8 balls, 19 to win...

India - ah, the land of variety! Religions, Cultures, Languages, Attitudes, Dress, Food, Landscape, People, the whole shebang! But, when it comes to one sport, the distinctions blur and the colors of the nation merge into one - Blue!

The power that cricket holds over the country is indescribable, unfathomable and utterly supreme! What is it about cricket that levels the playing field for people from all walks of life? Barriers of caste, creed and social status fade away into oblivion outside the glass walls of a Philips electronics showroom during an India-Australia match. The high flying exec asks Dagdu, the cobbler, 'Sachin ne kitna banaya?'; the Sikh cab driver is seen elaborating on Pathan's wonderful bowling in the match to Ajay Rao; Yuppie Victor James and his project manager, Dilip Ghosh are placing bets on who will win the game; And then, good ole' Maulana sahab enquires with the exuberant teenage girl, 'Kiske saath match hai?'; There are murmurs of ' 8 balls, 19 runs - Jeetna bahut mushkil hai' which are silenced by 'Abey, Rahul aur Sachin hai na, pakka bana denge!'

And then,the moment arrives. McGrath pitches one outside the off stump, a rare full length delivery and Dravid launches into an exquisite texbook cover drive, piercing the off side field, the ball racing away to the fence, eager to embrace the Coke signboard, clinching yet another Indian victory!!! The motley crew outside the Philips showroom explodes! Unbridled screams of joy, unrestrained high fives and generous celerbatory hugs to all and sundry, followed by passionate punches in the air to commemorate the adrenaline rush! In that one transitory instant, India becomes one!

Ah, the magic of cricket and India!
Well, more like - Ah!the magic of cricket in India!!

Saare jahan se achcha...