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Sweets, Songs and the Sanju–Bumrah symphony

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By K.R. Nayar From Narendra Modi Stadium Ahmedabad. Nearly 1,30,000 fans had poured into the Narendra Modi Stadium on Sunday, carrying hopes, their lucky jerseys, their nervous heartbeats, and prayers, all with sole hope that India emerges victorious . All they wanted was to see India beat New Zealand and become the only country to win this title thrice, and in the process record back-to-back title triumphs and earn the honour of being the only host nation to win the Cup. They witnessed all of this and walked out with voices hoarse from the cheering and hearts overflowing with pride and joy. A rare happy place on earth This was not merely a cricket final but a rare occasion to sit amidst over 100,000 over- joyous people. After Jasprit Bumrah produced that great spell to crush New Zealand’s final hopes of victory, almost everyone was dancing, a few were seen simply jumping, and most were constantly screaming in joy. Where on earth would 100,000 people with the same emotion sit...
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Need of the hour: A book on ‘How to watch a cricket final without support from a cardiologist’

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By K.R. Nayar From Narendra Modi Stadium Ahmedabad. ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’ is one of the most popular books written by American author and teacher Dale Carnegie. The tension and pressure among the fans here is so palpable that a book on ‘How to watch a cricket final calmly’ would be a useful handbook. During the pre-match press conference, both captains were asked about pressure on them before the final. Since there are no reference books, their responses were repetitive.  Today, the city is like a pressure cooker, with fans who would act like the whistle. Superstition is also likely to rule the day with many believing that a small movement could result in the fall of a wicket, even though they may know that sitting long without movement can be more dangerous than smoking. I wonder whether anyone would go to the extent of even refusing to change his breathing pattern once his team starts doing well. Since there have been so many instances of people no...
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Likeable New Zealand, but please don’t take the Cup home

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By K.R. Nayar From Narendra Modi Stadium Ahmedabad. It’s not cricketers alone who prepare hard for the final but also the fans, though they have their net practice sessions in tea shops and at homes. There are groups that have pooled money to celebrate the whole day and also keep some aside for late-night celebrations if India emerge champions. In the 2023 ICC 50-over World Cup, all such planning was busted after Australia beat India by six wickets here, and walking out after that match with the crowd was like being part of a funeral procession. A new cheerleader for Suryakumar Yadav. Photo by K.R. Nayar  Cheer leaders new and old The cheerleaders of Sachin Tendulkar and Mahendra Singh Dhoni paint their whole bodies in Indian flag colours 24 hours before the start of the match. Now, Indian skipper Suryakumar Yadav too has a cheerleader who has painted his body exactly like the fans of Tendulkar and Dhoni. Even if the aura that Tendulkar and Dhoni possessed is ageing, that ...
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Sanju’s Trivandrum days, Patel signs England's exit papers, and Vande Mataram to Vande Bharat

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By K.R. Nayar From Wankhede Stadium Mumbai. Having written about Sanju Samson from his young days and witnessed the relentless hard work he has put in during his growing-up days in Trivandrum, I asked him a question related to his past in the post-match press conference after his match-winning knock against England that placed Team India in the final. Does he think all the hard work — carrying his kit bag along with all his hopes to training grounds in Trivandrum — has now been rewarded through these two knocks? Sanju Samson addresses the post-match press conference. Photos: ICC A peep into Sanju’s thinking   Sanju, who presents himself as calm as a monk though as dangerous as a thunderbolt when at the batting crease, candidly said: “Yes, it feels really great or really relieving that I have actually, for a few years, been trying to do something like this for my country. So I just waited with a lot of patience, a lot of inner work, a lot of training and a lot of practice. ...
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Finn Allen scares the cricket ball into seeking ICC protection, and a stand for six-sixes Shastri at Wankhede

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By K.R. Nayar From Wankhede Stadium Mumbai. The kiwi may be a bird that cannot fly, but on Wednesday at Eden Gardens, the Kiwis took off in style, stunning South Africa in the first semi-final of the ICC T20 World Cup in less than 13 overs. New Zealand opener Finn Allen, who is the hardest hitter of the ball in New Zealand, gave the Kiwis the wings to trounce South Africa and fly to Ahmedabad for the final. The day the cricket ball got scared Who is Finn Allen who follows the motto: “Watch the ball hard, hit the ball hard”? He treated the hard cricket ball with utter disdain. When he was on the crease, it looked like the ball was literally scared of him. Before him, only Chris Gayle — who struck the fastest century in a T20 World Cup against England in 2016 off 47 balls — had dominated the bowling in such fashion. Allen bettered that record, reaching his century in 33 balls, which means the ball suffered 14 fewer balls than when Gayle reached his century. Helpless South Afric...
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A Day for World Cup Glory, ‘fine’ Pakistan Cricket Board, and a certified Malayali

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By K.R. Nayar From Wankhede Stadium Mumbai. Witnessing Mumbai celebrate Holi on Tuesday was a colourful experience, but cricket fans are now gearing up to celebrate what many expect to be India’s semi-final win over England at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday. March is a month of celebrations like Holi, Ram Navami, Eid-al-Fitr, the Hindu New Year and also International Women’s Day. Fans are so confident of India retaining the ICC World T20 title that that they would like March 8 (the day of the final) to be added to the list of special days in March as ‘Indian cricket’s double-triumph day’.  Toss and stock market trends For nervous fans, it will be like an important examination day — a three-hour cardio workout. Though Mumbai is the financial capital, the importance of winning the toss will be discussed more than the stock market trends. Fans would have started to offer advice on field placing right from their homes, and also made it known that they want Abhishek Sharma,...
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Sanju Chetta, butter-fingered Abhishek, and fish served with wishes

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By K.R. Nayar From Wankhede Stadium Mumbai. Soon after Sanju Samson hit the match-winning knock against the West Indies, a few journalists, knowing I am from Kerala, asked me what Chetta meant. Most social media posts with Samson’s photo have used the word  Chetta . Since Samson is respectfully called by that name in Kerala, which means elder brother in Malayalam, some wanted to know how it differed from  Anna  (which means brother in Tamil). Sanju Samson in traditional mundu. Photo: Instagram Scoreboards may read Samson, commentators say Sanju, but across all Malayalee homes around the world, those younger than him address him as Sanju Chetta. When he hits a six, it stretches longer to “Sanjuuu Chettaaa!” That call turns philosophical if he fails. From nurses in the Gulf and around the world to students from Kerala studying abroad, this alert is fixed for actors Mohanlal, Mammooty, and now Samson. Whenever he has played a match-winning knock, the pride in Malaya...
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