A painful death !

What an excruciating moment! You have left any hope, but after a while you come and see Australia seven down for 176. Then Johnson too goes. Pakistan are favourites to seal the contest. India too in the meanwhile has rolled Windies out for 129. Is a miracle going to happen?

Alas! it doesn't happen with India. I knew this, and was petrified. But hope is another name for us followers of Indian Cricket team, however far-fetched it might seem. Second by second I was hitting the refresh button of cricinfo or cricbuzz to pray for the 9th wicket. It never came. But more than the defeat, I am angered by the sudden glimmer of hope that had taken over me. It was a painful death. Pakistan tried hard, but if they ever wanted to excoriate India, they couldn't have done any better.

Anyway, we shouldn't be looking that far. Fault lies with the Indian cricket team. They never looked like winning, and deserved to go. As I write, they are struggling even against West Indies. Phew! But as someone has said, "Life goes on. " So will mine.

A Tale of Two Captains

Not for nothing do the courageous win. They win to reemphasize that courage always courts success. And courage is more often than not exhibited through the daily demeanours.

Watch any exhibit of Younis Khan or MS Dhoni. You will nod; they are men with difference, full of confidence and abreast with reality. Not brash but demanding, not comatose but cool, and not flaunting but florid. You can actually view the ideal man possessed in them.

No wonders they are successful captains too. MS started with the Twenty20 World Cup in 2007, when nobody had given his team a chance. But his real metamorphosis happened in the Australian tour of 2008, when he led the team to lift the one-day trophy there. His record has been nothing sort of sensational, compared to Indian records hitherto. Test victories against Australia, England, New Zealand are some indeed great feats within a short span of time. Add to that the phenomenal one-day victories streak, so much so that he will lead the world’s number one team tomorrow.

Younis too started his captaincy with the Twenty20 World Cup win in 2009. But I think he should have donned the role much earlier. Actually just after the One-Day World Cup in 2007, in the place of Shoaib Malik. Pakistan’s cricket went nowhere during Malik’s captaincy. Judge my confidence and success barometer with the droopy face and stunted utters of Malik. Younis is much more on-the-chin personality, never dithering to state the obvious, even if trifling. His ‘Twenty 20 is a fun’ remark drew a lot of flak, but he won the World Cup, to rub in the face of all those detractors. His subsequent retirement from Twenty20 only exhibited his ken of priorities in life and cricket.

Tomorrow these two duel it out in Centurion. Believe me, more than the match between the sides, this will also be a test between them. Come what may the result, I am sure they both will battle each sinew to win it for their county. A cricket connoisseur can’t ask for more. I hope and wish that MS wins, and don’t be surprised if he had to really slog it out to earn it, because of a similar character on the other side in the captain’s jersey.