A Hero Comes Home

The floodlights were on, the pitch was glistening
The whole world watching, the players listening
To the roar of the crowd as they walked out that night
On what was supposed to be a footballing delight

A hero returned, to his home which once was
He was greeted by cheers and thunderous applause
Thousands of fans, singing his name
It was just like the old days, almost all the same

But this night he was, on the side of the foe
Even if on the night, he was reluctantly so
He lined up against old friends, it was what he had to do
Because the foe kept food on his table you know

The game kicked off, the battle began
The quest was on to see who can
Emerge victorious on the biggest stage
And in doing so write a page
Of the famed pages of footballing history
But just who would win, was a total mystery

The giants clashed, it was an epic in the making
Every player on the pitch knew how vital was taking
Any half-chance which may come his way
To help his team take the next step to a Wembley day

The game went on, the home team went ahead
On the night of champions, first blood was red

Then came the moment, which changed it all
A home player jumped in the air for the ball
But the referee did not like what he saw
And the player was sent off, distraught

The momentum shifted, the foe now attacked
And with a touch of genius, they pulled it back

The fans still roared, singing in the night
As the home team put up, an incredible fight
But in the end, it was to be in vain
A night of magic, turned into one of pain

The clinching moment, was written in the stars
The hero did what he had to do
He latched onto the end of a low pass
And struck a blow into every home fan’s heart

He never celebrated, out of heartfelt respect
For he remembered his roots, where he grew
As a player, and as a man
Showing the world, what he could do

The game ended, the final whistle blew
The home fans still sang, for they knew
Their team had made them all proud
And their voices never ceased to sing aloud

They still cheered for him, their hero of old
Of this magical night, stories will forever be told
He turned back the years, showing his desire
To create magic on the field, for all to admire

The hero was doubtless, the star of the game
Battling with emotion, he walked off the stage
And with his heart pounding, as he did so

He could still hear the fans singing, “Viva Ronaldo”

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When India Won The Cricket World Cup

A NATION CELEBRATES…

After a long wait of 28 years and six unsuccesful attempts, the Men in Blue finally got their hands on the holy grail of the cricket world, the World Cup, once again. But it was not a walk in the park for them by any means. They faced a spirited Sri Lankan side that was raring to go and put up a gritty performance.

MATCH REPORT

The toss was won by the Lankans, and unsurprisingly, Sangakkara elected to bat first on a wicket that was expected to deteriorate and slow down by the time the second innings was to be played. But whatever advantage was offered to them by winning the toss was quickly taken away as they were hit by a fantastic opening spell by Zaheer Khan who bowled 3 maiden overs to increase the already overwhelming pressure of the occasion on the Sri Lankans. Added to this was the superb fielding of Yuvraj, Kohli and Raina, who between them saved many a boundary by throwing their bodies around. Finally, the pressure told, and Tharanga edged one to Sehwag at first slip. This was followed by Dilshan getting out to a soft dismissal, trying to sweep a Harbhajan ball that was outside leg stump and only managing to deflect it onto the stumps. Sri Lanka then tried to consolidate their position and work their way to a respectable total. With two calm heads, Sangakkara and Jayawardene at the crease, they started rotating the strike well and putting together a decent partnership. But two runs short of his half century, Sangakkara misjudged an innocuous looking Yuvraj delivery and edged it into the waiting gloves of Dhoni. Now, India had broken into the suspect middle-order of the Lankans, and soon, Samaraweera was given out LBW to Yuvraj after the review and reversal of Simon Taufel’s original decision. But at the other end, Jayawardene was still going strong and he found an able companion in the form of Nuwan Kulasekara, who played a little cameo towards the end of the innings. Much to the delight of the Lankan fans, Jayawardene completed his century and Thisara Perera showed that he can hit the ball too, and the Lankan recovery from a slow start was complete with a blistering Batting Powerplay. The target set for the Indians was a very respectable 275 at a required rate of 5.5 runs per over.

Like their counterparts, the Indian innings had a shaky start too. Both teams had finished with their lowest mandatory powerplay scores in the tournament. The first wicket to go down was Sehwag, out LBW in a similar fashion to Malinga as he was in the semis against Pakistan. But the biggest shock of the evening came when the little master, Sachin Tendulkar himself was caught behind after flashing at a Malinga outswinger, and the crowd was wrapped in deafening silence, with their expectations of a Tendulkar hundred unfulfilled. Although India got off to a bad start, the Delhi boys, Gambhir and Kohli started to stamp their authority on the game by stringing together a solid stand until the latter was out caught and bowled to Dilshan after a leading edge. Surprisingly, Dhoni himself elected to walk in at number 4 ahead of Yuvraj. But his tactics proved to be spot on as his partnership with Gambhir became the highest by an Indian pair in a World Cup Final. But when the chase was going on swimmingly, a moment of madness by Gambhir saw him bowled, just three runs short of what would have been a magnificent ton. But if the Lankans thought that there was a turn in their fortunes to come, they were sadly mistaken because Yuvraj showed no signs of taking his foot off the gas. However hard the Lankans tried, the duo had the answer to every delivery they would bowl. Finally, India clinched victory in a fitting manner with Dhoni himself hitting a huge six to start the celebrations.

AFTERMATH

There was joy in the streets, victory parades were started nationwide, and the country rejoiced in a way never seen before. Fireworks went off all around. A billion people celebrated. The promise had been fulfilled, the tag of favourites had been justified, and the World Cup was brought home…