“The volume of tournaments may mean that the cycle of winning and losing can become routine and the emotions felt after each campaign could be dulled, but South Africa and World Cups, until the day South Africa win a World Cup, will always have a special allure. The story continues.”
– Firdose Moonda, ESPNcricinfo correspondent for South Africa
Prelude
In a case of hypothesis, for South Africa to win a World Cup, perhaps they have to host an edition in their own backyard. Such is the norm set by facts in the recent dozen years. Be it a coincidence, or by the hand of God, the home team has been propelled into the final against a formidable foe in each of the last three editions. Each outcome is an etched gem in the annals of cricketing history.
While Team South Africa packed their bags on a familiar journey, yes, the story indeed continues. It continues to one of unparalleled intensity and unmatched rivalry. A rivalry that dwarfs, at least in the realm of modern-day cricket, the familiar match-up of archrivals that share a geopolitical border. It’s quite ironical that the cricketing rivalries with Pakistan and Australia both date back to 1986. If Javed Miandad’s last-ball six altered the psyche of a team and the nation it came from, it was Greg Mathews catching a perplexed Maninder Singh plumb LBW that perhaps heralded yet another staunch on-field rivalry.
A nation of billion-and-half people is vehemently rooting for her boys in blue, in full spirit chanting a resounding echo of mind, body and soul. Like many headlines are screaming in unison, it is a certain path to immortality just one-hundred overs and eight hours away. The economic rewards are merely a by-product.
For Team India and its storied coach, Rahul Dravid, buried deep under the quest to win is an unquenched thirst for redemption. For the team as a whole and Rahul – the batter – the belligerent massacre at the hands of Ricky Ponting in 2003 World Cup Final is forever afresh. For Rahul – the captain – it was the unceremonious exit from 2007 World Cup after an embarrassing defeat, and what unfolded subsequently bore deep hole in the heart.
To each die-hard fan of Team India, even a close win in this final specifically will be as emphatic as scoring 1800 runs without loss and then bundling out the Aussies with no score on board. And, to the Aussie counterpart, the gratification of hearing a big boisterous one-sided crowd of lakh-and-a-half people in a sea of blue go silent will be a precursor to laying their hands on the coveted trophy.
Across a coin toss, driven by decisions, rallied by emotions, there will be see-saw of battles on either side of 22-yards of concrete overlaid with some dirt; surrounded by lush green turf with eleven pairs of eyes and nimble limbs; doing everything they can to stop the fiery sphere in white, or pluck it out of the dewy night sky; and the gladiators wielding the willow would try to invoke the eternal power hoping to launch the same sphere into stratosphere; while mother nature in the form of breeze, wind, dew and clouds has her own agenda. Cricket is just beautiful.
Whatsoever be the outcome, this blockbuster match bears the dynamics and vibes to be a stark delimiter separating the legacy of a “before” and a greenfield “after” in the history of the sport. Many a IPL’s and T20I’s may come and go. International cricket likely won’t be the same after tomorrow.
Photo credit: www.cricinfo.com
Post-match
The Final is over. Social media is abuzz, yet life moves on, and again the story continues.
Before any post-mortem of the marquee match is attempted, I think we ought to acknowledge and accept two key undeniable facts.
First and foremost, Team India had an emphatic dream run bulldozing its opponents through the league stages roaring into a blockbuster final. The run was clinical and comprehensive built on a strong mix of capabilities, skills, intent, strategy, execution and more importantly unwavering belief. That all of the above collectively failed on one single day, when it mattered the most, is certainly going to hurt the players and fans alike for a very long time.
Secondly, Team Australia and its storied run after initial hiccups. In the last mile, chasing the checkered flag, they unequivocally dismantled the popular favorites, one wicket and one run at a time. Simply put, the team that performed better won fairly, squarely, and comprehensively. You may not like the Aussie win but, credit where credit’s due, they were unbeatable today.
I would beg to defer all could-haves and would-haves to armchair critics on social media. When one team showed up with an unbeaten meritorious record, steel-like resolve carrying an “expectations” baggage of 100 million tons, the objective was loud and clear. Beat the Aussies, win the coveted World Cup. The proceedings were meant to be virtually a formality. The other team showed up shepherded by an astute leader with laser focus on a, relatively, finer aim and goal – make a big crowd in sea of blue go silent. That’s it, nothing more and nothing else. In hindsight, that goal was measurable, plannable, and executable. Send back Rohit and Virat quickly and in succession, and the rest would line-up akin to nature’s symmetry. Indeed, the rest is now history!
At one time on either side of the innings, each team was staring at an identical tricky situation. Men in blue were in it rather directionless and not knowing what score to set. The Aussies were in it momentarily unsure of how to attain the set-target. While an intent-less SKY was trying to play gully cricket, it left a gaping hole in KL Rahul’s mind and psyche, with him perhaps wondering – “Should I go freely at the Aussies or drop anchor?”. Fast forward to the exact same situation in the Australian chase. It was a set-play, Travis Head will freely score around Labuschagne’s drop of anchor. That strategy and execution was the final nail in the coffin. The coveted trophy is now ready to be boarded onto a Qantas flight.
A piece of trivia that may be overlooked but shouldn’t be forgotten. Team Australia lost against India and South Africa in their first two matches. From down there in the abyss, and from the wilderness of an outback they emerged a resurgent bunch beating the same two teams when it mattered the most. Perhaps only the Australian juggernaut can roll both ways.