They say it’s just a game..they say ..there would always be somebody on the losing side ...how can it just a game when a billion hearts reverberates and echoes along with its rhythm…how can defeat be an option when it grips the emotions of a billion people...and influences the destiny of some..defeat was never an option...not for the wonderful 11 that play the game for India ..and also not for Neo...Not until a fateful evening in the spring of 2003, across the Arabian sea, changed everything..
The blue boys…lead by a “warrior prince” from Bengal..had overcome the odds and seen through the dark ages of India cricket..to rampage on the pace filled tracks of South Africa..dominating every opponent that came their way. Their journey to the finale went hand in hand with Neo’s effort to see through a phase of life that would decide a future that he dreamt of. It was going well...the finale was setup for the boys, in Wanderer’s and for Neo, on the very next day, final hurdle..a last exam..on something which he considered to be his strength..on something which he planned to set the course of his life on…the 11 walked out with a billion prayers with them..they were young..they were restless..and things didn’t go there way..the world fell apart…a billion disappointed people..and the impact on Neo: the world as he knew it..or rather thought of it to be came to an end…he crashed on his home turf...quantitatively speaking...securing the least on his on the subject that he was supposed be a “guru”…atleast his friends said so!…his dream foundation was destroyed before he could set course…at the crossroads of life, destiny compelled him to take a road he never thought of taking..ever..what followed was a bitter stretch of disappoints...the warrior prince and his boys had to start over again..Neo had to start over again…but it was not easy..not for the boys ..not for Neo…the next three years..the journey was tough..taking one step at a time along a path very little known...trying to rebuild everything that was lost…brick by brick…proving everybody all over again…that the boys were good...that Neo was good. The year of 2006 brought with it more turmoil...the 11 found themselves stifled by a self-proclaimed expert with complicated theories..and for Neo..it was a time to change fronts..from the political madness of Kolkata to a reputed frontier for students in the north..which brought along with it complications...the struggle continued…amidst these…the prince was forced to leave his crown..a change which was unwanted. The broken team went to the Caribbean…to have another tryst with destiny..another shot at the coveted cup…but it was not to be ..every thing fell apart before it could start...Neo knew that the boys were not ready yet..he knew he was not ready yet..there was more to prove…more work needed to be done…slow the ascent to the top may be…but it was firm… the spring of 2008..brought with it a major reconstruction of something which the boys and Neo so desperately needed…self belief…same 11 that was brought up by the prince..were now lead by a young ticket collector from Ranchi…(who fascinated the cricketing world by his tactical skills and innovative shot making)…took on the world champions in their own backyard and emerged victorious...in a months time…Neo came out on the top of the list in a coveted nationwide examination…the tide was turning…India was dreaming again and so did Neo…it was time to get ready for the big one…the phoenix that arose from the agony of March 2003, had spread its wings. It was time for the perseverance to payoff. The following couple years were to be spent in establishment of the dream…being the best and sustenance of the best…it was carried out in surgical perfection…by the 11 in the field and the “one” in life…however not without a heavy price and neither without crossing numerous obstacles. Cometh the March of 2011, the “Men in Blue” was ready to take on the world and Neo had reached phase of certainty…it was now or never…ardent prayers of a billion souls followed the 11 as they conquered each hurdle...finally at 10:45 pm on the 2nd of April in Mumbai, as the perfectly timed shot from India’s captain cool MSD (read “Midas” Singh Dhoni) went over the boundary ropes...it was over…the wait of 7 years was over ..the struggle was over…Neo..the metaphor born from the pains of 2003 took one final breath...shed the final tears along with the 11 in the Wankhede...he had lived his life…his journey was over…for its time to go up in flames again…to be reborn again ..not from ashes of agony and defeat but from the dreams and happiness of a billion Indians…its time to start a new journey…
They say it’s just a game…Neo says...it is a way of his life…it is the way of his passion for his country…it is the way to live…and win...And I say the same…
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