India’s triumph at the ICC T20 World Cup in Barbados only months after the heartbreak in Ahmedabad when the Men in Blue lost the final of the ODI World Cup to Australia is a historic achievement. Seventeen years after Indian cricketers led by the then unknown and untested Mahendra Singh Dhoni won the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup in 2007, Rohit Sharma’s band of boys repeated the feat. This Indian team has been performing consistently but the big prize has eluded them so far. It is only befitting that coach Rahul Dravid’s tenure ended on this high note. It is also fitting that Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja called time on their T20 International careers after the win leaving the field to the talented new generation. The Indian team which did not lose a single match in its march to the final has proved that it is flush with talent be it on the batting side or bowling department. The beleaguered Hardik Pandya battling personal problems and after a particularly torrid IPL season came into his own and proved his mettle. Jasprit Bumrah was outstanding and was deservedly pronounced the player of the tournament. Surya Kumar Yadav made up for any prior lapses with his spectacular catch near the boundary in the final. Rishab Pant returning after a near fatal car mishap put him out of action for months proved that talent will always come to the fore. His stint behind the stumps was also memorable. Young guns like Arshdeep Singh and Shivam Dube also rose to the occasion.
Cricket is a national obsession and the Indian team is always under immense pressure to perform well. No doubt, cricketers are treated almost like gods in this country and they are also spoiled as far as perks and allowances go but the expectations of a billion plus people always follow them around. When they do not perform well they are trolled and jeered. But with the T20 trophy in their pockets, the Men in Blue can expect a heroes’ welcome when they return to India.
