I cannot believe it. I wouldn’t have taken the possibility of it happening seriously if someone had suggested it to me 3 days back. But it has happened…. WE WON 2-0!!!!
There are so many aspects of this victory that make it the most satisfying indian win (barring a couple of indo-pak matches) I’ve ever witnessed. One of them would have to be sachin’s contribution in both the finals. When a man reaches the level he has, people start pointing out the minutest of flaws in his armory, even though they might not actually exist. So many people have argued with me over a long time saying that sachin does not play the big games well and some of his performances in finals were quoted as examples. When I pointed out to them his sharjah heroics, they said that that was way in the past. When I pointed out to them his performance against Pakistan in some of the recent high pressure and high importance games (including the game in WC 2003), they said that those games weren’t finals so they shall not be included in the stats about his performance in finals… Well, he played two finals here and got 117 not out in one of them and 91 in the second. So, all I have to say to those people today is…. Ssshhhh!!!!
Another reason that made it special was the way people like Harbhajan fought fire with fire. The Aussies and their supporters will never forget the way he got under their skins. And he got Hayden and Symonds in the first final and got Symonds in the second as well after playing his part in the Hayden dismissal. So it’s quite safe to say that he settled the rivalry for the moment to his liking and that he played the game the aussies are famous for and beat them at it. Good going Bhajji!!!
There had been so much happening off the pitch after the sydney test but it is nice to know that ultimately we are leaving Australia victorious and the whole Aussie season was ruined in their last two games. All this also got Ricky Ponting to eat humble pie as he had suggested before the finals that the series won’t see a third final. Well Ricky, atleast that is one thing you got right…. Cheers!
Apart from the above, there are other reasons to cheer too. The emergence of a good one-day captain and the heartening show put up by the youngsters are things that will help indian cricket in the future.
But for the moment, it’s time to just sit back and enjoy the moment… :)
