Flashback - ICC World Cup 2003

India vs Australia - I knew this game would be crucial. If we could beat them we had a chance at the cup. 'Psychological advantage' i had said. After we lost [and how!] i conveniently changed my thought process to "Oh well we cant win everything, but we'll win the finals".
India vs. Pakistan was awesome. "We can totally chase that score" i remember telling Soupie but honestly i was terrified. India chasing anything over 220? Really?
I remember India vs. England well. Kb and i were talking on the phone during the lunch interval and when we got off the phone England had already lost a couple of wickets. This was the only game i saw Ashish 'cut piece' Nehra do something special. The other time was at F-Bar when he was trying to um dance.
I remember Dada's reaction when he found out we'd be playing Kenya in the semi- finals. Classic.
But most of all i remember the finals. March 23rd 2003. It was dad's birthday which meant the entire extended family showed up for lunch. Now one thing i really really detest is watching cricket in the company of annoying 'know it all' unclejees with no table manners. Soupie and i had made a birthday cake for dad. It was in the shape of a cricket bat [a ready made loaf cake with two break chocolates attached to it for the handle, iced not very neatly] There was other cake too of course [Chocolate Mousse cake from Sweet Chariot to be precise. Mmmmm *Pri thinks happy thoughts*] since nobody was brave enough to eat anything i had any hand in making/arranging. My plan was to get everyone to eat lunch and leave as soon as possible. But you know how it is with families and Sunday luncheons. And so they hung out for so effing long. I was getting madder by the minute. For starters Dada won the toss [which i had prayed for so so much] and then decided to field. Who fields first in the finals of a world cup? Huh? But since it was Dada i figured he knew what he was doing. Then they go and play the National Anthem. I was very teary eyed. Apparently i wasn't the only one. Zak looked a leetle too over enthusiastic. That first over was the longest over i can remember to date. The unclejees commenting and cursing around me didn't help matters. Brown jacket wanted half a cup of water. Later he also asked for half a cup of tea. What is it with unclejees who ask for half a cup? I don't see them asking for half a cup of whiskey. Now brown jacket is a very interesting character. I still have no idea how were related. He is called Brown Jacket because well he always wears this really ugly brown jacket. He has written many books...none of which are any good. He also likes to imagine he has invented something and then tries to patent it. It would be a little sad if it wasn't so bloody funny. Anyway Brown Jacket was sitting on my couch in my lucky spot [of course i had a lucky spot!] asking for half cups of random liquids and basically yelling at every Indian bowler/fielder. Now I'm very protective about my team. No one has the right to say anything about them [well no one except me] so you can imagine my frustration. Anyway the crowd [in my house] finally started to leave towards the end of the Australian innings. I was tired but relieved to have my couch back. I knew at this point we had practically lost the game. Partly due to this realisation [and also from watching Mandira Body make sad faces at the camera] i decided to lock myself in my room where i cried for about 20 minutes straight. This match meant the world to me and i knew there was a very small chance we could win. After the bawling i washed my face and went out all brave and with new found determination [chap stick, water bottle and cell phone in tow] rosary in track pant pocket [shhh no one needs to know about it] I truly believed we could win. I could feel it. And then Sachin failed again [like he does so often in big finals] and soon all my boys started to walk back to the dressing room one after the other. They said it might rain and it did for a bit. How i wished the match would be washed out and replayed the next day. It didn't happen and we lost [by a lot]. I wore black for a week. The only thing that motivated me to wake up the next morning was the leftover chocolate mousse cake.
But this year were going to win. I can feel it. There isn't even a Sweet Chariot cafe nearby and American cake [surprisingly] isn't half as good!

P.S. I finally got the okay from my boss to take half-days for all of India's matches. Not that he really could've prevented me. I wouldn't miss this World Cup for the world!