Like many loyal Hyderabadis, my daughter sat up with great expectations to watch the grand finale of the IPL 2009. Even though the match was to begin from 8pm, Set Max had its usual dose of banter that started an couple of hours before the first ball was bowled. She had big stakes just like Venkattram Reddy owner of Deccan Chargers or Vijay Mallya of Royal Challengers. Not really big, but small time bets she had placed with her friends and an uncle of her's in Bangalore who was rooting for the men in red.
As the clock stuck eight and Anil Kumble lumbered in to bowl to Adam Gilchrist she had plonked herself on the sofa in front of the television with an air of déjà vu. A ball or two later, there was a frown on her face and by the time we got to the strategy break, she decided to sleep without having dinner. No amount of persuasion would work and she hit the sack by the time Deccan Chargers panted their way to 140 plus. Now that’s easy meat was my refrain.
Sure enough the weather in Hyderabad had turned gloomy and winds began to howl. The message from the Gods were ominous, and news from South Africa showed the RC boys galloping away with the match. I switched over to watching Asianet and kept myself updated with IPL on the internet. Sure enough some wickets were tumbling but Bangalore seemed to be ahead of the race. And then the cable went blink, as the winds played up to a higher decibel.
Around the 14th over the cable same back to life and so did the team from Hyderabad. Symonds had a couple of the Bangalore men back in the pavilion and the pressure was building up. A few more overs and Bangalore were in deep trouble. I was tempted to wake up my daughter and tell her that a miracle was in the making. But knowing the way cricket works, specially the 20-20 variety, I decided to gulp a bottle of water and keep my tension down. Soon Harmit Singh came up with a great catch, but I had a doubt as the Bangalore dug out was signaling to Vinay Kumar to stay on as if the catch was not taken cleanly. But that was like a drowning man clutching on to a straw. And before one knew, RP Singh bowled a dream of a last over and Vijay Mallya was scowling as RC and Force India had both ditched him on the same day.
I excitedly woke up my daughter and told her that the miracle had indeed happened, as much like the catch that Sreesanth took to get rid of Misbah and enable India win the 20-20 world cup. She walked bleary eyed to look at the television mumbled something and went back to sleep. To her, that would have been a good dream. Just like lakhs of Hyderabadis like me who stayed up till midnight to see if Gilly’s men would be champs in the end.
And then the skies opened up as if to signal that the good Lord was in tandem with what was happening with the lesser mortals on earth.
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