March 2025 - Boston Massachusetts USA
On March 4th 2025, India comfortably beat Australia and marched on to the finals of the 2025 ICC Champions Trophy. On March 5th, NZ beat South Africa and set up a final clash with India, to be played at Dubai International Stadium on March 9th.
I was rooting for South Africa to win, who have been an underrated team, and it was time for them to knock of the "Chokers" tag. Alas, that will remain with them for sometime I guess.
As I saw the footer flash on the TV channel "India v New Zealand - Final Champions Trophy 2025", memories of 2000 ICC Knock out Trophy rushed in my mind.
*The ICC Champions Trophy was earlier known as ICC Knock Out Trophy in the 2000 Inaugural edition*
Cut to 2000
October 2000 - Chougale Building Jamkhandi (Belgaum Karnataka India)
Class XII board exams were just 6 months away and my mind was engulfed in Electromagnetic's, Static Charges, Chemical Equations, Differentiation and Integration. Well, it was not voluntary but the pressure to meet parents expectations (Emotional Blackmail) was just enough to focus! :D
I had very little access to TV, let alone watching cricket! I followed the tournament through news papers and hearsay from friends. Nevertheless, it was a moment to cherish as India progressed through the tournament with the then never seen spectacular performance.
Indian Cricket team had some new faces. After the notorious match fixing scandal the new team was headed by the then young and dynamic Sourav Ganguly. Most of the seniors like Manoj Prabhakar, Nayan Mongia were booted out and young guns like Yuvraj Singh, Zaheer Khan were included in the playing XI.
With some exciting overall performance from veterans like Sachin Tendulkar, Anil Kumble, Venkatesh Prasad and from not so new but well established players like Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid the team had comfortably come out of the shackles of the match fixing episode. To see the team in the final was like a dream come true especially after the 1999 World Cup Campaign debacle.
I used to see my landlord glued to TV watching these matches as I walked in and out of my room. I was tempted to stand by the wall and take a glimpse but I couldn't muster the courage to match to grumpy old landlord's look.
I didn't get a chance to watch the final match but through hearsay I got to know that India had set up a challenging total of 265 runs. To chase 265 runs in those days was a monumental task. It was so tempting for the next 3 hours that my mind didn't have the strength to think anything but the proceedings and anxiousness of the result.
Seeing my desperateness, my 7th grade neighbor, Rohit, in the same building started reporting scores every 15 mins. As the NZ wickets tumbled, the excitement to win the trophy was at its Zenith. It was the last over and I was confident (or over confident?) that this is a cakewalk and we have the trophy and was all ready to celebrate. But then the boy came and said "We Lost!!". I was "What?!.. Are you serious?. How is that even possible?". He said "Chris Cairns hit big in the last over and NZ made it with just 2 balls remaining".
I couldn't believe him and let the day pass by thinking that India indeed won and I would see the result in the news paper next day.
Not sure it was my naivety or stupidity but I rushed to local library early in the morning to check the news paper and was disheartened to read "India fumble in the last Over; NZ win their maiden ICC championship ever".
March 2025 - Boston Massachusetts USA
25 years later.. Is it time to reverse 2000 memories, which I still don't believe that NZ won that year, or is it to reaffirm that NZ is better than India in ICC Tournament finals?!
Well, as my friends and I in Boston excitedly plan to watch it together, I will get to know tomorrow if the nightmares of 2000 are indeed washed away.
To be continued .....
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