The World Cup has gone from being an event in the future with its administrative confusions, to one in the past, full of might-have-beens. In between it showed the best the 50-over game has to offer, suggesting the format isn’t ready to roll over and die yet. Had India won, we could have said this with greater confidence, for what India thinks today others do tomorrow.
The script was hammered out by everyone from the ruling party and the cricket board to the broadcasters and fans, some of whom were willing to pay up to five lakh for tickets, air fare and hotel rooms. There is an innocence in believing that the best team always wins and that half a million is small price to pay for the ‘I-was-there’ bragging rights.
But this is sport. Unexpectedness and upsets are what it thrives on. We might have been led to believe – by television, media, even some politicians – that there was only one team in the tournament. World Cups remind us that we must distinguish between hope and hubris.
