….of being lifted by Sachin!
Yes, after its long wait of 36 years, finally it has been lifted by the Little Master.
Well, What a match! What a moment of pride! For me it was a 15 year long wait, after seeing India crash out of the 1996 World Cup Semi-final, humiliated by the team from the island nation.
And Boy! Could revenge be sweeter!
Except for the India Vs West Indies match in Chennai where I had seen it in the stadium, I saw every other match alone in my room, and I did not get up from my favorite spot for fear of loss of another wicket or a boundary from the opposition. Call it superstition but cricket crazy fans like me would vouch that they would do anything for an Indian win. And it paid off.
It was a beautiful match with its twists and turns. I was stunned by the fielding that was on display. And then while we were lost at sea, the skipper and Gambhir steered us to the Promised Land. We played like a team and we won as a team. Sachin might have missed his hundredth ton, but there he was grinning like a kid when the youngsters lifted him onto their shoulders. And for an ardent fan like me there is nothing like seeing that smile on his face.
And there were two outstanding comments that I heard – one , of Sanjay Manjrekar who said ‘ When Rajnikanth is here, India cant lose’ and the other of Virat Kohli who showed stunning maturity when he said “ Sachin has carried the burden of Indian cricket for 21 years and now its time we carry him on our shoulders”.
Well said Virat – ‘We will carry him in our heart’.
