Jaane De to Aane De

So it has already been 2 years? The memories of celebration are still fresh. I still remember my brother and myself along with a few friends standing on a table in a jam packed food court near the university building in Manipal. There were at least 2000 people packed in the tiny place where not even 150 could fit in. I remember how we cheered every ball bowled and also remember the eerie silence when Misbah lofted the ball up and the sensation 10 seconds later that we had won. 24^th September, the win could not have come at a better time. Next day was my birthday and in my 24 years of existence that was the best gift I ever got.

But since Dhoni’s Devils, (If we may call them) have won more laurels. Winning in Australia, flattening them at home conquering New Zealand and one would be thinking if the above memories be acquiring a little sepia edge to them. But them why do we remember every moment of that game? In today’s generation 2 years is a long time almost a million miles away. But then one should know the enormity of however improbable that moment of 24^th September 2007 was. There was no huge build up to it. T 20 was a format well taken only in England. India had played just one official T 20 match before the tournament started. Given to that we had just been knocked out of the World Cup by Bangladesh and we boasted a team without any of our heavyweights. No one would have given India a chance to make it to the super eight leave alone the fact of winning it.

But then the as the tournament rolled on a couple of wins had materialized. Wins – they were as hard to find as trying to find melody in a Himesh Reshmiya song. But much to everyone’s astonishments the wins kept coming. Broad was cluttered and Pollock breached and the fan in India tried to make out a case for India to qualify for the Finals. In between classes and lunch breaks even we were thinking could we brush off Australia. I remember asking a friend of mine about India’s chances to go to the finals, Finals HAH !! His expression was as if someone suggested the left might go along with the nuclear deal.

But then Yuvraj struck again and the Elephant danced. The Kangaroos were squashed and the mouthwatering conquest of an India Pakistan final lay ahead. The highs and the lows were greater than the plummeting of Satyams share price but I guess the match was India’s from the very start. Joginder Sharma became a star and as Misbah broke down on the pitch Sreesanth looked in a mood to run down to Kerala. Chak De was the flavor of the day and I guess the whole of India were moving to the grooves of Yuvraj and Bajji who had made the stadium their personal Dance Floor.

In the month that followed the match was played on ESPNSTAR everyday. The victory parade was stalled as India came down to the streets to see the “Dhoni’s Devils”. Soon rewards were being announced with the kind of fanfare that suggested we had gone back to 1947.

2 years later as we go to defend the cup we have pockets of affluence and enterprise. They say the more you sweat in peace the less you bleed in war. Lalit Modi gave us enough reasons to sweat in peace and now that the war is impending it is time we sound our loudest battle cry.

One might wonder though we had nothing of the above when we won last year. What we had was optimism. We are more than optimistic this time. Wherein 2007 we would have said “Jaane De” we now cry out “Aane De”.

So as we look forward to see Dhoni’s Devil’s retaining the cup let us all remember the moment of that fateful day in JoBurg which made us believe in out team again, try telling me all the changes since there has been a better moment in Indian cricket.