It was a great run of matches in the knockout stages. I will always remember them if not for the victories then for the parties which took place at my place during. And also for the celebrations on M.G. Road after the final. I have never seen anything quite like that in my whole life and I don’t think I will ever again. People inside and on top of moving cars chanting either their favorite cricketers name or their favored patriotic quote (Mine is 'Jai Ho'). Cops not stopping cars of drivers so obviously inebriated. Strangers hugging and High Five-ing each other. Me requiring hand sanitizer. Groups of men performing their version of dappanguthu unmindful of their total lack of rhythm.
In fact, I tried initiating some chants on the lines of “Jeetega bhai Jeetega” in anticipation of the 2015 World Cup to be held in Australia and New Zealand. Suprisingly it did not catch on. I’m assuming there was some apprehension regarding the ability of our batsmen on the bouncy Perth pitch although nobody mentioned it in so many words.
It was all very fascinating and try as I may I couldn’t think of anything else which would have sparked revelry of a similar intensity.
Landing on Mars? Not unless we plan to construct a stadium there which would hold the next India-England WC match. Then notice that it won’t be completed in time due to lack of air or some other inane reason. And shift venue to Namma Bengaluru.
10% GDP Rate? Only if it were announced that the money would be invested in efforts to Clone Sachin but not before surgically extracting Sunil Gavaskar’s lips from his ass.
0 Female Infanticide Rate? If women could play cricket.*
But having seen all this, the first thought that came to my mind is – “How does India winning the world cup change my life?” (Ladies. Does ‘I watched India win the world cup’ work as a pickup line? No?) Well, it doesn’t and it shouldn’t and the fact that I think that it might is reprehensible. I quickly realize that this world cup victory isn’t meant for any one person (in spite of what Sachin fanatics say); it’s for the whole country.
So how does this victory change the thinking of the people, the perception of the nation?
Let me see. A couple of days on and we are upset and frustrated at the action or inaction of the government in having customs allegedly seize the World cup trophy which should have been presented to Dhoni and Co. We are frothing at comments made by some 18-year-old Pakistani Cricketer that stated that Gambhir was wrong in dedicating the victory to the victims of Mumbai 26/11. We are relieved at not having to hear Navjot Singh Sidhu on live television every other day. We are hoping that some model strips down to her birthday suit. We don’t mind that Millionaire Indian cricketers are being gifted money and land while athletes promised the same after their performances in the Asian and Commonwealth games are still waiting for their just rewards. We are waiting for someone to shoot Ravi Shastri with a tracer bullet.
All new things these.
* Well of course. C’mon on. I’m just kidding. Of course women play cricket. In fact the Indian women's cricket team has never placed lower than 4th in any world cup they have participated in. We can exchange them for some South Africans.
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