And for a Friday as India qualifies to go to the knockout stages of World Cup, some thoughts….. some musings…..
With the Cricket World Cup being played in India, the country is totally polarised. Indians that also include NRIs, PIOs and OCIs, no matter which country passport holder he/she is, all are polarised into two Camps. Those who love Cricket; watching, analysing, reading, discussing endlessly and most animatedly and another camp who hate cricket and consider it a total gross waste of time. Cricket has been accepted as a sport in the Olympics and has now caught on in USA. The most striking aspect is the sheer joy that cricket provides to all Indians irrespective of class. Industrialists, Politicians, Film Stars, Corporate Czars; be it a Deepak Parekh, Sharad Pawar, Satya Nadella, Shashi Tharoor, Harsh Goenka, Shah Rukh Khan or just the roadside Panwala or Dunzo delivery boy, each bring their own passions, view points and perspectives. Cricket is India’s unifying glue.
In the ongoing World Cup, India is the only unbeaten side till date. 7/7 is a 100% scorecard. Will they maintain the record? Depends on the Sunday match at Kolkata against South Africa, which might as well be a preview to be repeated as the World Cup final as these two are, as of now, the best two teams on performance seen in this World Cup. Cricket is a game of sheer individual talent, hard work, team spirit and Luck. Imagine one of the best White Ball bowlers in the world, Mohammad Shami, found place due to Hardik Pandya’s injury. And what a breathtaking bowling performance he has put up including a “Fiver” today against hapless Sri Lankans.
Just over two weeks of sheer excitement and fun left before the curtains come down with the Finals on the 18th. May the best Team win. Meanwhile let us all enjoy the sporting way, the fun way, the SEEGOS way.