ground. He got the adrenaline going.
Rohit Sharma batted both Australia and England out of the tournament, without which we wouldn’t played this great final game, in the end telling us that cricket is a team game. There will be be greats but it takes 11 individuals to win a cricket match on most days.
In the end, We Won. Hum jeet gaye. Though for those looking to cash in on it, the victory came a few months late.
And chokers continued to remain chokers! And in all this, where does that leave Ishan Kishan—that Pandey ji ka beta?
