| Sharmaji ke ladkon ko dekha? What we’ve seen, and what we’ve learnt It’s been a long wait for an ICC trophy and my mind’s been flooded with evocative images, song lyrics and Bollywood films ever since the boys in blue brought home the WT20 in dramatic fashion. The shor of dhol, desi music and dance at IGI Airport, where Sharmaji ke ladke landed yesterday, gave away the sheer emotional release that this win has brought us. I don’t think this happy hysteria will die down anytime soon, but when it does, I hope we as fans will not only grow to trust our athletes better but also learn how they transform adversity into wins. I heard Prannay in my newsroom say ‘Suryakumar Yadav ko sab cheezon ke liye maaf kar diya yaar’. Prannay, I hope you now see he was trying his best all along. In holding on to that last-ditch screamer amid mind-numbing pressure, SKY not only prevented a potentially match-ending six but prevented our hope in our cricket team from dying. I hope in the future, before jumping on the booing bandwagon, we will remember Hardik Pandya bowling those fantastic overs at the death. Over the past few months, the man has handled everything life threw his way with dignity and silence. By not allowing baggage and brickbats to dictate how he bowled those two overs, Pandya proved that it’s the game that ultimately matters to him. Exam mein fail ho gaye? Put your head down and start afresh. Goa trip par dost saath nahin chala? Put your head up and go on your own. Do what matters.  When Samarth told me about Rishabh Pant celebrating with the trophy at the team hotel yesterday, I was reminded of the trolling he’s facing online for his duck in the final. I don’t know kaun hain yeh log, kahan se aate hain yeh log. Even if you ignore the tactical breaks he is said to induce (wink, wink) and his constant chatter that keeps the bowlers on their toes, Pant has played at least one crucial knock in the tournament, apart from some smart glovework behind the stumps. Only months ago, he was in recovery after a near-fatal car accident and he’s back to doing what he does best. Give the guy a break. Shivam Dube had a poor tournament but when it mattered, the big lad played a quickfire cameo in the finals. On the other hand, spin duo Kuldeep Yadav and Axar Patel, who brought India to the final frontier with their wizardry, had a bad day against South Africa. I hope fans will now see what they mean when they say that nobody wants to play badly. Poor Chahal didn’t even get a game, but he’s in every other frame, celebrating with just as much gusto. What have we learnt? Focus on the big picture and do not — I repeat — do not write someone, or yourself, off for what happens on one day (or even two, for that matter). What do I even say of Rohit and Virat? Over the years, their individual and combined legacies have been lauded, ridiculed, subjected to partisanship on all levels. Their failures have been scrutinised endlessly, and of late, they have even been age shamed. The other day, I had to tell my colony waale Ahluwalia ji that if he can play for his RWA at 60, someone in their mid-30s is technically okay to represent the country. But time after time, these athletes have proven their fitness (pun intended) and dedication for the game. That cold visual of Virat kneeling in concentration before he played that match-winning knock, rescuing India from a precarious position — for the umpteenth time — refuses to leave my mind. Rohit, who’s had a sublime run right through the 50-over World Cup and now the WT20, sprawled face up on the Kensington Oval turf, showed just how much he wanted this. Rahul Dravid’s emphatic reactions in the post-match lap showed just how much he wanted this. I hope we trust that these pros, who we’ve loved and idolised for so long, want it just as much as we do. And I hope we can have the same gumption and resilience. |
