OH...MY...GOD!



I don't believe it.

I mean you hope, and you pray even, but you never truly believe, truly believe...

India defeated mighty Australia for the second game in a row in the CB Series Finals to win the whole tournament.

This never happens, never!

First of all, Sachin Tendulkar again played a magnificent innings when it counted. Then you had the drama of India faltering (as usual) at the end of their innings (because Australia won the toss, another ominous, um, omen, they put us into bat first) and putting up a score which the Aussies usually overhaul in their sleep.

Then, that's when the amazing happened.

India bowled well, really well, and withstood the patented Aussie fight-back and managed to nip them at the very end. It's usually Australia that does the nipping, but this time it was India!

Sachin has done wonders for his legacy and this may be the one that he's remembered for. On the flip side Rahul Dravid's legacy took a massive hit with his awful captaincy, and Ricky Ponting has gone a long way towards tarnishing not only his, but Australia's legacy in general. And if Andrew Symonds is not careful, his career may be get cut short by his emotional volatility (as evidenced by his attack on a harmless streaker). If it's the one thing the Aussies have come to epitomize, it's staying cool under pressure, yet this lot with their constant chirping (What was that Matthew Hayden, calling Harbhajan Singh a "an annoying little weed" on a radio show? No class, no class at all - Alan Border and Steve Waugh would not have stood for it.) have severely undermined their standing in the Cricket community and are well on their way to becoming as hated in their sport as the New England Patriots are in theirs.

First Roger Federer, then Tom Brady, then Australia...hmmm...could Tiger Woods be the next giant to fall (I hope so man, I really hope so).

In any case, let's focus on India and let them have their brief moment in the sun. I'm not sure if this will translate to an actual World Cup win, but Mahendra Singh Dhoni has done the almost unthinkable with these two victories (the Twenty20 World Cup and the CB Series).

He's given us all a reason to believe.

LINKS

Cricinfo Match Report
Cricinfo Bulletin
Cricinfo Streaker Report
Cricinfo Plays of the Day
Cricinfo Dhoni Reaction
Cricinfo Ponting Reaction
Cricinfo Australia Report
Cricinfo Scorecard