A man lives his whole life trying to do something meaningful, worthwhile in his life and most of us rarely find that illusive meaningful something ever. And that is why when MSD took control of the situation and his fate in that Final, one could sense a feeling of achievement never felt before. Very few men could do that, even the almighty warriors before him had tried and failed. Even the better and the more tested have waited their lifetime and could never get this.
In that light what the "minnows" of Indian cricket did that day would always inspire the nation. It wasnt the god SRT or the bulldozer of Sehwag or the sheer class of Yuvraj with the bat that did the job, it was the ever improving Virat, limited yet sensational craft of Gambhir and a calm touch of Dhoni that did it for India in the Final. And mind you it came after a dismal and utter waste of team place bowling from Sreesanth, some real class from Mahela and a brilliant late order slog for Srilanka.
It was remarkable world cup in another sense too. You could recognize a pattern in play for India. When it was batting first, the top two would more often than not deliver the goods, when it came to chasing the middle order did what was required, when it was crunch time Zak and Yuvi got the crucial breakthroughs and when it came to tightening the situation Bhajji and Munaf were there. It was as if everybody had a role and they played it perfectly. It almost looked like a perfectly executed drama.
And the director of the drama deserves every bit of credit for that. He is the Midas man of Cricket. Everything he touches turns to gold and no one can claim it to be fluke. It takes planning , preparation, innovation, risk taking ability and the calm head under pressure to do what he has been able to do. It takes a big heart to accept the mistakes and get on with life. It takes a lot for a boy from small town to come and rule this world the way he has over the last 4 years. He does what many would have never believed they could, he thinks as if nothing is out of his reach, he plans as if nothing else could happen, he executes a plan with a ridiculous ease, and he pulls out a surprise when you least expect him to. Whatever happens to him after this, his innings of 91 in final would stay on as the best innings of the tournament for me.
Every director has his preferred actor, the one he trusts on even though he is going through some trouble, keeps up with him when no one else believes in him. Yuvi was one such actor for MSD and how well did Yuvi respond to the captain. He found the place in the team because there was no other left arm spinner in the team, but as the tournament went along became the old Yuvraj we all know. His bowling was immaculate, accurate and mostly very thoughtful. His batting on the other hand was cautious, laborious and gritty. He slowly found confidence that he has long lacked, and as in T20 WC he played his best knock against Aus which really turned the tables for him and the country. Two WC wins, and man of the series in both of them is not a bad accomplishment for the spoilt brat of Indian cricket.
And of course when you talk about world cup, you have to talk about Him. No one does it better than Him at this stage, no one will ever do any better and no one deserved this win more than Him. Times have changed in Indian cricket, the coaches, the methods, the captains, the team has changed over the years. Only one thing has stayed the same, and that is a sheer ability of this great genius to churn out one good performance after another. Here too he took India to security in the early stages when team looked most vulnerable, and dished out a lucky yet mighty effective 85 against Pak in Semis when some others couldn't even reach 50. That for me was his innings of tournament. He has walked, talked, carried Indian cricket for long and it was only fitting that he lifted the trophy in his hometown after taking the whole world in his grasp.
What SRT brought in batting, Zak brought in bowling. The leadership, the skill, the planning and the execution all fell in place. He delivered when team needed it the most and delivered it with such an impact that the team lifted itself from there on. His performance against Eng is well documented but for me ball of the tournament was the one he bowled to get rid of Mr Cricket. The slow cutter that stumped the best was a moment to cherish.
During the tournament when Munaf bowled Razzaq, or when Raina and Yuvi took it to Lee and Tait, when SRT showed Swann what it means to play against India as a spinner, or when Sehwag tormented Bangladeshi's and later Umar Gul, or when Gambhir scored that priceless 97 in the final or when Harbhajan got Afridi, all of India took all these moments and stored them in one separate compartment of brain. That for them are the memories for lifetime. With them they will tell their grandchildren how impossible was made possible and how history was made in their own backyard against all odds by these few brave young men.
It takes a lifetime for a country to take such a turn around, and that's why when the Midas man and co. did it in less than 4 years everybody is ought to be awestruck. Lets not forget a lot of them are still just kids, and so when kids do make their parents feel proud, parents generally have tears of joy in their eyes, and that's why when India achieved the crowning glory on that fateful day in Mumbai, a lot of Indians had tears in their eyes too.
No I still cant believe it has happened, no I really cant.
