#Bleedblue is now #BleedBlack! How much has that got
to do with Brendon McCullum’s enticing letter to Indian fans? When was the last
time one heard a Pakistani skipper, leave alone a fan from the rival nation,
rooting for India in a semifinal of a World Cup? India out. Australia vs New
Zealand at the MCG.
So, come the final: Enemy’s enemy is your friend. Isn’t it?
#GoKiwis, #BleedBlack, #Bazbash, What not?
Why the Aussies – among a common cricketing fan in India
(which yours truly assumes to be and it has been the case going by social media
posts) – don’t deserve to win the final for the fifth time? One can be sure an
opinion poll in India to predict the winner would end up with NZ being the
favourites. But the recorded statement would have been: ‘Aussies shouldn’t, let
New Zealand win, Oz should lose, Why not NZ please?’
Envy the Aussies? Fifth title. No! Then what? Let someone
rule the cricketing arena. If it ain’t going to be India, then it should
definitely not be Australia.
Is the ‘annoying’ (if you aren't an Australian cricket team
fan) Aussie-aggro on and off the field got anything to do it? Is it the war of
words, the ‘hoooo…hooooo’ sound from behind the stumps at the fall of a wicket
from a great wicket-keeper, kicking the ball after pulling off a stunning
catch, bowlers throwing the ball at a batsman to disrupt his rhythm, a win at
any cost approach, rattling the umpires, even a night-watchman scoring a double
hundred, never say die attitude?
What does the mind of an Indian cricket aficionado
recollect at the very word Australia, atleast in the last decade or so? Don’t
worry. This ain’t going to be match report or the summary of the moments of
some of the ‘Final Frontiers’
The key words are enough to depict the story: McGrath,
Sachin, Nairobi, 2001, Kolkata, VVS Laxman, Rahul Dravid, 2003 WC final,
Sachin, pull, McGrath, 2004 loss at home, 2007, Bucknor, Sachin, Symonds,
Bhajji, Sydney, Pup, Ponting, Dada, The Wall, Kumble, Pup three wickets, Perth,
M.S.D, 2008 CB series, 2011 WC, QF, Ahmedabad, victory, 2012 whitewash, Kohli,
bigchases, 2014, Tests, Kohli, Johnson, 2015 WC, Again LOSSSSSS!
Phew! Isn’t the blood boiling hot underneath for a patriotic
Indian? The visuals of most of the key words are quite disheartening.
The ‘win at any cost approach’ of the Aussies, which many
perceive here to be an act of violating the rules of the gentleman’s game,
could probably be one of the biggest reasons why only a few support the men in
yellow. 'Playing hard' in Aussie terms is termed differently here.
Maybe, if India follow their style of play, there could be more trophies to show for the future generation!
—S. Bagawati Prasad
.
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