Friday, March 23, 2007

Will a Billion Prayers be enough?

March 23rd 2007. Friday. This is the most important day of the year till now for all the Indian cricket fans. India faces Sri Lanka in Queens Park Oval, Trinidad for a berth in the Super 8 of the 2007 ICC World Cup. A loss here would mean that India would be out of the world cup, barring a miracle of Bermuda beating Bangladesh. A loss here would mean that normal life will resume starting on Saturday. But no fan of Indian Cricket would want normal life to resume so soon. It has taken us 4 years to forget the thrashing in the 2003 World Cup finals. It has taken us 4 years to hope again for the pinnacle, to hope again for a 1983. We just cannot let all these hopes die in just 2 weeks. Being an ardent cricket fan myself, I know that it is not possible to passionately support any other team than India. It is not possible to forget the world cup and start following EPL from tomorrow. In the football world cup when Argentina fell early, we coloured ourselved Canary Yellow for Brazil. But here our souls are coloured Blue, the blue of Team India. Try as we might this colour will not come off. So if India falls at this step, then it is a weekend of self denial ahead of me. To tell myself that this does not matter and there are better things to be done rather than losing my sleep watching world cup. As difficult it might be, It will have to be done. That is why right now all I can do is pray. It is said that One day Cricket is a game of glorious uncertainities. If a prayer can tip those uncertainities slightly in India's favour, then why not? But here lies the bigger question. With the sort of form the team is in right now, Will a billion prayers be enough?

1 comment:

Arun Jose Francis said...

Hmmm, what to say! I really believed that this team has in it to bring this world cup to India, what with Sourav also back in the team. But I think the pressure on these players a little too much for them to bare. Could not watch the way Sourav and Robin were batting yesterday, it was painful. They had fear in their eyes. And it is the fear and pressure that has taken them out of this tourney. May be it is high time we release some pressure of their shoulders. And just hope that the glorious days will be back..!