WHY WORLD CUP VICTORY MATTERS

 

Did you see the deluge of cricket fans in the Marine Drive yesterday? Did you appreciate the frenzy that followed the World Cup winning team – the water canon salute to their aircraft, the adulation of the airport personnel in New Delhi and in Mumbai, and the shrieking and chanting fans outside the airports and on either side of the roads, all waiting for a glimpse of their sporting idols?  Did you witness the craze with body paints, national flags, world cup replicas and the posters of cricketing idols in both New Delhi and Mumbai? This Cricket World Cup is never about Cricket alone, it is the magical aphrodisiac for millions of Indians who are struggling to make both ends meet and yet carve for such occasions which make them forget about all their problems of life! This is exactly what winning the FIFA World Cup meant to Argentina only the other day.

 

Kapil da jawab nahin!

Our generation has now witnessed four World Cup victories and their winning moments are now etched in our memory. The first was the Prudential World Cup victory in Lords in 1983. The running catch of Kapil Dev off the bowling of Madan Lal, which dismissed the great Vivian Richards, which initiated the West Indian slide, Mohinder Amarnath trapping Michael Holdings LBW and then the entire team running towards the pavilion to avoid an on-field stampede by spectators who rushed into the haloed ground to hug their heroes, and the Kapil Dev accepting the World Cup from Lord Carr of Hadley are images that we will never forget in our lifetime. We had a black and white television and Doordarshan was the only channel, but the energy and the ecstasy of the occasion was so intoxicating that we can still appreciate that high. We were rank underdogs and no one expected us to defeat Clive Lyoid’s mighty West Indies, but Kapil Dev and his men did it and changed the fate of cricket forever!  India, with almost a billion television viewers following cricket, gradually rose to become a formidable cricket administration powerhouse and the most influential cricketing voice in the world. I doubt if Kapil Dev was ever given his due credit!

 

Thank you Misbah!

When the world started playing T20, India was distinctly uncomfortable. We were a test playing nation, which took a liking to 50 over One Day matches only after the 1983 World Cup victory, and to the puritans T20 was anything but cricket. So, when Dhoni took our team to South Africa for the 1^st T20 World Cup, we were again the underdogs. But we climbed the hill and reached the final against our frienemy Pakistan in Johannesburg. Thanks to Gautam Gambhir’s 75 we scored 157 for 5 in 20 overs and with a well played 43 Misbah ul Haq was guiding Pakistan to victory when he had a brain freeze. With only 5 runs required in 4 balls and with a medium pacer Joginder Sharma bowling, he offered a dolly catch to Shrisant, who accepted it gleefully, and the World Cup was ours! Once again this is an occasion etched in my memory for ever!

 

Only Dhoni can do it!

On a hot summer day In Wankhede Stadium of Mumbai Dhoni’s Team India clashed with Sri Lanka for the 2011 World Cup. Sri Lanka batted magnificently and amassed 274 for 6 wickets in 50 overs with Mahela Jayavardhane scoring a century, but the men in blue were out there to give a fitting farewell present to their icon Sachin Tendulkar. Gautam Gambhir again scored 97, but what remains permanently ingrained in my memory is the last towering six which Dhoni, batting at 85, sent up into the night sky to seal a victory for India with ten balls to spare!

 

Surya balancing between victory and defeat

The last and most recent memory was surely enacted in the Kensington Oval in Barbados. South Africa chasing 176, needed just 30 runs in 30 balls, a walk in the park situation in T20, when hell broke loose. David Miller, batting at 21, hit a Hardik Pandiya ball for what he thought was a six, only to see Surya Kumar Yadav juggle it deftly on the boundary line to come up with a spectacular catch, again a scene which will remain etched in my memory for good!

 

These sporting moments are rare; this chain of indescribable happiness is punctuated by many nightmares. The loss of two consecutive World Test Championship finals and the most unexpected loss of World Cup 2023 final to Australia in Ahmadabad, after winning ten matches in a row were very painful memories that badly needed this Barbados balm. I was in the Maracana Stadium on the ill-fated day of July 13, 2014 when Brazil were not just beaten but humiliated by Germany 7-1, and I have witnessed the tears and sobs of the Brazilian fans as they sat shell shocked in their seats and then walked out of the stadium silently like zombies! I was also in Lusail Stadium in Quatar where Lionel Messi’s Argentina and Kylian Mbappe’s France played a 3-3 draw at the end of extra time and then destiny smiled on Messi and his team won 4-3 in penalties! The agony and the ecstasy that the fans of both sides experienced, was truly a kaleidoscope of naked emotions………as if life is just about to end in the planet and the fans are desperately grasping at the straws!

 

Why do we feel happy or sad for a bunch of strangers?

These sportspersons are in no way related to us, and our association with their sports is invariably at a very amateur level, so why do we care so much for their successes and failures? It is because their victorious moments bring collective happiness to millions irrespective of their caste, creed, religion, language, region and sex. Our victorious hearts pound together and make happy music like a Zubin Mehta orchestra. We tend to forget our individual problems and day to day struggle and feel that victory in our hearts, which seldom comes to us as individuals otherwise. We all come together – in Marine Drive, in Wankhede Stadium, rejoice collectively on these victorious occasions, own a part of the victory as our very own, and then happily disperse and disappear into our own personal lives, with an elixir of newly found happiness!

 

Sports and Nation building

Sports play a significant role in the development of a nation in various ways. Here are some key points highlighting the importance of sports in national development:

1.     Promotion of Physical and Mental Well-being: Sports promote physical fitness and overall health among individuals. Engaging in sports helps in reducing the risk of various diseases and improving mental well-being, leading to a healthier and more productive population.

2.     Fostering National Identity and Unity: Sports have the power to bring people together, regardless of their differences. When a nation rallies behind its athletes or teams, it fosters a sense of national pride and unity, transcending societal divisions.

3.     Building Character and Values: Participation in sports teaches individuals valuable life skills such as teamwork, discipline, perseverance, leadership, and sportsmanship. These qualities are essential for personal development and are also beneficial for the society at large.

4.     Economic Impact: The sports industry can contribute significantly to a nation's economy through revenue generated from sports events, merchandise, broadcasting rights, tourism, and infrastructure development. Hosting major sporting events can also boost tourism and create employment opportunities.

5.     Infrastructure Development: Investing in sports facilities and infrastructure not only supports the development of athletes but also benefits the community by providing recreational spaces and promoting an active lifestyle.

6.     International Relations and Diplomacy: Sports serve as a platform for countries to engage in friendly competition and cultural exchange, fostering positive relations between nations. Events like the Olympics promote diplomacy and cooperation on a global scale.

7.     Youth Development and Education: Sports play a crucial role in the development of youth by promoting physical activity, teamwork, and goal-setting. In many cases, sports programs in schools help in improving academic performance and reducing dropout rates.

8.     Healthcare Cost Reduction: By promoting a culture of physical activity and fitness, sports can help reduce healthcare costs associated with lifestyle-related diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular conditions.

 

Overall, sports have the potential to contribute to the holistic development of a nation by promoting physical and mental well-being, fostering unity and national pride, building character and values, boosting the economy, and enhancing international relations. Cricket is a sports that we Indians are good at. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) manages the affairs of cricket in an exceptional way. Judicious involvement of retired cricketers in cricket coaching and administration, infrastructure building in remote peripheries, talent hunt from well organized domestic leagues and ensuring that budding cricketers can take up cricket as a professional career is helping India. With the richest domestic cricket league IPL gaining from strength to strength, cricket has a bright future in India.