At 11.30 AM, on May 29, 1953, Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay became the first climbers to confirm the conquest of Mount Everest. But what is the connection between that historical event and a World Cup semi-final set to be played between India and New Zealand some 70 years later at the Wankhede Stadium?
The answer lay in a question that was asked at the pre-match press conference to the New Zealand skipper, Kane Williamson. The question went on the lines of, “On May 29, 1953, about 70 years back…” Even before the reporter could complete it, Williamson quipped, “I remember.”
Obviously, Williamson said it in a light-hearted manner as he was born some 37 years after the event. But his relaxed approach indicated how New Zealand were going to approach taking on an unbeaten Indian side. They would embrace the pressure of playing in a big match and not worry too much about the final outcome.
At that stage of the presser, there was also a brief interruption because of technical issues. When it resumed, the reporter concluded by comparing the difficulty of climbing Mount Everest to facing the Indian juggernaut in the World Cup. Just when Williamson was about to answer, there was another interruption.
Amid all the confusion, Williamson once more gave a glimpse of his lighter side by saying, “Hello mic check, mic check, mic check. It might be the only question. I’ll answer it five different ways.”
After all the light-hearted moments, it was back to business as usual. The New Zealand skipper acknowledged the fact that the players wouldn’t just have to prepare for the daunting task of taking on India, but also have to brace themselves to play in front of a massive home crowd. “We are expecting a fairly blue crowd that will be supporting their team,” he said. “No doubt, they will be very passionate about that. At the same time, as players, when you get opportunities to play in front of those crowds as well, it’s special.
“We remember over the years, at a number of different venues, we have played in front of fans who are not supporting us. We have a small country that doesn’t always fill out the stadiums, but you still appreciate the atmosphere that it brings. I am sure it will be a good one tomorrow.”
Williamson then succinctly observed that the league stage was now a part of history books, and they needed to press the refresh button for the knockout phase. “Come finals time, everything starts again,” he said. “It’s great to have got to the final stages and then take a fresh approach, because it does start again.
“Prior to that, you’re really focusing on six weeks of good cricket to hold you in good stead at the back end of the round-robin phase. Teams work hard to get to this stage: they have to play a lot of good cricket within the format of the tournament to get here, over such a long period of time.”
In almost every press conference, a New Zealand cricketer would likely end up answering a near-compulsory question – the underdog status attached to the side. By now, Williamson must be used to replying to it. “The underdog thing – from what you guys [the press] write, I don’t think it has changed too much,” he said. “But that’s fine, and India have been exceptional: one of, if not the best team going around, and playing cricket that matches that.
“But we know as well, on our day, when we play our best cricket, it certainly gives us the best chance. And, come finals time, anything can happen… It’s very much a focus on our cricket again: we’ve played some good cricket throughout, we’ve had a couple of narrow losses and a few wins along the way which have put us in this position we’re in.”
Maybe Williamson and his teammates will take some inspiration from Sir Hillary’s achievement and upset the applecart. Or something that is a part of New Zealand’s cricket history. It was also in 1953 that Bert Sutcliffe, with his head swathed in bandages, and Bob Blair, who had just lost his fiancée in a train accident back home, added 33 runs against the fearsome Neil Adcock on a dicey Johannesburg pitch to go past the follow-on target against South Africa.