A tale of a passionate Indian cricket fan

I was too young to witness the glory of 1983, the cricket of the 80s, and early 90s (not so young, but fewer means!). But thereafter, almost everything of significance is captured in a special corner of my memory—etched for posterity!

The memories, however, are laced with more heartbreaks and fewer but awesome jubilations. 2002 (ICC CT), 2007 (T20 WC), 2011 (ODI WC), and 2013 (CT) hold a special place in my heart, but so do the other ICC final losses (and semi-final, and other losses too) which I had to endure! The yin and yang, as they say.

• 2003 Jo’burg, ODI WC: Heartbreak as the Aussies just blew us away.
• 2014 Dhaka, T20I WC: Cried when we lost to SL.
• 2017 London, CT: Cried once again, and this one hurt the most as we lost to Pakistan.
• 2021 Rose Bowl, WTC Final: Cried again when we lost to the good boys of NZ.
• 2023 London, WTC Final: Cried again when Aussies outplayed us.
• 2023 Ahmedabad, ODI WC: Heartbreak when Aussies steamrolled us—Travis Head!! Again, this one hurt the most as I witnessed the loss from the stadium.

Thirteen years of waiting, full of heartbreaks, so near yet so far! And finally, the jubilation once again. One of the finest T20 matches ever played. Our men in blue snatched victory from the jaws of defeat!

Eyes full of tears, heart full of joy, and mind overpowered with a sense of pride. The architects of this victory are a long list of players and support staff.

• Rohit Sharma, the leader – I do not always agree with his decisions, but who am I anyways,
• Virat Kohli, the super star – A player I adore, though not so much in the shortest format of the game, but again, who am I anyways,
• Jasprit Bumrah, the national treasure – India’s true and only superhero—please give him a Bharat Ratna,
• Sky, the enforcer – the modern-day T20 giant—that catch on the boundary line will live rent-free in my memory forever,
• Hardik Pandya, the man who refuses to give up – the turnaround man, I can’t wait for his autobiography,
• Axar Patel and Jaddu, the real 3D players – who contributes with the bat, ball and on the field too,
• Kuldeep, the wrist spin wonder – bowled some wonderful spells, with crucial wickets,
• Rishabh, the live wire behind the stumps – the comeback wonder kid with a few outrageous innings,
• Arshdeep and Siraj, the support acts – some awesome spells, crucial wickets when needed,
• Shivam Dubey, at the right place at the right time – but I wish he had done more, and
• the highest gratitude is reserved for the man who has been the biggest and the most sincere servant of Indian cricket, Rahul Dravid—the wall of India, the unsung hero. He gets the one thing missing in his illustrious trophy cabinet, 28 years after his debut!

Thank you, Men in Blue! We always bled blue, we are bleeding blue, and we will continue to bleed blue!

29 June 2024 – Fakr hai!

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The fanhood runs in the family. Vivaan – my 12 year old son, got to witness his first cricket world-cup victory. Unlike me, he did not have to wait for too long to witness the moment of glory, but he did have his share of heart break moments.

Signing off with one eternal hope that we do not have to wait for so long and go through so many heart breaks going forward. That said, we will continue to support the team irrespective of the size of the trophy and color of the medal!