India, the most populous country in the world, with a whopping population exceeding 1.4 billion. Yesterday was a day to rejoice, a day to celebrate the thumping victory of India over her arch-rivals New Zealand. These black caps have given us enough reasons in the past to cry, that too in the most crucial tournaments. Be it the World Test Championship 2021, or the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, the team led by calm and composed Kane Williamson has been a persistent stepping stone for us, giving us every reason not to smile and celebrate. But this time in 2023, the Indian Cricket Team that has been invincible throughout the tournament had already handed the Kiwis a big loss in the league match. While the Blackcaps somehow managed to make their way to the semifinals, crumbling the dreams of Pakistan, they got ravaged by the army of cricketing legends led by the skipper Rohit Sharma, and co-led by the marquee wicketkeeper and DRS expert, KL Rahul. Without any doubt, one would term this win as the befitting revenge for all the last laughs that the Kiwis have had in the past.
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| Credits: BCCI.TV |
Even the staunchest of the
critics won’t deny the fact that this time the Indian Cricket Team has
emerged as a fierce nightmare for all the opponents, irrespective of how
strong or experienced they are. Batting, Bowling, Fielding…you name it, there hasn’t remained
a single dimension where this team hasn’t touched the glories of excellence.
This perfect combination of outstanding batting, fierce bowling, and top-notch
fielding is the only reason this team is ruling at the topmost
in almost all the charts this ICC World Cup. It’s indeed true that the Indian
Cricket Team has never struggled with quality players. The team has
always been backed with star batters and bowlers. But the simple reason they haven’t been able to lift the cup as often as they should have is somehow
‘the absence of impeccable blend of batting, bowling and fielding all together’.
And this, in fact, is also the key to not just winning a match, but
actually the entire tournament.
Doesn’t matter how many matches you have won straight, or how phenomenal your winning streak is, unless all the three pillars of your team i.e. the bowling, batting and fielding (in the respective order of importance) aren’t jointly putting in their best, you won’t be able to emerge out victorious in any way. Even a God-like form of one, two or three players won’t create a lasting impact. Maybe that’ll help you win league matches but won’t help you get through the knockouts. This season of the ICC World Cup, India hasn’t just won all the league matches and the semifinal (and with all my cricketing knowledge, the unreal gut instinct, and the purest-hearted prayers, also winning the final) for the straightforward reason - all the three have given their all-time best in unison. Rohit and Shubhman are laying the much-needed foundation for the batters (that had been a loophole for a long), Kohli is playing phenomenal cricket and leaving no stone unturned to be called the G.O.A.T., the middle order (including KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Jadeja and Surya) is adding important contributions to the overall score as and when it’s needed. Bowling (the most remarkable element for the team this season) is taking the opponent’s side by storm. Pacers Siraj, Shami and Bumrah are bowling laser-focused deliveries and taking wickets like anything, and the spinners sir Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav are entangling the batters through the swirl of their spin deliveries.
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| Credits to the respective owner |
To be honest, there was a time in
the near past, even right before the start of this World Cup, when I wasn’t all
roses for this team (in fact, I was all thorns). The reason was that I was dead-fed
up with this team choking in the crucial matches in every single ICC major (my
dearest friends know this well). But I am so glad that the team in blue
has given me a befitting reply with their exemplary performance this season. I also
had serious arguments with people out there as they objected to my poignant criticism. But in my opinion, if you get love from the 140-crore people of
India for playing good cricket; you also deserve some constructive criticism when
you don’t. However, certainly, there’s no scope for disrespecting anyone. Coz
even during the worst of their days, they are already galaxies ahead of us in
terms of the hard work and toil they have put in for years and decades to achieve
the pinnacle positions they are in.
Absolutely in love, all admiration,
and utmost respect for this team, the players…and most importantly - the country, Bharat.
Jai Hind!
💔🍂
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