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West Indies need to emulate the way the Indians play

Apr 08, 2011 Letters

Dear Editor,
Congratulations are in order to India for its victory in the World Cup final in Mumbai. The team played extremely well during the entire tournament and are worthy of the cup. West Indies need to emulate the way the Indians play so we can return to the glory days of the 1970s and 1980s.
In Richmond Hill, there was an outburst of celebrations of Guyanese and other West Indians at the sports bars which carried the match live on their wide screen TV. They came to watch Tendulkar, hoping he would make another century but did not leave disappointed in India’s victory.  Around the Richmond Hill community, the large number of Indian nationals, mostly Punjabis, distributed sweets in stores and waved the Indian tri colour flags atop vehicles with loud horning. Some even burst firecrackers to celebrate the victory.
Bonhomie and celebrations continue in India days after the victory, bringing back memories of celebrations in Guyana when Clive Lloyd’s West Indies won the first World Cup in 1975. Lloyd brought the trophy home and made appearance in all three counties making us felt proud. Prior to the victory, I remember as a child the excitement listening ball by ball commentary, with no one moving from the radio in the semi-final against Pakistan (that was saved by Murray and Roberts) and the final against Australia (saved by Lloyd and the great Rohan Kanhai). West Indies played well during that entire inaugural tournament. This year’s matches involving India were just as exciting if not more.
From the outset, India were the favourites to win from the betting bookmakers since the start of the tournament. But Sri Lanka also performed credibly and deserve kudos for a well played game. The final will be long remembered as the great ones the West Indies played in the 1975, 79 and 83 finals (when India shocked us with a come from behind victory). The tension, excitement and anticipation of the outcome in all the finals were stratospheric, but more so last Saturday with India playing at home against the number two team in one day standings. No one had given India a chance of victory in 1983 but they pulled off the biggest upset and since then India have played quality cricket to become number one in all phases of the international competition.
From that victory to now, cricket has been elevated in India and the country is now the power house on cricket.
Cricket is a passion in India. The country is cricket crazed drawing more fans than even Bollywood. In fact, even Bollywood stars are cricket fanatics with many of them owning shares in professional cricket teams of the IPL and the disbanded ICL.
India’s games are followed and watched by rich and poor, male and female, young and old. One need to experience what daily life is like when India is playing. Against big teams, the country comes to a standstill as nearly everyone not in the stands before the TV or listening on radio. Last Saturday’s match was tense and like the semi-final between India and Pakistan, it went pretty much down to the wire, just like the final between India and Windies in 1983.
India in the end registered an emphatic win against Pakistan. That match, which saw fortunes fluctuate, was vintage stuff at its best. The bonhomie and sportsmanship displayed by the players of both sides was refreshing. There was such a congenial atmosphere. India’s victory against Pakistan is significant, more because it played under intense pressure.
India can rightly be proud of winning a close match. The Prime Ministers of India and Pakistan showed maturity coming out to meet and greet players.  The spirit of the games was heartening and would be remembered for years to come.
Vishnu Bisram

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