Last night India repeated history after 28 years. Kapil Dev brought the cup home in 1983 and after 28 years Mahendra Singh Dhoni brought back the glorious memory.
Every Indian, across the globe, felt the adrenaline rush when the Indian Cricket Team held the World Cup. But behind that victory stood hours of practice, hard work, fear, doubt, questions and ultimately self-belief and determination.
We keep calling cricket a religion in India. It isn't! Religion divides India and there have been enough examples in history to prove that point. But last night cricket was not just another game, it was a national event that brought the country together like nothing can; not even religion. It rose above gullys and field and coaching clubs and entered every Indian's body and came out as the cheering, the prayer and the celebration.
For men like Sachin Tendulkar, Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra this victory was much awaited. Last time India reached the World Cup final in 2003, these men experienced what it means to have 'many a slips between the cup and the lip.' This time they fought not just for the cup but for their prestige.
And for the rest, there is no better feeling than being a part of history. Gautam Gambhir would not regret missing the century by just three runs. Neither would Virat Kohli cry over being caught and bowled. After all, these two men changed the course of a losing match before the Captain himself took centre stage and led the team to victory.
Last night what the country witnessed was not a sport, not a victory but a sense a belonging and a sense of being one nation; one entity.
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