30th March 2011

Well, this is it. The BIG day, the BIG match. Blue versus Green, old rivalry reignited like never before. Eleven men on each side carrying the hopes and expectations of the millions they represent. I wonder what it feels like to be M.S Dhoni or Shahid Afridi today. How do they handle the pressure that's already shot through the roof and continues to escalate as the minutes tick by and the semi-final showdown inches closer?

Non-cricket fans, non-Indians, and non-Pakistanis are all aloof, dismissing today's battle as 'just another match', but the billions of hearts that beat for each of the teams know that this is not just any other match. Even if we ignore all the hullabaloo about political leaders uniting to watch the contest and the astronomical ticket charges and advertising tariffs, we can't deny that when India and Pakistan clash in this game that is so dear to both countries, the excitement and anticipation that spills over is simply unmatched to any other.

From the slum-dwellers who will be gathering at 'the nearby house with the television' to the glitterati with VIP tickets at the stadium; from the old couple huddled close to the screen due to failing eyesight, to the far flung students glued to the internet in the absence of a television, all eyes are on those twenty two (eleven a side) men today who can command both insurmountable admiration and despicable wrath depending on how they perform.

The excitement is not just palpable, it is fiery and alive and crackling! No matter what the outcome, today is a day that will be remembered for years to come. For the side that wins, it will mean chests swelling in pride and the heady rush of patriotism igniting both smiles and tears of joy. And for the side that loses, it will be a wound that will sting and ache for generations to come, perhaps even after it has been properly avenged. Today is not just another game of cricket, it is history in the making.

And may the best side win. :)



No, not really. May INDIA win!!!!!! :D