Year:2003 AD
Era:Cenozoic
Epoch:Holocene
Target:EARTH
MISSION INVASION PLANET EARTH 2003
Galaxy:Milky Way
Source:Betelgeuse (Proper Name)
Constellation:Orion
Star Name:58 alpORI
Henry Draper Number : 39801
A sacrophagus structure resembling an inverted cocoon swivels to the right sending a flurry of ionized beams which activate the Quasi-turbid spacecraft perched atop a surreal mountain overlooking the starry sky. A bevy of phelgm oozing alien cyborgs scurry into the space vehicle & the ensemble,automation personified, warps into the fourth dimension.The 1500lb platinum structure laced with OUT-OF-THE-WORLD UltraTechTronicFluxSynchronizers which can reduce any living/inanimate objects to a sample of ZWITTERIONS and transport the remains into the eerie precincts of a blackhole, gets it throttle adjusted zooming with breakneck speed as THE GREEN PLANET IS A FEW LIGHT YEARS AWAY...
Longitude:28 15 E
Latitude:25 45 S
Place:Centurion, GAUTENG Province
Country:South Africa
Continent:AFRICA
Planet:EARTH
A forlorn place to the south of equator suddenly EXPLODES with joy,craze,ecstasy and the most superlative of emotions as a MAN IN BLUE of short stature whacks a spherical,handstitched 3D object(White in colour) with a long rectangular object(MRF Inscribed) holding on to the long handle whacks it to the tune of1 Billion Horse Powerwith another 6 Billion MegaWatts chipped in. The so-called RawalPindi or Chawal Bhindi expressdroops down shoddily with wet despair as the combined effect of the MEN IN BLUE propels the BALL out of the SuperSports dome,out of Centurion, out of South Africa, out of Planet Earth AND It transfers7 Billion Newton of irrevocable force to theAWE-STRUCK ALIEN PARTYand the result, a thunderous SONIC BOOM.The Space craft is reduced to smithereens in a spate of pico-seconds...WORLD CUP(Read : Humara Bharat Mahan) SAVES THE DAY...
It's certainly not an excerpt from a yet to be published Sci-fi in the line of SPACE ODYSSEY or MARS ATTACK or not even INDEPENDENCE DAY.It's the sheer propensity or say, charisma of a Tetra-yearly event called the WORLD CUP, although of late they have prefixed something called ICC (I still don't have any clue as to why they can't call it ICRiver or ICLake or even a dizzy ICGutter).One of the most awaited extravaganza,the World Cup takes everyone, the street hawkers and the Ambanis all alike into it's bedazzling ambience of true sportsmanship,emphatic heroism, springbock dynamism and what not!
It was way back in the forties and fifties that Cricket used to be regarded as a silly game with 22 gentlemen sweating after a red round ball having the rotundness of a unripe orange.Except for England, the alma mater of Cricket & the colonial provinces,the game was hitherto unknown,more of the celestial variety.People used to scoff at the batsman wielding the willow,often comparing it with a rustic,ill-mannered pedro chopping down a rubber plantation in the distant Brazil. Long-off, silly-point, chinaman,googly were terms unheard of compared to the present day scenario when I really doubt whether every John, Manoj & Ismail studying in class V don't have a Yahoo/Hotmail Password like the ones mentioned above.
The situation changed drastically in the sixties/seventies when people started taking a reasonably polished interest in the game of cricket.Come 1975,The 1st WC was staged. Whether it was the Spectacular CLIVE demolishing the torpedos or the wily Gilmour castling the stumps,Cricket was here to stay. People used to swear by the likes of Vishwanath, Richards, Garner,Chappell et al.The antics of the game changed the outlook of the viewers & a legendary sportsmanship was born.
Who can forget the swashbuckling innings by VIV Richards which sealed the fate of the English in the finals of the 1979 WC?Kapil's Devils thwarted all attempts by the lanky windies forlornly pinning their hopes on a hattrick. India's Prudential WC 1983 victory was nothing sort of a legend where determination overruled destiny and power.It was sort of an epic war where a country heralded as a potential underdog clinched the title,After 3 centuries of oppression & slavery,our ancestors had the courage and will to achieve the impossible against all odds especially when they had nothing to boast of,No Million dollar sponshorships(Are the Brittania, Hero Honda & Kingfisher guys listening),No Huge Fan Following, No LiveWire Commercials,No Honda Cars for the Man of the Series Awards JUST GRIT, COURAGE & PERSEVERANCE
How many times have we seen India rising from the ashes like a Phoenix,with a Gladiator capitalising (READ :KAPILatising)on a obdurate 175, after having slumped down to 5/17 against a pack of schoolboys a la Lads from Harare?
The successive events saw australia nurturing India's drought-hit Reliance (No Ambanis Please!),Imran's Pathans chipping in a FEW memorable performances to get a grip on the Crystal Trophy after several demoralising defeats,Lanka Islanders cashing in on the Pinch-hitting prowess of the Suryas & Kalus to savour their newly found JINX-TURNED-CULT status & the Kangaroo lads under the aegis of a defiant Waugh Duo repeat the 87 Magic...
The Approaches have changed,Techniques have been honed & innovated as well,Faces have withered,But The Spirit remains the same for It is the hallmark of the Team Spirit It's the unity among the individuals that knows no boundaries,fears no politics,respects no religion,Just Believes in the Game & the Name CRICKET
One will always find a AZHAR/ZAHEER/KAIF in the Indian Team,a ANIL DALPAT in the Pakistan Team,a DIPAK PATEL amongst the KIWIS,a CHANDERPAUL among the Windies,a NAZIR HUSSAIN in the English side & MANY TO COME.
Warne cracking a joke with Sachin, Jonty Springing to get a COKE for Murali,Gayle and Cairns breaking into a jig, Flower,Akram & Trescothick playing RUGBY.Can there be a better sight!!
WC has driven every cricketer to shine irrespective of the team he belongs to.The will to perform under pressure,to provide courage to peers,to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat are some of the instances where the team spirit overrides the egoistic individualism one may have.It's not about waging a war with a neighbouring country, playing to the hilt only when there is a gorgeous BMW for the Man of the Match / Series award,or dragging racial & avaricious (READ:MATCH FIXING) issues into the limelight.It's all about lifting the game into the sky-touching realms of success & longevity.It's not always the team having the most swashbuckling of batsmen or the swingsmen that conquers,but the one having the guts to survive under pressure.Hence, as viewers,we should always put ourselves under the skin of the cricketer-on-assignment and gauge the parameters,not just blame them whenever they fail to deliver,sitting in front of the TV.
More recently,there have been instances of Sponsorship issues,match-fixing scandals,Racial outbursts & many down the line.These indicate the amount of commercialism that has percolated in the minds of the cricketers.They spell doom for the aesthetic appeal of the game,that once used to charm away a million hearts & babes as well.Of course,as an INDIAN,I'd certainly like the MEN IN BLUE to regain the cup & DEFINITELY WANT THE INDIANS TO SHUT OUT THE PAKIS, but in the truest style of sportsmanship.I am looking forward to watching some of the most dazzling display of cricket in the diaspora of ethnic amalgamation.
Thanks WORLD CUP, YOU WIN THE GAME
