I applaud the England cricket team for resuming their tour of India in the aftermath of the Mumbai attacks. While I can certainly understand their concerns regarding their own security, I feel it is important for India and Indians to return to some semblance of normalcy after the tumult of the past couple of weeks. Cricket, being the national religion, certainly goes a long way towards helping Indians transition back into daily life as we knew it before the events of Nov. 26.
Some commentators have criticized the resumption of the India-England cricket series because they claim it is too soon for us to start playing cricket again when such a tragedy has just occurred. I agree with them in the sense that we have to admit that these terror attacks are certainly much more important than a cricket match and that we have to respect the lives lost during this tragedy. However, I feel like it is a welcome respite for a national psyche that has been so thoroughly rocked over the past couple of weeks.
And what a match the two sides served up first up in Chennai! Thoroughly entertaining stuff throughout the five days, culminating in a sensational run-chase led by three batsmen who, in my opinion, epitomize India - Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh and the little master, Sachin Tendulkar. As Dileep Premachandran of Cricinfo put it,
"Those that aren't Indian struggle to fathom exactly what Tendulkar means to so many millions, and it's doubtful whether even those that live here really comprehend just how much a part of the national consciousness he has become. He is such a unifying force, a personality capable of stirring the emotions in every nook and corner of a vast land."
On the face of it, it was only a cricket match that India won. However, to witness Mumbai's most famous son and a national idol lead his team to the fourth-highest total ever chased in Test match history, allowed so many of us Indians to temporarily forget the tragedy of Nov. 26 and all the associated political bickering and savor a truly enthralling moment as a united people. Many commentators have repeatedly criticized Tendulkar for being interested only in padding his personal statistics and not helping India win big matches, but I hope this sensational performance from the genius puts to bed once and for all any questions that may have arisen regarding his passion for India and for victory!
Once upon a time, the Indian side would have crumbled with barely a whimper at the prospect of having to chase down a record total in the last innings. However, this side is markedly different. The mentality of the side has been completely overhauled, first by the irrepressible Sourav Ganguly and nowadays by the unassuming Mahendra Singh Dhoni. And how refreshing it has been for us rabid fans. Well done, guys! We're proud of you!
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