Team India

Sometimes, a picture is worth a thousand words.

The Script of Fate

"I walked five hundred miles and I will walk five hundred more, just to be the man who walks a thousand miles and falls down at your door."

Sachin Tendulkar, too, has walked a thousand or perhaps a million miles before coming to Mumbai for this game. The most enviable story in the history of independent India started years ago in the background of India's maiden world cup win when a 10 year old schoolboy of Shardashram Vidyamandir thought that he should play for India one day. He had to wait for six more years to realize his dream and what happened after that is the most frequently recited folklore in world cricket.

In the six years, however, a tender-aged Sachin would travel from Bandra to Shivaji Park to practice cricket. The tiny boy would occasionally go to the MIG club and the Azad Maidan to play matches. He would have to travel hard across Mumbai just as any other common man in the city. He would love to eat the Vada Paav so much so that whenever Sachin scored a hundred, his friend Vinod Kambli would gift him one. He was, and most likely still is, a huge fan of sea food, particularly the Bombay Duck - a type of fish endemic to the city of Mumbai. Although Tendulkar started touring the world with team India at the tender age of sixteen, his connection to the city of Mumbai is undeniable. This is where he grew up. His food habits, his first lesson of cricket, his school, his coach, his family and friends, his house, his childhood, his faint memories of being a nobody all converge at the city of Mumbai.

It may be a play of fate, a diligently scripted classic, that has put the great Sachin Tendulkar before his home crowd, in his home city, to win the only glory in world cricket that has eluded him not once but five times. The story is similar to a warrior's who, after conquering the whole world, comes back home to fight the last battle of his life. Sachin Tendulkar's 100th hundred today might be the greatest subscript ever written. Truth is stranger than fiction and this could be the best chance for fate to take its powerplay and play the best it could.

You do not win the cup for an individual and win it for the team, and Sachin Tendulkar, by every stretch of imagination, is a player deserving to be a part of a world cup winning squad. Would it be the perfect climax to the greatest tale cricket has ever told the world, or will it be a morbid anti-climax that will reside painfully in the minds of many? About nine more hours separate us from finding the answer to this conundrum and we shall all be eagerly waiting for it to turn out our way.

Whatever happens today will not make me rate Sachin Tendulkar any lesser than what I do now. He is the only thing on the planet that has constantly challenged my atheism. After all, he is the greatest there was, there is, and there will ever be.

Whose Cup Is It Anyway?

This is the closest I have seen India to a world cup. Just to remind you, I started watching cricket in 1996, and although India has played a world cup final after that, only a play of fate or the magic of Sachin could have had them beat the mighty Aussies then. Both, as we know, did not work and India remained a deserving runner-up. Today, the 2nd of April, 2011 can be the greatest day in Indian cricket along with 25th June, 1983. Yes, this will be the first of the three finals that India have played where they will start as favourites. The excitement was never greater.

Although Sri Lanka are a competitive team in the subcontinent and it is very difficult to choose between the two teams, I think India will have a slight advantage. This advantage is much thinner than the one they had over Pakistan and perhaps just a little thinner than the one they enjoyed over Australia. Strange as it may sound, when it comes to rating Asutralia, Pakistan and Sri Lanka independently, I might put the Lankans right down the list. Maybe because I personally dislike their game or maybe because that is how things are. But when it comes to playing against India, as of today, I think Sri Lanka would have the best chance of winning against India among those three.

India and Sri Lanka are structurally so dissimilar that it is hard to accept that they are so closely matched when one considers the overall strength of both the teams. Indian batting, as we all have seen, is by far better than its Sri Lankan counterpart. On the spin-friendly pitch that Wankhede is going to produce, Sri Lanka will enjoy a great advantage over India when it comes to bowling. Murali, even a 50% fit Murali, can be more lethal than any other bowler in the world on such a track. As I had said in a few posts even before the start of the tournament, spin will always play a vital role in the subcontinent no matter how much we talk about the batting-friendly new-age tracks. We have seen it happen right through the tournament and we will see it again today. Yes, both the teams play spin well and blah blah! but didn't we have the epic India-Pakistan game turning a bit?

One more thing about Wankhede is that the team batting first will enjoy a great advantage tomorrow. Primarily because it is going to be a low, turning track and secondarily because chasing can be mentally tough considering the grandeur of the match and the pressure it inflicts on the players.

India are here after struggles and memorable victories in the toughest of the battles that the tournament could have them fight. They have taken the road full of thorns to reach the final. They peaked at the right time after a decent yet partly shaky group stage performance and beat the 12-year world champions and their arch-rivals in two consecutive knockout games. On the other hand, Sri Lanka have walked on a bed of roses to reach the grand stage. They have beaten New Zealand twice and have thrashed England in the quarter-final. Both their knockout games were no more than a mere cakewalk at home. Hence, whoever wins, I believe, India deserve the cup better.

5 out of 6 of my knockout predictions have been precise, the only bad one being that of the third quarter-final. Today, as has been with India's games previously as well, it is a very close call. I won't be surprised if it turns out to be a nail-biter. Yet, I predict a 60:40 to India before the game starts.

With a whirlpool of excitement bustling in my mind, I have come to a point where all the analysis resigns itself. All that matters now after the one and a half months of spectacular journey is at the most 100 overs. 100 overs will decide who lifts the cup in the city of dreams. For the first time in history, we know for sure before the match begins that it is going to be an Asian country. However, it is immeasurable how much my heart wants it to be the larger of the two.

2nd Semi Final: More Than a Match

In this cricket-infested country there is virtually nobody who is indifferent to the game but there are many who, if I can politely say it, have a restricted understanding of it. There also are a plenty who might not understand the technicalities of the game and would not consider the cricket world cup as something of immense importance. Yes, there is a large variety of people in India. However, when it comes to an India-Pakistan game, there is no pair of eyes in either of the countries that fails to have a glimpse. I have seldom seen folks, disinterested in the game of cricket, discussing it with such remarkable fervour. Moreover, when the stage is as big as the semi-final of the world cup, the craze is just indescribable.

Mohali was the stage for a game that was second in magnitude only to the final of the world cup. For some, it was even bigger than the final. As we often see in both India and Pakistan, there is no impure opportunity, that is missed by the politicians and the media. Unfortunately, the pristine match between the old rivals was no exception. And amidst the chaotic blend of fanatical spectators, opportunistic politics, and air-tight security started a game that was watched by a number of people that could easily outnumber the population of most of the countries on the planet - even that of a few continents if I'm not making a miserable mistake in geography.

The vital toss that was won by India was followed by an Indian innings that started with Sehwag's exuberant stroke-play. He smashed 5 fours to amass 21 runs of Umar Gul's second and the third over of the innings. As a result, Umar Gul, arguably Pakistan's best bowler in the tournament, endlessly struggled for line and length. Every bit of confidence in him was shattered by that merciless assault by Virender Sehwag and India quickly set off to a flier.

The violent cameo ended with a beautiful delivery from an unknown Wahab Riaz that hid the swing on it till very late before snatching an lbw that led to sighs of relief across Pakistan. At the other end, as usual, was the master in the run for another finely placed knock. Gautam Gambhir joined the king in an attempt to carry the Indian innings forward. All went fine for India as they looked to be marching towards at least 300 on a pitch that many had misread to be a belter.

It was an over by Sajeed Ajmal that brought the rarest of the moments in the game. Sachin Tendulkar - yes, Sachin Tendulkar - was deceived twice in two consecutive deliveries and survived a lethal lbw appeal followed by an appeal for an unimaginably close stumping. The first one was the regular off break which the master failed to read the turn on and was struck on the pads. The very next one was an attempted wrong one or the doosra - which did not turn at all - which Sachin treated like an off break. After this, started one of the shakiest knocks I have ever seen from the master. Nonetheless, he hung in there and also played a few fantastic strokes in between but offered chances to the fielders fairly regularly which they failed to grab on four occasions. Dropping someone of Sachin Tendulkar's stature four times was a sin that the Pakistanis eventually paid for. A Sachin who was far from his fluent best finally gave it up after scoring a trembling 85 (Mind you, he still top-scored in the match). His struggle was a clear indication of the fact that the pitch was far from being a belter.

After the first 10 overs, the wicket had slowed down and was allowing a lot of turn. Before Tendulkar got out, Gambhir was stumped on 27. Kohli and Yuvraj were gotten rid of in two consecutive deliveries - both carrying some late swing on them and the second one, the one that bowled Yuvraj out on the first ball he faced, gently reminding us of Wasim Akram. Dhoni offered some resistance and played a wise yet unmoving knock of 25 to offer Raina some company. Suresh Raina, however, seemed to be a different batsman since his memorable knock against Australia and played a superb unbeaten knock of 36 from 39 to push India to 260.

Pakistan should have been delighted to have not allowed India to reach even 275 and could have been bustling in confidence at the innings break but the other half had a different story to tell.

Kamran Akmal started off in a Sehwagish manner with a boundary through the covers and Pakistan looked well placed at 44 for no loss before he fell to Zaheer Khan. At 70-1, Mohammad Hafeez played the most irresponsible shot of the world cup to get caught behind off a Munaf Patel delivery. Asad Shafiq formed a decent stand with Yunis Khan to carry the Pakistani innings forward but was left with broken stumps in a poor attempt of cutting a quicker one from Yuvraj Singh. The Indians were fielding like the South Africans and were bowling tight as Glenn McGrath. As a result, the asking rate was slowly increasing. Yunis Khan was stagnated at a poor 13 from 32 deliveries and was forced to play bad shot in a desperate attempt to score runs only to get caught by the fielding livewire called Suresh Raina. With him, fell many Pakistani hopes of a maiden world cup win against India although a fighter called Misbah was still at the crease.

The talented Umar Akmal showed some flamboyance with the bat as he launched onto some Indian spin and looked to be in fine shape to rebuild the Pakistani innings with Misbah before he fell to what was the ball of the innings to me. Harbhajan Singh, coming around the wicket to the right hander for the first ball of his new spell, bowled a quicker one that pitched on length and knocked Umar Akmal's off stump off. The incident left Pakistan struggling for momentum as Misbah, at one point, was batting on an inexplicably slow 10 off 30 balls. The mindless hitters in Razzaq and Afridi were to follow but the former was bowled out by a slower one from Munaf Patel that had hints of swing and the latter went for a hopeless slog only to get caught by Sehwag. The tail had little role to play as Misbah watched from the other end. He then accelerated and also played a few good shots that must have gently threatened the Indians but by that time, it was too late and all over for Pakistan.

India surprisngly found their criminals bowlers - Munaf Patel and Aashish Nehra - on the delightful side of the game as they bowled out of their skin. Nehra gave just 33 away from his 10 and picked up 2 wickets and Munaf gave just 40 in 10 to pick up his 2. Only 5 Indian bowlers bowled and picked up 2 wickets a piece to bowl Pakistan out for 231 with one ball to spare.

India improved their already perfect record by making it 5 world cup wins against Pakistan in 5 matches. Sachin Tendulkar, who has played in all those 5 games, won the man of the match award for his shaky - and probably the worst in recent times - inning of 85. As a result of this epic drama, India have booked a place against Sri Lanka to play their 3rd world cup final and the first on home soil.

The win was celebrated through every corner of the Indian street as crackers went off and their flashy light mixed with frenzied cheers of most of those whose sole objective was to see India beat Pakistan in a world cup match. Bars and restaurants were flooded with people. The tri-colour was being flaunted prodigiously and the people - rich or poor, fair or dark, dumb or smart - were celebrating the event with an unmatchable zeal. I, for one, led a rather quiet celebration to rejoice in one of the most special moments in the 15 passionate years of my love for cricket, hoping that Saturday could just be the most special one.

Man of the Match: Sachin Tendulkar

1st Semi Final: A Fight in a Mismatch

Yes, as expected, Sri Lanka beat New Zealand to march to the final. However, that takes nothing away from the spirited Kiwis who have outgrown the odds to reach where they eventually did in this world cup.

Once again, New Zealand batted sensibly and very much within their limits. They were not aiming too high as the inning kicked off. Their inning demanded steadiness and they had to bat out fifty overs. Apart from the shaky end, where at one point they lost 4 wickets for 4 runs, steadiness was maintained throughout the innings although the run rate looked to be an issue. But that's the best the Kiwis could manage playing in Colombo against a spin-studded Sri Lankan attack. Nobody had given them a chance, just as nobody did when they played South Africa. They won that one but lost this. To me, this one looked much tougher for them than any other game they have played in the tournament and the reason for that is spin. Had they played Sri Lanka in Auckland or Perth it might have been a different story altogether.

New Zealand are a better fielding side than a batting side but defending 207 was always going to be difficult. Continuing his form from the previous game, Dilshan got off to a flier and scored a match-winning 73. Tharanga and Sangakara played well too. There was a little bit of panic in the Lankan camp when these three and Jaywardhane had gotten out and their untested middle-order was suddenly exposed to the hugeness of the event. Yet, in the end they sailed through and won by 5 wickets.

Sri Lanka have booked their ticket to the city of dreams - Mumbai - and the Kiwis will have to go home with a lot of respect and with memories of some great fights they have put on show in this world cup to finish among the top four.

Man of The Match: Kumar Sangakara

A Quick Bite

Sri Lanka are the clear favourites. Although, I'd like New Zealand to come out strong. I shall be supporting New Zealand tomorrow, knowing that a team like New Zealand - none of whose batsmen can tackle quality spin - will have to pull off the biggest upset of the tournament so far to beat Sri Lanka in Colombo.

Hopefully, it won't be a walkover for Sri Lanka unlike the one against England. This, anyway, is the lesser celebrated semi-final and a Kiwi win could be its only way to fame.

4th Quarter Final: A Walkover

Yesterday's match, which was as big as a quarter-final of the world cup, unfortunately turned out to be a soporific encounter dominated by Sri Lanka. Playing at the Premadasa, the pitch and the game both turned Sri Lanka's way. England enjoyed a fair share of luck by winning the toss which is vital at the Premadasa. Batting first was their best chance to make a match out of it, and honestly speaking, they did not play too bad. Of course, they struggled against spin. Not that they did not put up a fight while batting but they simply lacked any talent to tackle quality spin. None of the Englishmen seemed confident picking any of the three spinners that Sri Lanka were armoured with. Jonathan Trott's fine 86 and Eoin Morgan's fortunate 50 helped England to reach a decent total of 229.

It was not impossible to defend 229 but considering England's impotent bowling attack we all thought it would be tough. And it indeed was. It proved to be so tough for England that they did not manage to pick even a single Sri Lankan wicket. Sri Lanka's road to victory was no tougher than a walk around a park. Dilshan and Tharanga both scored unbeaten hundreds and took Sri Lanka to the target with 63 balls to spare and 10 wickets in hand.

In my opinion, there was nothing spectacular about the match. Not the Lankan spin. Not even the 2 hundreds by their openers. The English inning looked like an elongated struggle and the Sri Lankan batting, although the scorecard suggested otherwise, lacked any flamboyance whatsoever. Not that they did not play well. They were dominating right since the beginning but it's just that the Lankans are not exciting to watch in my opinion.

The docile English attack looked simply incapable of making a mark on the slow pitch of Colombo. And that's why the teams seemed to have batted on two different pitches. England endured a seemingly endless struggle against spin to reach 229 for 6 in 50 overs whereas the Sri Lankans chased down the target with all their wickets in tact in 39.3 overs.

This was the story of the 4th and the last quarter-final which, by all means, turned out to be a dull match to watch and a walkover for Sri Lanka. This was also the end of a media-hyped and sensationalized English world cup campaign that, unlike some of its previous versions, did entertain us most of the time but failed to leave a lasting impression on the cup of glory.

Man of the Match: Tilakratne Dilshan