Three Cheers to Team India!!!

As one of the millions of people who had to be in front of their laptops, desktops and other tools of work, instead of their TV screens, I kicked myself the whole day yesterday. Nevertheless, we did follow the second final of Commonwealth Cup thru CricInfo, with an occasional glance at all the bickering on the Rediff message boards.

What an interesting series this has been and what a final it was! After all the controversies, incompetent umpiring, racial abuses and everything else that could went wrong, India deserved to win, and win it did in style. Sachin gave a befitting reply to his detractors, by practically slapping his bat (a heavy one, that too!) across their collective faces. His scores of 63/117/91 took India through the semi-finals and were the pillars around which Indian innings in both the finals were built. It is a lesson how to answers one's critics with deeds rather than words.

It was thrilling to watch Harbhajan scalp off Hayden and particularly, Symonds twice in a row! Praveen Kumar got crucial wickets in both his opening spells. Although it would be too early to comment on whether he would turn out to be a great bowler, he was instrumental in two matches, and that should add to his confidence.

After Twenty20 World Cup win and beating Aussies twice in their own backyard, India has now emerged as a strong contender to the top spot in Cricket. To achieve that, we need to make wins like this a habit, not a sporadic event now and then. The young members seem on a roll, and with proper training and mentoring, we can have a World Cup-winning combination in our hands.

Three Cheers to Team India!!