India Wins Twenty20 Worldcup. "Chak de India!"

It felt great to watch India win the Twenty20 World Cup. I don’t usually watch cricket matches because it wastes a lot of my time. But Twenty20 cricket is different, it doesn’t waste much time and I see a game that is similar to soccer where a result is to be had within two hours or, in this instance three hours.

But I did watch some of the Twenty20 matches. It had the edge of the seat excitement that soccer and tennis has. And our boys under Mahendrasingh Dhoni showed aggression, sportsmanship and team spirit. (Now, “Sportsmanship” is a term I use to denote the disposition where a player is aggressive, but at the same time fair to his opponents. This is different from “sledging,” the sort used by Australian players, which is outright personal abuse and insult.)

I liked the way they played as if every run mattered and they played like Indian tigers, and not the hyenas they were in other forms of the sport.

Would you believe this? The Indian seniors on the field are a tame sort, hanging their heads, mindful of the way they look, and ever so shy to make eye contact with rival players. But the aggression displayed by Shreesanth as he bowled to Matthew Hayden was exemplary. I like that fellow Mallu, and wish him well.

Well done India! Or, should I say like Shahrukh Khan, “Chak de India!”

cricket | Indian cricket | Twenty20 Worldcup |