The Win -- After 28 Years

India won the World cup -- after a long gap of 28 years . They were the favourites to win , but to ride that tag and end up winners is something else . I hear everyone saying after the win " I told you. India will win " -- Does not matter. We have won the title and that is awesome for the Cricket fans of this country.

• The final was a fantastic match . It had to be and brought out the best team to fight hard to win it. Sanga and his men , lost the plot , I thought at the team selection stage. What else can you say ? Changing a winning combo is never good and to change four players from his winning semi final line up and then play a player who just arrived in to Mumbai was too much for the asking. Also too much was made in pre match reviews about Randiv and what he could do with Murali on the pitch. SL should have had one change - replace the injured Mathews with Thissara Perera. Ajatha Mendis had the best average as a bowler till the Semis -- less than three a over and they dropped him for the final and played Randiv .. That was shocking. India also made one error -- playing Sreesanth for Nehra -- They got away with it as they won.


• The toss added to the pressure and excitement . The result was the same after the re toss and Srilanka batted . I thought Zaheer bowled a great spell . The fielding was tight and the Lankans were not allowed at any time to run away . Sanga got out as he settled in ..Bhajji and Yuvi bowled tight, Yuvi took a great risk on using referral against Taufel , one of the best umpires in the game and won a decision against Taufel... That is pressure for you at the highest level and the risks that you need to take.


• Mahela played a gem . I think India did not have a plan for him due to his form in the World Cup and Mahela turned it on from the time he came in to the crease. It was great wrist work and deft placements and it left India gasping. The Power play played in to the Lankans as they smashed 63 of five overs to put up a combative total . Sanga said at the toss that whatever they put up is a winning total. That was lot of confidence !!


• At the break , I was following ManU and the champion side came back from two goals down to win 4-2 ..That is what champion sides are known for , To battle and win in times of adversity.


• India did not have a great start . Sehwag gone second ball for a duck and Sachin after some promise . It looked bleak at 31 for two . But there was great fight back from Gauti and Virat . They hung on , Gauti as usual took calculated risks that paid off including a dropped chance and a potential run out . Fortune favours the brave !


• When Virat left , the game was still in balance and either side could have won. But in comes Dhoni-- What a move ! The captain comes out and leads the team. Brilliant , I thought if this pays off…. The Cup is ours . It did. Dhoni played in a relaxed manner ,got the score board ticking and then the Lankans started loosing it . The body language tells you a tale. Malinga and Murali were not able to penetrate and Dhoni became stronger. You could see his bat speed stepping up , the backlift shorter and the Helicopter shots were coming on. Gauti threw his wicket away but Yuvi and Dhoni saw us through. There were some tension ..Dhoni escaped a close run out , Yuvi a leg before that went in his favour on referral. The end was quick as the Power play was on and there were gaps to be picked up. For a side to win with no contributions from Sehwag and Sachin is a great testimonial to the batting line up. The Cup was ours !!


• It was great moment to see Sachin being carried around. You would not be able to remove these scenes from your memory very quickly. Sanga said at the post match interview that 350 would have been a good score against the Indians .. Fantastic work by team India.


• I still remember the World Cup win in 1983 where most of us switched off the Television as Viv Richards ran amok. We all came back once Viv went and West Indies were struggling. But this match, was different. We knew that we had the armoury to win and so no question of giving up. Sentiments continue as I did not move from the seat that I occupied for a long time through the Indian innings. Not sure if all this matters -- India has won and that is more important and we should be proud that we can win tough matches . Getting past Australia , Pakistan and Srilanka is no easy task andwe have to credit the team and the support staff lead admirably by Gary Kirsten.


• Dhoni's leadership has been exemplary. Mr Cool was always cool and made his moves perfectly. He cannot do anything wrong.. Can he ? Walks in ahead of Yuvi and finds form and batters the SL bowlers to submission. Outstanding leadership. He talks of handling pressure through Responsibility and Accountability. Well Said Dhoni …look at his achievements in the short period of time. The 2007 20 -20 world title, No1 test team , No1 ODI team and now the One day World Cup. Shows how you can achieve things if you focus and build winning teams and play to the right strategy.


• Where do we go from here -- This is something that the selectors and BCCI should start worrying about. They should start focussing and building the team for the next world cup. Few big names will not be there and that may include our Genius Sachin as well. The blowing attack needs fresh blood. Zaheer is not young and his fellow speedsters do not have his uncanny knack and they are not young either. Talent has to be found , groomed and given the right exposure. That is what is needed. We need more of the Rainas, Virats ,Ashwins to come up. It is not that talent does not exist but it is a fact that they need to be identified and groomed.


• One thing is for sure , no one is ready to wait for 28 more years for us to win again !!