Day 203

 T20 Cricket Final-2021

The final between Australia and NZ was eagerly awaited by connoisseurs of the game …  reasons are many…

·       First and foremost is the grace shown by them on the field, more so by NZ players

·       Australians show great class and restraint while winning… that is my observation

·       No un-necessary punching in the air, “war cry” etc. body actions that doesn’t befit the game… (I still recall the tour of Australia or England or West Indies to India in the late seventies and early eighties… and the dignified manner in which the players conducted on the field.)..

·        There were aberrations too… but very less…

·       Cricket, like Tennis, was totally a different  game then.

·        Today a wicket taking bowler  will act as if he has reached the Moon or climbed Everest or won a War…. but that boldness is missing when he was hit for 6,6,4,6…

·       Here the NZers stands out… I thinking hailing from a far of Island… they are naturally restrained and subdued by nature….  take life as it comes. (In the book IKIGAI, the life of the people of OKINAWA island is similarly depicted…)

·       Then came the shorter versions of one day and now t20. ..with each versions the behavior of the players changed dramatically--- as also the crowd……. Why none knows? …

Many of them have to eat humble pies as the final victory and often the cup eluded them… then what was the use of all those “body actions” or “breast beating”?

 Yes, one can rejoice and celebrate after winning a cup… (as Australia also did yesterday). Isn’t it pointless to waste all energy in celebrating some games at the group stage …?

 Being an armchair spectator, I may not be fully knowing the “game fever” felt by the professional players….. or the crowds in the stadium… I admit my ignorance.

I had hardly watched ( al beit on TV) any current t 20 matches fully … many I did not watch at all, as those matches were all non-consequential eventually…

Some I watched later… only to enjoy the play of some players and team…

But I watched the final from first ball to the presentation of the cup.

·       It was indeed a sheer pleasure to watch… neighbors with lot of sports rivalries, they played out the game in a far off nation (with  very home supporter in the crowd)….

·        with utmost dignity and grace… that is what I am referring to GRACE… and for that alone it was worth watching… from any angle…

·       one could see the mutual respect among the vying teams and the camaraderie shown in full… hence it is called a Gentleman’s game.

·        Even the crowd behavior was so restrained, dignified and befitting the occasion.

·        All in all, a treat to the eyes and pleasure to the mind…

May their tribe increase in the sporting arena… soon..

वन्दे मातरम्

ॐ शान्ति

9 30 AM