Saurav Ghosal
Now, let’s just go and win it all!
A Cricket World Cup final brings along a sense of expectation. Though this Indian team knows what pressure is, this is a bit different. Everything is just amped up a notch. Every shot and every ball will be scrutinised more if it is even possible! A lot has already been said and will be said leading up to the marquee game on Sunday, with everyone having an opinion on where the match will be won or lost.
I am sure the Indian team would cut out all the outside noise. Trust in the routine that has served it so well during the tournament. Have the confidence in the process that has brought it this close to sporting immortality. Visualise the different scenarios that could arise, but mostly the negative ones, so that it is prepared to deal with whatever is thrown its way.
I will be the first to admit that I didn’t expect India’s Cricket World Cup to turn out the way it has. That line of thinking has its basis in the team’s performances over the last couple of years. I genuinely believed we had a great shot at winning the title in our own backyard, but the dominance on the show over the last six weeks has surprised me pleasantly.
We have been blessed with high-quality individuals for a long time but haven’t quite been able to produce that form at ICC tournaments. It feels like this team is truly playing as a sum of its parts, and when those parts include genuine match winners, you have a concoction that can achieve greatness.
Rohit Sharma deserves all the praise he is getting for the intent he has shown at the top of the innings. For a while, it might have looked like his best days as a batsman were behind him. So, for him to play with such gay abandon and selflessness up front is even more impressive.
This has allowed Virat Kohli to do what he does best – build an innings and make his form count. No one in world cricket does it better than him, and India could not be luckier to have him follow on from what Sachin Tendulkar did for so long!
To me, Mohammed Shami has been the surprise package of this team, and we owe our victories to him in no small measure. He has been the go-to man for Rohit Sharma whenever we have needed a wicket. The supporting cast has played superlatively as well, with everyone chipping in when most required.
Coincidentally, the last team to achieve such distinction was the great Australian team that beat us in the final of the 2003 edition. Australia has had its back to the wall for most of the tournament but has found a way to get through.
Glenn Maxwell’s knock against Afghanistan is the definite standout performance from its ranks but a lot of credit must also go to Pat Cummins for the way he has led this team. Australia’s cricket gives me the vibe of Germany in football. Come the World Cup, Australians always stand up to be counted. It’s no surprise then, that they are vying for their sixth title win!
Yet, I am sure the Indians will believe that they have the pedigree to come out on top no matter what. Be grateful for everything because it is living every Indian’s dream. Most importantly, I am sure the team will enjoy the occasion because it doesn’t come around very often. If cricket is a religion in India, Sunday is undoubtedly the biggest festival of the last decade.
Playing the World Cup final in India is the big celebration everyone wanted. The agonising wait of 12 long years since winning the coveted trophy in 2011 makes it all the more special. It doesn’t get much bigger than this! Now is the time for the team to just go and win it all!