WC Final 2011 - A firsthand account

There are a thousand dreams you dream but alas they just stay as dreams.

But sometimes dreams come true and how!

I had a dream - to watch the finals of the WC 2011 at Mumbai between India and Australia.

However that was shot down on 20th March when it became official that these 2 teams would only meet in the QF.

Even then the dream of watching the Final lived on in the deepest recesses of my mind.

On the morning of the Final I was woken up to the reality of an invitation to watch the Final, or was I dreaming still?

Thankfully I wasnt.

It was a Godsent opportunity and I grabbed it gleefully. My cousin had 2 tickets and I was the fortunate companion to him.

The reaction was subdued and the joy muted for fear of jinxing it.

However as we reached closer to the destination the excitement got more palpable. Before it could be absorbed, I was queueing up to enter Wankhede.

As always we spent more than an hour to figure out where we would be sitting because seating regulations changed at the 

whims of our fellow spectators or the cops they dragged along with them.

When that was taken care of, all we cared about was the action, both on the field and in the stands.

The crowd was lively and star-studded with lots and lots of filmstars, politicians, industrialists, ex-cricketers all flaunting their patriotism and 

enjoying themselves at the biggest stage of it all. Our stand's resident celeb was Vivek/Viveik/Vievek Oberoi (not sure how he spelt it that day)

and he added some life by breaking into impromptu jigs to 'aey ganpat chal daaru la' and 'tere liye-prince'.

The sentiment in the crowd was largely optimistic throughout India's bowling, with odd spots of bother about Shreesanth's sustained generosity and Zaheer's late burst of charity.

The late bloom by Sri Lanka made the match prospects mouth watering albeit a little too hot for the spectators' liking.

With the start of India's batting, all that the public cared about was a 100 from Sachin and then the WC would be a certain by-product. 

The early exit of Sehwag and Sachin knocked the living daylights out of the Indian supporters and the silence was befitting a funeral.

The familiar feeling of scepticism swept across the stunned arena.

However, the steady progress of Gambhir and Kohli progressively calmed and then excited the spectators once again.

In my part of the ground, Malinga came in for some special lambasting by the Indian fans who strived to shred even the last vestige of confidence out of the Slinger.

It kept getting more and more vociferous once Dhoni and Gambhir started imposing India's mark on impending victory.

Chants of 'Chak de India', ' Vande Mataram', 'De Ghumake' and 'Sachin Sachin' (often out of context) worked up the fervent passion of the entire stadium.

As always there were some party poopers whose intention of watching the game quietly didnt quite strike a chord with the passionate majority and led to squabbles. This was obviously a source of amusement and entertainment for the onlookers.

All this while, the panning camera kept the fans on their toes with the everlasting hope of being beamed on the telly with a record viewership looking on.

Every now and then, I would steal glances towards the stand where Aamir and Preity were perched, with the innocent hope that they would somehow magically look back at me and wave.

The match ebbed and flowed but surely Dhoni and Yuvraj wouldnt shatter 1.2 billion dreams.

The script was too good to be spoilt and God had to be kind.

The runs diminished fast and the game was firmly in India's grasp.

No longer were people content with getting up for the fours alone, they wanted to cheer every ball. Dhoni and Yuvraj struck feisty blows to run down the target to 4 off 11 balls.

Then the moment arrived and what a way to seize it.

Dhoni slammed the next ball into space, no one cared where it landed, it soared on the strength of a billion prayers. 

The stadium erupted, the fans went ballistic, the players congregated and emotions poured out.

It was a sight to see Sachin running onto the pitch like a kid who had finally got his favourite toy. Words failed where tears of joy took over.

The whole gamut of positive emotions enveloped the stadium, the city and the country.

Soon after, the trophy that mattered was in India's hands.

This was what the Nation, the Players and most importantly, Sachin had craved for.

The entire stadium was, as Tony Greig would put it, dancing in the aisles, screaming their lungs out, crying themselves hoarse and yes, they were Bleeding Blue.

I thought the scenes inside Wankhede were breathtaking but outside it was crazier than all imagination.

There were thousands and thousands of people out on the streets celebrating arguably the biggest moment in India's sporting history.

Their joy knew no limits and feared no boundaries. This was bigger than any election, more sacred than any festival and crazier than any event perceivable.

It showed what the game of cricket means to the nation and how deep our craving for elusive world glory really is.

The crowd was euphoric - people danced and sang everywhere - be it on the streets, on terraces or even on the roof of moving cars.

Its incredible to experience what a simple game can do to the collective mood of a country as large as ours. 

Cricket unites, Cricket excites and Cricket defines India. 

Now, this is the stuff dreams are made of. This is what you live your life for. This was definitely the biggest day in the life of 21st century India and I am grateful to have been a part of it.