India’s cricketing flag fluttering proudly
It is quite remarkable that in over 50 years, cricket has become a source of excitement in the life of most Indians. Even two bitter rivals will hug and congratulate each other in front of the television if India wins. Great cricketing nations like Australia, the West Indies, England, and New Zealand — and India, which was once a colony — suffered many years of defeats at the hands of those teams, both before and long after independence. When Kapil’s Devils won the ODI World Cup, felling the mighty West Indians in England, the epitome of colonial rule, India’s place in cricket was cemented. By defeating the giants across Test, one-day, and T20 formats, cricket became a national sport, beloved by the whole country, which is a fact no one can deny. Sachin Tendulkar became a symbol of unity, something that needs no special emphasis. The second Test match against Australia at Eden Gardens in March 2001 changed Test history as far as India was concerned. It halted Steve Waugh’s unbeaten run and paved the way for India’s future Test wins. Australian coach back then, Buchanan, recently praised India’s 2026 T20 World Cup triumph and recalled that Eden Gardens Test. He said it would have been better if he had not supported his team’s decision of asking India to “follow-on” but then cricket is full of surprises and beyond anyone’s imagination. He remarked on how VVS Laxman and Rahul Dravid produced a breathtaking performance that allowed India to wear the Test crown in Kolkata for the first time — a notable observation by Buchanan.
In the Twenty20 Internationals, the Indian team once again proved there’s no one to challenge them in this short format after registering a spectacular victory over New Zealand. In the match held in Ahmedabad, Sanju Samson, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Dubey, Hardik Pandya, and Shivam Dubey played stellar roles in securing a commanding win. Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy continued to demonstrate their skills throughout the tournament. In the final, Bumrah displayed complete dominance with the ball. Misfortune seems to dog the New Zealand team in every international match — despite reaching finals almost regularly. They have often failed to convert opportunities into victories, except on one occasion. When the law of averages shifts, winning teams sometimes lose, but the Indian side has repeatedly rewritten that rule by winning T20 tournaments more frequently. Under Suryakumar’s leadership the team won the 2026 T20, and under Rohit Sharma they won the 2024 tournament. Virat Kohli, Ravindra Jadeja, and Rohit Sharma have retired from the short format, yet those vacancies have been filled so seamlessly that with Gautam Gambhir as coach the team continues to win without missing a beat — a fact that must be noted.
Scoring 250 runs three times in this sort of tournament is nothing short of remarkable! With the top order inconsistent at times, the captain and coach made timely changes that together steered India toward victory. Not every player can perform brilliantly every time — that’s not possible in cricket! Even when some players failed, the team kept going with strong spirit, and that’s why the Indian players have been able to shine so often. With three left-handers among the top, the opponents pushed off-spinners early to try to contain the southpaws. Abhishek suddenly lost form but bringing the right-handed Samson as an opener helped overcome that problem.
Despite losing the Super Eight game to South Africa, India overcame obstacles with remarkable dexterity. Although Abhishek did not start well, giving him a chance in later matches brought out his talent. Scoring more than ahalf-century in one of the games and contributing to India’s wins was notable! Samson emerged as an outstanding player. Alongside wicket-keeper batsmen like MS Dhoni, Dinesh Karthik, and Rishabh Pant, he showed exceptional skill and proved himself. Scoring 321 runs, making 50-plus scores thrice in succession, he deservedly took home the player of the tournament award. While Samson displayed remarkable batting, Bumrah and Varun took 14 wickets to be among the top in the premier championship! In any case, the T20 campaign added another glorious chapter to India’s quest for the crown!
In this era when fear of war grips the whole world, people are telling us—without needing to spell it out—that even in war we should follow the spirit and rules of fair play, as in sport. It goes without saying that it is foolish for leaders to drag the world into wars out of pride and elitism. When children play, especially in villages, if someone shows off by blocking the game, others loudly call it cheating.
Putting aside the question of whether the Israel–Iran conflict is necessary, people are criticizing the United States—the country that prides itself on being a democracy—for leaning in and trying to impose an oil-friendly regime on another nation in the name of justice, as if to keep the dollar’s value up. Americans are admired for qualities like fair play, keeping one’s word, being honest. Regrettably, we now find ourselves in a situation where we must look for those qualities in a leader. People are worried about whether our country will suffer because of this war. If we stick to principles like in a game, even if war comes to our doorstep, nothing catastrophic will happen. Every country extends a hand of friendship out of self-interest; truly selfless friendships between nations are very rare. Criticizing Israel for snubbing Modi’s visit or blaming it for not taking proactive measures amid an oil shortage—whoever says it—seems like the same boastful, showy behavior as a child cheating in a game. No one should lose their sense of coordination during wartime.
(The writer is a retired IPS officer, who has served as an Additional DGP of Andhra Pradesh)
