30^th June 2024, The Day After the T-20 WC Triumph

It is a great feeling to be crowned T-20 World Champions, and after a gap of 11 years since last winning a cricket championship, Team India beat hard luck South Africa, in a down-to-the-wire finale in Barbados, sending over a billion Indian cricket fans into an unbridled moment of ecstasy.  For all Indo-Americans who call Boston their first or second home, it’s doubly sweet to be a part of two championship-winning sides in short order; first, the Boston Celtics won their record-setting 18^th NBA Championship and within 10 days, Team India won their second T-20 world championship.

The Day after your team has won the championship feels so so right, as if nothing can ever go wrong in this crazy crazy world; the sun shines brighter, the sky appears bluer and the birds chirp louder. Yet I find myself unusually pensive on this last day of June 2024, reflecting on the victories of the first half of 2024, wondering what any fan would want next while reliving the cherished events of the previous day.

2024 dawned with the what-ifs of Ahmedabad fresh in mind. 19^th November 2023 was the day destined to set aside the last 10 years of drought suffered by Indian cricket fans. Unbeaten India having handily beaten Australia in the group stage and was favored to coast through the final on a slow-turning wicket which would be Australia’s nightmare. The pitch proved to be an enigma, difficult to score at ODI pace when India batted first, and conducive to stroke playing with the lights turned on and Australian batters taking full advantage of the playing conditions to notch an easy victory.

The 2023 disappointments seemed to carry over when in the first big sporting event of 2024, India lost the 1st test to England by a mere 28 runs, after gaining a first innings lead of 190 runs, only to succumb to Bazball, an aggressive approach to Test Cricket pioneered by the English side. Fortunately for the good guys, a trio of young lions with the initials YJ, SG and DJ turned things around, winning the remaining 4 tests but not without some anxious moments in the 2^nd and 4^th test. Yashasvi Jaiswal who grew up learning cricket on the maidans of Mumbai, came remarkably close to beating another Mumbai Lad, the Little Master, Sunil Gavaskar’s 41-year-old Indian record for the highest runs in a Test series.

Speaking of Mumbai, their 1^st class cricket team, which is a dominant force in domestic Test cricket, specifically the Ranji trophy, was concomitantly marching through the league and knockout stages. Several close games, including a thrilling 1 run first innings lead over Chhattisgarh in a drawn match and a scintillating 232 run partnership for the 10^th wicket in the match against Baroda with the number 10^th and 11^th batsman, Tanush and Tushar notching a hundred runs each to secure a much needed first innings victory.  The Ranji trophy final match saw Mumbai being tested by the Vidarbha side, but the outcome was never in doubt and Mumbai lifted their 42^nd Ranji trophy after an agonizingly long gap of 8 years. A joyous occasion for all Mumbai cricket fans like me.

This brings me to the last day of the first half of 2024, 30^th June 2024, basking in the afterglow of the recent success of the Boston Celtics and Team India in T-20 WC. The closest I had come to such a Euphoric feeling was when the Red Sox and the Patriots won championships within a few months twice, 2004-05 and 2018-19. Yet nothing can compare to the past six months.

And I wonder loudly what could top this? What would be the icing on the cake? Having seen my teams winning so many championships only serves to increase my desire to see more. Well, the 2024 Summer Olympics are around the corner, let's hope for Team India to exceed their gold and total medal tally at the Paris Olympics, beating their old record set at the last Olympics in 2021, new athletes emerging from the shadows to win Gold medal in Individual events ala Neeraj Chopra in 2021, and the continuing success of the Men’s Hockey team, which won an Olympic bronze medal in 2021, after a long gap of 41 years, an achievement that was described as “Pure Gold” by the Times of India. And right there my thoughts crystallize, I have found my answer, the icing on the cake, the crowning glory, Team India winning the Turf Hockey Gold Medal at the Paris Olympics. That would be something.

About the Author

Rajesh Beri, a chemical engineer by occupation and a die-hard sports fan all his life; has been a Boston resident for over 35 years. Originally hailing from the Shivaji Park area in central Mumbai, his first passion was cricket and field hockey. After emigrating to Boston, he quickly fell victim to the allure of the local sports scene. Having witnessed many crushing defeats and momentous triumphs, he has now started documenting his experiences for his fellow sports fans. He welcomes feedback from the readers.

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