Hemalatha has a set of special incense sticks that she brings out of her little drawer in the kitchen cabinet only on such days. Hitesh Patel has a special “lucky” T-shirt that he never washes and brings out of his closet only on such days. Riazuddin’s kids are most excited on such days because there is 50-50 probability that they get treated to a meal at their favourite fast-food joint. My own aunt reaches a new level of piousness on such days. She sits in front of her cupboard full of Hindu Gods and chanting away while only leaving her spot to see replays of boundaries or wickets on the TV before running back to her position.
Last Saturday night India time, Hemalatha’s living room was engulfed with the divine smell of frangipani, courtesy her special incense sticks. Meanwhile, Hitesh had worn his India jersey he’d bought after India had beaten Pakistan in the 2003 ODI World Cup all day long, including at the mobile phone shop he works in on weekends. And my aunt was in position with her holy books by 8pm, having lit all the diyas (the oil lamps) well in advance – around the time Rohit Sharma won the toss and elected to bat in the T20 World Cup final.
As we know now, it was a decision that eventually resulted in the Indian team finally bringing an end to their 13-year drought without a world title. And it also meant Riazuddin’s kids getting their burger fix on Sunday afternoon, maybe even with a couple of desserts to go with it.
I highlight the cricket-viewing superstitions of these everyday folk from India for the simple reason of illustrating just how much the Indian cricket team winning means to them – in addition to the mixture of relief and jubilation experienced by at least a billion of them over the weekend after they saw an Indian team celebrate a World Cup title win for the first time in nearly a decade and a half.
A period in which those running the sport in India have grown and risen to a position of ultimate authority in world cricket. A position from where they dictate terms and flex their muscle to get things done their way. And it is easy to get overly cynical with India winning major titles. Especially a World Cup, where the entire schedule was designed to suit their needs and those of their diehard fans back home. From playing only morning matches to having a more relaxed travel schedule overall – despite the fracas after their semi-final in Guyana where there was a delay in their flight to Barbados for the final, even it wasn’t as long as what South Africa had to endure – and even knowing where they were scheduled to play their semi-final before they’d even qualified for it.
Not to forget the carry-on that comes from India winning a major title, not so much from their players or the coaches but more those around them. The way in which the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary took as much of centrestage as the likes of Jasprit Bumrah and Virat Kohli while the team celebrated their famous achievement – from literally the moment Hardik Pandya bowled the final delivery to seal the first World Cup trophy for India since MS Dhoni had done so in 2011. He was the one waving the Indian flag while the rest of the team danced and hugged each other around him.
It would, however, be unfair to hold any of that against Hemalatha or Hitesh or the billion other everyday Indians who live and breathe every moment of Indian cricket on a daily basis. Whose moods wax and wane based on the success or failure of the Indian cricket team. For whom the opportunity to watch a game of cricket is the greatest escape from the stresses and strains of everyday life in India that can only be understood by those who’ve lived there.
Having spent 30 years of my life in Mumbai, I have experienced first-hand what it feels like to see an entire country as massive as it is smiling as one after India have managed to win a big final or win a series.
Just for once, all the divisions that exist and control Indian society are wiped away, even if only very briefly, as the rich and poor, the haves and the have nots, the billionaire and the man on the street, come together and immerse themselves in the glory that their beloved cricket team has brought for them. In such moments, India is united. Moments where cricket proves that it’s more than simply a religion in India. Moments where you realise the Indian cricket team is still the pulse of the nation like it has been forever.
They didn’t sleep when India last won a World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium in 2011. They didn’t sleep on Saturday night with the final having finished in the late hours, well past midnight, in India. And that will still be the case all the way from Delhi to Chennai and from Kolkata to Bangalore.
I can imagine the chatter around the tea-stalls and the street-corner bakeries around Mumbai, which would have stayed open through the night.
The wonderment over Suryakumar Yadav’s nerveless athleticism on the long-off boundary to pull off the matchwinning catch. The amazement over Jasprit Bumrah and his seemingly impenetrable powers. The emotion over the news they won’t get to see Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, the two megastars of Indian cricket, ever again in a T20I match for their country. The universal admiration for Rahul Dravid and his contribution to this great triumph on his final day as the head coach.
They would have then waited for the breakfast places to open, and then continued to bask in the merriment of the World Cup trophy coming home.
In a way, it’s not the worst thing that the Indian team were stuck in Barbados owing to Hurricane Beryl for a couple of extra days. They would have left on the chartered flight, specially organised for them, directly from Barbados to New Delhi late last night.
It gives their fans time to make proper preparations to welcome their heroes back home. It’s unlikely there will be open-top bus-rides or tickertape parades. But the 15 squad members who brought the World Cup home will be venerated and glorified wherever they go for the next many months.
But Indian cricket never rests for too long. They’ll be back on the road very soon. Hemalatha and Hitesh will be ready with their incense sticks and lucky shirts respectively. And my aunt will be back chanting away in front of her home temple. India will come together again.
Not a fan of India winning a World Cup? Fair enough. But please do spare a thought for their fans.
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