October 2007

Gulf goes wild over twenty20 triumph

Cricket-crazy Indians erupted all over the Gulf as Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s young team snatched the inaugural Twenty20 world title.
Our newsroom couldn’t help but notice that any media conference with an Indian or Pakistani marketing manager was suddenly postponed until after the big match.

India’s Virender Sehwag kisses the ICC World Twenty20 trophy after the victory in Johannesburg

When India defeated arch-rivals Pakistan by five runs in a nail-biting final cheers could be held all over the UAE where Total Sport’s base is. It was impossible to hear anyone on the phone.

Fans, who were glued to their television sets throughout the 3.5-hour game, danced and hugged each other as Shanthakumaran Sreesanth took a catch at fine leg to account for the last Pakistani wicket.

All over the Gulf fans crammed coffee shops and malls, everywhere there was a TV.

People crowded outside television shops in New Delhi, the western financial city of Mumbai and the southern high-tech hub of Bangalore in order to catch each moment of the thrilling match, locals said.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh led a rapturous nation in showering praise, “They played well and made us all proud. Keep it going team India,” Singh, who watched the game on television, said in a statement, while also complimenting Pakistan’s fine display.
The Indian board announced a cash bonus of $US2 million to the squad and 10 million rupees ($300,000) to batsman Yuvraj Singh for hitting six sixes in one over against England and rallying the team (see profile this edition).

“This makes up for our poor performance in the World Cup. And to beat our great rivals Pakistan is so special,” said K. Sankar, an Abu Dhabi accountant.

Vikram Singh, of Dubai is still on a high. “There’s nothing beats an india-Pakistan match. Both teams play superhuman cricket. Today we were better.”

For Pakistanis, the joy was short-lived as the match was lost when it looked to be in the bag with three balls to go.

Hamid Munir, IT consultant in Dubai said: “It’s disappointing, but our team’s performance was far better than it has been recently, especially in the World Cup. The match came down to one bad shot at the end. India played strongly but Pakistan fought back. It is a pity we lost when it appeared we could win. It was a surprising shot to play but that’s the pressure of twenty20. It was a great final for the good of cricket and full credit to India. But Pakistan can take a lot of positives out of this.”

Said 20-year-old Soumitra Mitra, a resident of the eastern city of Kolkata, who kept a fast and offered prayers at the Hindu Kalighat temple earlier Monday before the match in South Africa: “It’s a great victory.”

Ajoy Mukherjee, the temple’s priest, said scores of youths had stood in line in the driving rain to offer prayers before and during the match.

“Priests offered prayers as long as the match continued,” he said.
Office workers fled their desks and shops closed early so the country’s millions of fans could catch the action.

Thousands of fans spilled onto the streets in the eastern city of Ranchi, hometown of captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni, and the western city of Baroda from where left-arm paceman Irfan Pathan comes.

Pathan was named man-of-the-match after claiming three for 16 to peg back Pakistan as they chased a modest target of 158.
It was double delight for his family after elder brother Yusuf was also included in the playing XI at the last minute in place of injured opener Virender Sehwag.

The champions celebrate

The Indian team, restricted to 157-5 after electing to take first strike in good batting conditions, fought back to bowl out valiant Pakistan for 152 before a sell-out crowd of 32,000 at the Wanderers in Johannesburg.

Pakistan appeared out for the count when they were reduced to 104-7 after 16 overs, but Misbah-ul Haq gave the Indians a scare with a late charge of 43 off 38 balls.

In a congratulatory message to team captain Dhoni, President Pratibha Patil said: “The team played positive cricket and the victory is an inspiration for our youth.”

Top Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan was at hand to witness India take home the winner’s purse of $US490,000 while Pakistan received no prize money for their efforts in the final.

The Indian cricket board announced a separate bonus of $US2 million for their players who’d been in just one Twenty20 international before the tournament and were without senior pros Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Sourav Ganguly.

“It was a real team effort,” said Dhoni. “I am so proud of my team for fighting till the end and never giving up hope.

“I had told them before the match that all I needed was 100 per cent effort, it did not matter if we won or lost. We gave it our all and won in the end.”

Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik also praised his young team, saying they did not go down without a fight.

“We kept India to under 160, but lost too many wickets at the start,” said Malik. “But I am very happy my team did not give up hope and fought till the end.”