The World Cup Fever

India geared up to host the coveted T20 world cup. The cricket fever had spread across the world to lure its fans. The cricket virus had successfully slayed the coronavirus to become the ongoing pandemic. Cricket fans all over the world thronged Indian stadiums to support their respective countries in the world cup. Security guards ensured there were no hiccups as far as the security of the players was concerned. The former cricket players and the experts waited with bated breath to see the kick-off of the world cup. Some qualifying fixtures materialized and finally, the teams in the two groups were finalized.

Group A.          Group B

India.             Sir Lanka

New Zealand      South Africa

West Indies        Pakistan

England.           Australia

Indian fans desperately wanted to see Team India lifting the coveted world cup after a long time on home soil. They didn't want the knockout stage anxiety that had festered in the previous ICC(International Cricket Council) tournaments to haunt the team this time. Team India was led by an able captain named Mohit and many experts believed he would spearhead his team to glory thanks to his envious results as a captain. It was the first match of the group eight stage between the favourites India and the underdogs New Zealand. India had a poor record against the Kiwis as far as the ICC tournaments were concerned. Kiwis always managed to upset India and they firmly believed they would continue their winning record. The Delhi crowd erupted in joy to witness the mouthwatering clash between two test-playing nations. Some of them went berserk as if they won an Oscar award when the camera panned toward them. Silence seemed to have buried itself against the noise that threatened to blow the roof off. All smiles and positive energies radiated around to wish both teams good luck. New Zealand won the toss and elected to field first. Their bowlers had a clear plan and gave their team a memorable start by removing three wickets inside six overs. India looked out of plans and the crowd booed to manifest their disappointment with the batsmen's approach. At the end of twenty overs, India managed to score 146-9 thanks to pyrotechnics by Satwik at the end.

The second innings resumed following a chat in the huddle by both teams. Bhimra landed an incredible yorker plucking a wicket in the very first ball to give India a dream start. The electrifying atmosphere churned out by the crowd knew no bounds as it drove the match forward. New Zealand captain crafted an important fifty and it looked like the match was slipping away from India's hands but an incredible penultimate over bowled by Bhimra kept them in the game. New Zealand required 9 runs of the final over. The bowler tried a yorker which got converted into a full toss aiding the batsman to hit it over the fence for a maximum and the pin drop silence in the crowd was a testament to their distress. The very next ball was whacked out of the stadium and New Zealand continued to frustrate India in the big tournament. The defeat left India with no choice but to win the remaining two games to steer into the semi-finals. 

A lot of discussions happened in the dressing room between the players and the coach. They had prepared well coming into the tournament and now they are certainly reeling under pressure because one more defeat can burn the hopes of lifting the cup in Mumbai. There was no time to ponder over the mistakes done because this tournament doesn't span over months so you just have to forget the defeat and jolt yourself back to reality. Satwik and Bhimrah were the positives in the first game and others had to step us if India are to brave the coming storms. The arch-rivals Pakistan seemed to be on another level altogether as they thumped another team in their group with relative ease. They seriously looked like the favourites to win the cup. The crowd support steered India into the semi-finals as they beat England and West Indies rather easily. New Zealand and India qualified from Group A whereas Pakistan and Australia qualified from Group B. The semi-final fixtures were then decided.

Semi-Finals

Australia vs New Zealand

India vs Pakistan

New Zealand was in for heartbreak because they lost a last-ball thriller to their neighbours. At one point in time, it looked as if the Kiwis would win the game with ease but Shane played a blinder at the end to shatter the Kiwis' hopes and pull off a heist. Australia had steered itself into another world cup final. They seemed to have developed an obsession to win the world cups, isn't it? Everybody had been waiting for the India-Pak encounter and the semi-final stage was set for the arch-rivals to compete against each other with the final place up for grabs. Can Pakistan manage to upset India? Will India continue to maintain their winning record against Pakistan intact? Multiple questions churned in people's minds as they got themselves ready to watch the most anticipated match of the year. A sold-out crowd and billions of viewers hooked themselves to the television. The office work took a beating since the office places looked deserted thanks to the Indo-Pak festival.

India won the toss and decided to bat first in the Chinnaswami stadium, Bengaluru. The crowd even managed to overpower the commentator's voice. Batting first, India put up a formidable total (185-7) on the board and with the kind of form Pakistani players were in, this shouldn't be a daunting task for them. Bookies had heavily favoured Pakistan to win the game. Piggybacking on their form, Pakistan openers took the Indian bowlers to cleaners as if they had prepped to make a mockery out of the Indian bowling unit. Both the openers hit fifty in just thirty balls each and just like that Pakistan reached 100 in just ten overs. With ten wickets left and just 86 needed of sixty balls, they were indeed the favourites to meet the Aussies at Mumbai. The ominous sign had thwarted India's plans but they still backed themselves to win the game. Captain Mohit cued the silent crowd to cheer them to pass on the positive vibration. Suddenly, Bhimrah removed both the openers in quick succession to land a big blow at the Pakistani camp. The joy appeared to have revived in the stadium and everybody chanted "India, India" to act as the 12th player for Team India. Pakistan's middle-order batsmen somehow managed to steady their ship and now they needed eight runs from six balls. Players in the dugout were seen biting their nails and so were the crowd. Anything could happen in this must-win game for both teams. Bhimrah held his nerve to bowl a brilliant final over landing six incredible yorkers to which Pakistani batsmen had no answer. Can you believe it? India beat their rivals to find a place in the finals. The crowd went berserk. The substitute players and the staff breached the pitch to join the celebration. Some of the Pakistani players were reduced to tears because they had the game in their pocket before Bhimrah snatched it away in the last over. The players shook hands and consoled each other which was a beautiful gesture to behold. The big screen spawned a promo.

Final - October 2, 2022

India vs Australia

Wankhede, Mumbai

The match starts at 7 P.M 

Indian newspapers couldn't control their excitement since they competed against each other for a catchy phrase as a headliner. Some of the phrases managed to shoot a bullet into the reader's heart.

Bhimrah neutralizes Pakistan's master plan.

The last over thriller lands India in the finals

Mohit's men brave Pakistan's Brahmastra

The stage is set for the grand finals. The defending champions Australia are up against the formidable hosts India. Both teams hadn't fired on all cylinders but that pales to insignificance as they are now in the big finals. Celebrities and ministers had graced Mumbai VIP seats to witness the thriller. What a moment for these players to play a world cup final. A great chance to etch their names in the history books. Australia won the toss and elected to bat first as the pyrotechnics went bonkers around the stadium. The national anthems of both teams played one after the other and everybody stood and regarded the anthem by keeping their palms over their hearts. The openers came out with full confidence intending to render a great start but both openers fell cheaply much to the excitement of the crowd. Middle order players came to the party by increasing the tempo of the innings and the finishers did a fantastic job guiding Australia to 192-6. Smiles had wreathed their camp since they believed they had enough score to defend in a high-pressure final. India now had an uphill task as they had to chase a big total which wouldn't be easy at all that too in the finals. The crowd erupted in joy the moment Indian openers marched their way to the crease. A few insects sprang up out of nowhere in the ground to try to block the game but they paled into insignificance since no one even bothered to view them. The very first ball was swivel pulled for a maximum which made the intention pretty clear just play without fear. However, India lost three wickets in the powerplay in their intent to up the ante. Tensions flared high but the captain steadied the ship despite the wickets falling like a pack of cards on the other end. At the 19th over, the scoreboard read 174-7. Still, 19 are required in 6 balls. The only hope left was captain Mohit who played a brilliant knock amidst the odds stacked against his team. Can he pull off a heist in the final over to kick start the celebration or will it be the Aussies all over again? The time had shrouded the answer. Hold on! What's going on? Are we seeing a biting the nails contest in this nail-biting thriller? Everybody is biting their nails unable to hide their anxiety. The very first ball is smoked to a gigantic six over long-on and the lost energy seemed to have resuscitated. Mohit is indeed playing like a lone wolf with no support whatsoever. The next ball is a dot ball. Again the silence reigned supreme by swallowing the energetic noise. Oh, what was that? Mohit plays a scoop over the third man and he hit that so well the ball looked to be in a hurry to touch the rope. The next ball is smashed with disdain. Three runs from two balls, just a shot away from glory. Oh, my God! What a yorker and the wickets flew away such was the pace generated by the bowler. The incredible knock of captain Mohit comes to an end. The captain is utterly disappointed as he shakes his head reluctant to walk back to the pavilion. Three runs from one ball. The next ball is hit up in the air and the fielder wobbles while the batsmen run for a single. Can you believe it? He has managed to pull off a screamer out of nowhere exhibiting his acrobatic skills near the boundary line. The Aussie players are going bonkers. Oh, there is a twist in the tale. It's a no-ball. They can't believe it. The match is tied with still a ball to go. The umpire asks the bowler to ball the last ball of the game and he comes in and delivers a slower delivery which deceives the batsman to hit his pads and it is plumb LBW(Leg before the wicket). The match has tied to make way for a super over which would decide the fate of the game. 

After a brief chat in the huddle, the players thronged the ground to take part in the very important super over to determine the winner. India manages to score 15 runs so the Aussie need to score 16 to lift the cup for the second time in a row. Unfortunately, Bhimra got injured and cannot bowl the all-important super over but still, the other bowler manages to just concede 10 runs in 5 balls. Six to win the game. Are you ready? The batsman stifles his fear to ensure he remained composed. Here comes the bowler trying to bowl the yorker but the batsman has picked it up so beautifully he has deposited that into the stands for a six. Australia has once again won the world cup to kick start their celebration. Indian fans threw water bottles in disappointment and many couldn't hold back their tears.

Congratulations!

Australia is the Twenty 20 World Champions!!!

The Twitter war has already started to make fun of Indian players for losing the game which was in their grasp. Mohit gave an emotional speech post the defeat which received tremendous applause not only from the Indian supporters but the Aussie supporters as well.

"Congratulations to Australia on winning their second T20 world cup. They held their nerves till the end and proved to the world once again how brilliant they are. Being the captain, I will take the responsibility for the defeat. I would like to apologise on behalf of the team to all the fans who have come here to see us win. Unfortunately, we couldn't win but the sport has indeed won. Disappointment will be there but we must wash it away quickly and move on. Our team has decided to donate all the money we earned through this tournament to the NGO that works for the betterment of underprivileged children. We believe in the Bhagavadgita quote. It is the process that matters to us and not the results. Winning and losing are part of any game. If we lose, we take it on our strides and if we win, we don't allow that to get inside our heads. Just taking the right actions and moving on is what matters."

A resounding round of applause superseded the thunderstorms manufactured in the sky.

'We love Team India, not the results' echoed everywhere.