This is our day

All credits to Indian cricket team to bring joy to billion plus people by producing one of the stellar performances in semi-finals of the cricket world cup. Such dates and matches get itched in the memories and become the part of the gospels told till eternity. This match, apart from the win in the world cup semi final on the arch rivals, would be known for the amount of dignitaries that made there to cheer the Indian cricket team. Politicians, industrialists, film stars every one made it there. Certainly the match deserved an attention of all of them. But moreover I felt that our team deserved the cheers of those who were not there.

I felt that the crowd support in the match at mohali was not just enough. This got lost in the fact that we won against our arch rivals. I compare the situation to a football match where the home support acts as a 12th palyer. A goal is palpable when the crowd gets behind the team. It was missing. How can you just clap when a local lad produces a brilliant piece of fielding? Unacceptable. How can’t you cheer for every dot ball the boy of the nation bowls? Unacceptable.
The fact that a 500 rupee ticket got sold for 10k says a lot. What it did was to bring all the people who would usually occupy a seat in VIP box in whole of the stadium. A class of people who are really not used to those mad reactions for the team or maybe they have forgotten it. They are too high for that I think. Really no offence to anyone. One more thing which added to misery was, celebrities going to stands to capture eye balls and some click of cameras. This is the day of days and the celebrities are right there in front of you slugging ball in ball out, diving in, putting desperate efforts, injuring themselves to catch. I actually feel that when you are emotionally attached to your team, miracles happen, predictions start coming right. And by taking the attention to somewhere else (read as Ms. Sonia Gandhi in stands to get in touch with “aam admi”) you are defeating the purpose.

The same thing, a hope against hope, is going to get repeated in Wankhede in the final. I sincerely hope that everyone there comes out of their shell to be a real common man, rather than coming out between a common man. Our lads are playing in one of the dream finals and they really need every one behind them, certainly not as celebrities but as genuine “aam admi”. Be the 12th player. Win or lose (I say that the cup is all blue) I just hope that the flowers of India do not get disappointed with the support. It cannot get bigger than this and let us shed all our sophistications to cry out loud for India. Chak de !