So Near Yet So Far !!

After a long time I watched a match though, only 20 overs of it. India lost to Australia by 3 runs. Sachin stood tall amongst the ruins ! As a matter of fact, I planned to see the match only because of Sachin. It's not the first time that India lost to Australia nor it is going to be the last time. Also it's not that I don't know that we too have made them face defeats many times. But why I am bound to write a blog about this match is because of the way we lost.
More than for the struggle of our team to win, this match would be remembered for the way we lost to Australia. We struggled as hard as we could, and we lost as easily as we could. The same old thing that has been said so many times about our team-"tu chal main aaya"- was applicable this time as well. Today I remember a match that I saw in September 2004 between West Indies and England. West Indies needed 71 runs when their 8th wicket was down, and the 9th wicket partnership between CO Browne and IDR Bradshaw did it. As far as I remember there were not too much of fours forget about any sixes. They collected those runs through singles and doubles mainly. However, more than the way they did that, the end result is what makes me say that we still lack that fighting to the last breath attitude. Yes, I have just checked records at cricinfo and I have also seen that the highest wicket partnership record for the 9th wicket goes to Indians (Kapil Dev and Kirmani) only but that is not my point. Neither I want to stick to this 9th wicket partnership only. What I saw in that 71 runs partnership was the attitude to hold the rope tightly. We literally succumbed to the pressure in the end. A boiled-for-30 minutes milk was lemoned in no time.
May be that I'm writing this blog only because of the fact that I watched the match and India lost it. But, it remains a fact that seldom does a team lose a match when it needs 5 runs in 3 balls. I just wish that Sachin could have stayed for 20 runs more. I just wish........!!