After a nail biting edge of your seat tournaments and a on off match at Edgbaston for the two teams England and India who had won their place to play in the final, India reigned as champions once again.
The rain stopped play and many feared the whole match would be postponed, however once the sun was in sight organisers declared a 20 overs game to resume, and the game to be played, much to the delight of the capacity audience two thirds made up of passionate Indian fans who had travelled across the country to see their side take home the much sought after trophy.
During the whole tournament, India’s strength and visible focus was apparent they never got themselves into a do-or-die condition. Even in the rain-hit condensed final, they were at a disadvantage after losing the toss, the Captain that will go down in Indian cricket history Dhoni had a game plan like Viswanathan Anand, maneuvred and set his mind-set to get into a winning position with his clear end-game tactic.
Dhoni’s shrewd planning and instinctive bowling changes bolstered his starry-eyed teammates to give the championship match a spectacular finish. The victory was all the more sweet as it had come in the typical English summer made of cold gusty weather conditions of June.
Dhoni, who after winning the 2007 Twenty20 World Cup famously had said he would like to have players who were willing to stand in front of a moving truck for him. He thinks he now has such daredevils under his charge.
It said his mantra as the captain for his team mates is simple: “We are the No.1 team and we should play like a No.1 side,” though many Englishmen rightly believe that their team lost the match more than India winning. There is little doubt that the best team won even if England deserved to win.
It seemed only the present India team on current form would have seen a glimmer of hope after setting a modest 130-run target, thanks to Player of the Final nail biting flourish with the bat. The team declined to give in even when the match seemed to have slid from their tight grip. England lost by a heart wrenching 5 runs.
It seems the Indian cricket team have the Midas touch it remains to be seen what other trophies they will take back to their home country but odds are in their favour.
By Emb Hashmi
