As one of my friend would say later, 'Watta match!! Watta match! If you had asked me if a girl's kiss is better than this - I would have disagreed completely!!'
Let me say at the outset, that this match and the tournament was won because of only one man - Ajit Agarkar. Thank Goodness, he was on the bench. Else, I doubt if we could have reached the semis. So, let's just take a bow to this great man for the greatest contribution he has ever made to the Indian Cricket.
Billed as the greatest final that was ever to happen, the match lived up well and truly to its expectations. No one, either in the stadium or across millions of homes in India and Pakistan would have asked for a better match - a match that went right down to the last over - a match where the quality of batting, bowling and fielding was outstanding - a match which starkly reminded me of Miandad's last ball six (which thankfully, did not happen) - and finally, a tournament final which did not end up as an anti-climax where one side would romp home with victory (as has been the case usually)!! Could I have asked for anything better on a Monday evening - Absolutely not. I was on the edge of my chair all throughout the match - instructing (actually ordering) my friends in the room not to move an inch from their places till the match was over (Not that the stars and future of the match was entirely dependent on the seating arrangement of a few people in a room - but where passion overtakes sense, logic is out of the window).
As the ball went sailing over the rope in the last over of Kaka Joginder, silence prevailed in India while jubiliations would have begun in Pakistan. It was all a matter of one wicket or a six. Probably the only person in the world who had to hear more abuses than Agarkar was Kaka Joginder in that particular moment. Then, it happened. Misbah's "mind running like a computer"(I will come to this phrase later) crashed - generating a serious error of trying to scoop the ball over fine leg instead of hitting that lollipop-half-volley-decent pace ball over the bowler's head for a six. Psycho Sreesanth held on to the catch and only just (if he had dropped it, then probably that would have been the end of his career after his magnificient 4 overs for 44 runs is a totally different matter). India celebrated, Misbah cried and Pakistan was shocked. Kaka Joginder redeemed himself to do the jig along with Harbhajan and Pathan during the lap of honour. Crackers were burst, People screamed and when we had dinner at some restaurant later, everyone was in a fantastic mood - smiling, hi-fis and boisterous laughter. It was one party!!
Everything that happened for India and Pakistan in this tournament happened for their own good - Pakistan have found a deadly pace combination in Asif, Umar Gul and Tanvir - if nurtured properly (instead of hitting around with bats and getting into squabbles) would become fearsome. Misbah is more than an ideal replacement for Yousuf (although I cannot say he has a long bright future ahead of him - he's already 33!) and an able and a fantastic leader in Malik. For the Indians, the biggest gain has been the pace attack, Rohit Sharma and Kaka Joginder (who's fate is similar to Misbah). Dhoni's silent thumbs-up to Harbhajan after he bowled Michael Clarke during the nail-biting India vs Australia match is more than a sign that he is here to stay - lest, politics do him in. Needless to say, this signals the end of Agarkar's career whose only credit is that he snatched defeat from the jaws of victory countless number of times!!
Now that India has won the Cup, I need to ask a few questions to a few people - not that their answers would matter - but then, let me exercise my right as a blogger -
Shoaib Malik - How did you assume Muslims around the world are supporting you to win? India has a sizeable population of Muslims and they celebrated India's victory yesterday probably more than the other communities did (I am sure you missed seeing Irfan Pathan on Yousuf Pathan's back enjoying every moment of their victory!!). Why bring in religious fervor and stupid comments to such a wonderful match? Beats me.
Ravi Shastri - What's with your cliches nowadays? Have you run out of them? You used 'his mind is running like a computer' probably 5 times in 5 minutes of your commentary. Others include 'Going right down to the wire' (still can't see the wire), 'Anybody's game' and your oft-so-used-to-death 'Game on'. You better 'go back to the drawing board' and invent new cliches. Please!!
Harsha Bhogle - Dear o dear! What was wrong with you in this tournament? You were so insipid and were looking for words - 'Oh! Misbah has hit the ball over the rope, I just can't describe how he hit the ball' - I guess your job is to do that. Once or twice, I can understand - the statement was repeated across multiple players in multiple matches. Is it 'Familiarity breeds contempt' scenario here? Improve oh dear, Kindly do. So many people in India admire you.
Psycho Sreesanth - I mean whatt!! I guess Dhoni does a security check on you before you step on to the ground, lest you draw out a pen-knife and slice Hayden or some other player. I guess you need to turn your aggression inwards and develop more consistency - else, you are a 'gonner'!!
Freddie Flintoff - It is just not ok to blurt 'I will hit your face, you just wait' to Yuvraj. Back it up and please, to a team of jelly-bean throwers and whiners of 'too much away from home', this attitude would not work - Nope it won't.
Sunil Gavaskar - For once, I guess you should have appreciated that India won - whole-heartedly. We can completely understand that you are grief-stricken that Sachin did not play a part in this 'important historical event that happened after 24 years' but please - for once, could you stop saying 'Both teams deserved to win' and say that 'Indians played a magnificient game under an able captain to win comprehensively. Deserved winners'!! Could you? Somehow pessimism overtakes my usual highly optimistic behavior when it comes to you.
Ajit Agarkar - Oops, sorry! No questions Sirr!! You have played very well. You have motivated the team very well from the trenches (Imagine, players saying to each other - however worse, we can't get worser than him, pointing to Agarkar). No sir, seriously - thank you very much. I don't think you should have expected a better farewell than winning this Twenty20 world championship.
Yeee!! Twenty20 is here to stay. The 50-over match on Sep 29th between India and Australia already sounds boring!! :)
Let me say at the outset, that this match and the tournament was won because of only one man - Ajit Agarkar. Thank Goodness, he was on the bench. Else, I doubt if we could have reached the semis. So, let's just take a bow to this great man for the greatest contribution he has ever made to the Indian Cricket.
Billed as the greatest final that was ever to happen, the match lived up well and truly to its expectations. No one, either in the stadium or across millions of homes in India and Pakistan would have asked for a better match - a match that went right down to the last over - a match where the quality of batting, bowling and fielding was outstanding - a match which starkly reminded me of Miandad's last ball six (which thankfully, did not happen) - and finally, a tournament final which did not end up as an anti-climax where one side would romp home with victory (as has been the case usually)!! Could I have asked for anything better on a Monday evening - Absolutely not. I was on the edge of my chair all throughout the match - instructing (actually ordering) my friends in the room not to move an inch from their places till the match was over (Not that the stars and future of the match was entirely dependent on the seating arrangement of a few people in a room - but where passion overtakes sense, logic is out of the window).
As the ball went sailing over the rope in the last over of Kaka Joginder, silence prevailed in India while jubiliations would have begun in Pakistan. It was all a matter of one wicket or a six. Probably the only person in the world who had to hear more abuses than Agarkar was Kaka Joginder in that particular moment. Then, it happened. Misbah's "mind running like a computer"(I will come to this phrase later) crashed - generating a serious error of trying to scoop the ball over fine leg instead of hitting that lollipop-half-volley-decent pace ball over the bowler's head for a six. Psycho Sreesanth held on to the catch and only just (if he had dropped it, then probably that would have been the end of his career after his magnificient 4 overs for 44 runs is a totally different matter). India celebrated, Misbah cried and Pakistan was shocked. Kaka Joginder redeemed himself to do the jig along with Harbhajan and Pathan during the lap of honour. Crackers were burst, People screamed and when we had dinner at some restaurant later, everyone was in a fantastic mood - smiling, hi-fis and boisterous laughter. It was one party!!
Everything that happened for India and Pakistan in this tournament happened for their own good - Pakistan have found a deadly pace combination in Asif, Umar Gul and Tanvir - if nurtured properly (instead of hitting around with bats and getting into squabbles) would become fearsome. Misbah is more than an ideal replacement for Yousuf (although I cannot say he has a long bright future ahead of him - he's already 33!) and an able and a fantastic leader in Malik. For the Indians, the biggest gain has been the pace attack, Rohit Sharma and Kaka Joginder (who's fate is similar to Misbah). Dhoni's silent thumbs-up to Harbhajan after he bowled Michael Clarke during the nail-biting India vs Australia match is more than a sign that he is here to stay - lest, politics do him in. Needless to say, this signals the end of Agarkar's career whose only credit is that he snatched defeat from the jaws of victory countless number of times!!
Now that India has won the Cup, I need to ask a few questions to a few people - not that their answers would matter - but then, let me exercise my right as a blogger -
Shoaib Malik - How did you assume Muslims around the world are supporting you to win? India has a sizeable population of Muslims and they celebrated India's victory yesterday probably more than the other communities did (I am sure you missed seeing Irfan Pathan on Yousuf Pathan's back enjoying every moment of their victory!!). Why bring in religious fervor and stupid comments to such a wonderful match? Beats me.
Ravi Shastri - What's with your cliches nowadays? Have you run out of them? You used 'his mind is running like a computer' probably 5 times in 5 minutes of your commentary. Others include 'Going right down to the wire' (still can't see the wire), 'Anybody's game' and your oft-so-used-to-death 'Game on'. You better 'go back to the drawing board' and invent new cliches. Please!!
Harsha Bhogle - Dear o dear! What was wrong with you in this tournament? You were so insipid and were looking for words - 'Oh! Misbah has hit the ball over the rope, I just can't describe how he hit the ball' - I guess your job is to do that. Once or twice, I can understand - the statement was repeated across multiple players in multiple matches. Is it 'Familiarity breeds contempt' scenario here? Improve oh dear, Kindly do. So many people in India admire you.
Psycho Sreesanth - I mean whatt!! I guess Dhoni does a security check on you before you step on to the ground, lest you draw out a pen-knife and slice Hayden or some other player. I guess you need to turn your aggression inwards and develop more consistency - else, you are a 'gonner'!!
Freddie Flintoff - It is just not ok to blurt 'I will hit your face, you just wait' to Yuvraj. Back it up and please, to a team of jelly-bean throwers and whiners of 'too much away from home', this attitude would not work - Nope it won't.
Sunil Gavaskar - For once, I guess you should have appreciated that India won - whole-heartedly. We can completely understand that you are grief-stricken that Sachin did not play a part in this 'important historical event that happened after 24 years' but please - for once, could you stop saying 'Both teams deserved to win' and say that 'Indians played a magnificient game under an able captain to win comprehensively. Deserved winners'!! Could you? Somehow pessimism overtakes my usual highly optimistic behavior when it comes to you.
Ajit Agarkar - Oops, sorry! No questions Sirr!! You have played very well. You have motivated the team very well from the trenches (Imagine, players saying to each other - however worse, we can't get worser than him, pointing to Agarkar). No sir, seriously - thank you very much. I don't think you should have expected a better farewell than winning this Twenty20 world championship.
Yeee!! Twenty20 is here to stay. The 50-over match on Sep 29th between India and Australia already sounds boring!! :)
