I was no different from any other young kids when I was young. My childhood was before the age of TV and Internet, and this led to me having a vivid imagination.
Being Cricket Crazy, I dreamt like every other boy those days -playing for India, and having to score a Four of the last ball to win the match for the Country (those were the days of Test Cricket and Sunil Gavaskar - ODIs, T 20s and dozen sixes per innings came a couple of decades later). This scenario was played over and over again in the mind for years. Of course I never played even for my State Ranji Trophy team, leave alone for the Country and had to be satisfied with playing age group tournaments. I didn't do anything great like hitting a boundary of the last ball to win for my team.
I am sure Braithwaite would have also dreamt similar a few years back, as a kid. Only difference is that he lived his dream yesterday in the final of the World T20 final.
19 to win of the last over. I remember making a comment that WI wont win, as they need at least 2 Sixes in the final over, if not 3 and there is no hope in the hell of it happening.
First ball from Stokes was on the slot, outside the leg stump, and Braithwaite just hoicked it over Square leg for a six. Hmmm.........One swallow doesn't make a summer. Still the odds were in favour of England - 13 of 5.
Second ball was dumped in the stand over long on- a massive six. Can he pull it off? 7 needed of 4 and suddenly WI is the favourite.
The third ball was again on the good length, outside the off stump. Braithwaite lofted it over long off. The bat turned in his hand, and it was clearly a mishit. The camera panned the ball which soared into the sky. "Oh God No! He just threw it away" I muttered, thinking it will fall into the hands of the long off fielder. But the ball cleared the boundary by a good distance.
All hell broke loose. Stokes was on his haunches with a gaunt look on his face. The England fielders were shell shocked. Braithwaite was calm personified. Sweat was gushing out of his helmet, as it was humid in Kolkotta. There was confusion all around. Some thought the match was won.
Having watched cricket for nearly 25 years, I have lived through many a situation, but this was out of the world. I desperately wanted WI to win. Their enjoyment is infectious. I wanted them to win more than I wanted India to win. Not because I am not patriotic. But because our over paid, super rich Cricketers lack commitment and passion. They are spoiled brat. The WIs players earn a miniscule of what the Indian players earn, and they did not have the dress prior to the tournament. That is how shambolic their Board is. And of course I hated England - I always have. And I had given up WI for good at the beginning of the last over. - 19 in 6 is easily defendable.
I have a mental computer that calculates automatically the balls and runs in the subconscious mind. Even that broke down in the excitement. I mentioned that 3 is required now, only to be corrected that only 1 is required. I had erroneously calculated 3 sixes to be equal to 16. It was a crazy night.
At last sanity prevailed. Everyone was in their place for the 4th ball. I prayed God to give Braithwaite the wisdom to put bat on ball and push for a single. I expected stokes to bowl a bouncer or at least a slow off cutter (It is a mystery why he bowled good length balls, four of them, in the final over!). Braithwaite had other ideas. Another one on the leg stump and he just gave it an almighty blow and the ball disappeared in the stands.
WI team poured to the field and finally Braithwaite shed his calm and roared.
The sound was deafening, but that was not because he was roaring. All of us watching were roaring with him
He was living our dreams! We all put ourselves in his place. It was us out there, hitting those 4 sixes, and not him!
What a feeling!
