Yes indeed!!! Almost 1.1 billion people with partial or imperfect sleep after the ICT’s (Indian Cricket Team) debacle in the World cup, losing to minnows Bangladesh lead to a dream - a dream of achieving something better; something that can console millions of broken hearts; something that the current generation can cherish and pass on to the next generation.
With the stalwarts out of the arena for a little while, owing to opportunity to new blood; with the tag of an underdog entering a new venture; with the stamp of “chokers” at the big stage; with the least of odds to win a competition, what Team India did at the Wanderers winning the inaugural ICC World Twenty20 was a dream come true for every Indian Cricket fan.
India was not the side with the strongest team on paper. It was neither a side whose batting order ran till no. 9 in the line up nor a team with 5 all-rounders, but definitely proved to be a team to be with 11 like-minded individuals destined to perform as a cohesive unit throughout the tournament.
India was never the front runner to win the shortened version of the game as we were “not known” to perform under pressure and that too with only 20 overs to show your mettle and come out winning is definitely something. India proved everyone wrong including Ravi Shastri who commented in Cricinfo “Although my heart says India, my logic goes for Australia” just before the semi-finals.
With the likes of Australia, South Africa, England, and Sri Lanka out of the team tournament (75% courtesy to India), it was left to India and Pakistan to fight it out in the finals. It was an amazing game of cricket, with the arch-rivals competing with each other in every department of the game.
It was a roller-coaster ride for 180 minutes and the momentum was shifting back and forth after every 5 minutes. If Pakistan did well to restrict India to a low score (in the context of the game), India did equally well to take wickets at regular intervals and push the Pakistan batsmen to the back foot.
Some loose shots played by their batsmen and some loose deliveries by the Indian bowlers and suddenly there was amplified blood-pressure and increase in the pulse rate. Thanks to some big-hitting by Misbah Ul-Haq and Sohail Tanvir; from nowhere these guys with their lusty blows took Pakistan towards an unlikely win against the much favored ICT.
It was match down to the wire and worth every second and penny spent on it. With 13 runs to score from 6 balls, I had my fingers crossed like any other cricket lover – but from inside praying for India to win the humdinger. A wide delivery, followed by a six over long off from the extra delivery – what else can you ask for from an India-Pakistan finals. And then came the moment of joy for India with Misbah trying to loft it over short fine leg, but Sreesanth was promptly standing there to take all Indians over cloud nine.
After months of prolonged criticism about the Indian Cricket Team and after futile debates over the composition of the team, the men in blue came up triumphant.
Go-India-Go!!!
And now about the title:
As most of you know, I am ardent fan of movies (apart from sports) and just wanted to relate this dream working for the ICT (Indian Cricket Team) with the movie production house DreamWorks SKG. ;-)
