Winning more than the Trophy

 

The Cricket world cup of 2019 will be known for many reasons that go beyond the prowess on the field. Real victories jump over the trophy, and there are many, just that one should have a humane heart to feel. My only congratulatory note to England cannot come out without this refrain: “How does it feel to be crowned champion when you actually know you haven't won?”

Well, even though New Zealand destroyed Indian march to the trophy, and thus earning the ire of millions of cricket-crazy fans, most of us supported New Zealand. The reason is simple: supporting the underdog comes instinctively to we humans. One more proof of our essentially loving self! Isn't it?

Destiny, silly cricketing rules and some umpiring goof-ups robbed New Zealand of a well deserved win. However, the heart’s domain is endless and here comes my verdict about the game: England wins trophy; New Zealand—more importantly—wins hearts!

Now the biggest take-away from the tournament! You need not be a rampaging bull, huffing and puffing with arrogance, to win at any cost. Nice guys can also win. The Kiwis played like gentleman. No hyperboles. Such composure is possible only if you take yourself to be a human first and a sports star later. They won the semifinals against one of the best teams in the world and went for a peaceful celebration with the people who matter to them. They are a product of a system that does not promote stardom over the basics of being good sportsperson. I salute their graceful walks and humble gestures as they moved back to the pavilion as the finalists. Imagine the rowdy show in case some other team had won the match!

Kane Williamson looks like a saint on hiatus from the hills, who has taken to sports for some time for the reasons best known to him only. A pleasant diversion, possibly. Whatever the reasons, it's but a treat to come across such graceful persona among hordes of mean machines designed to win at all costs. Grace in both winning and losing is what defines the basic framework of being a good sportsman, or being a good human, more importantly.

The New Zealand skipper is a saintly cricketer whose balanced demeanor teaches more than his terrific exploits both as a leader and player. His calm, bearded muse underplays the grit and dedication he brings in his boys. Winning is holistic. Apart from the trophy, we cannot ignore such gentlemanly gems. They are winsome trophies in their own regard. To me victory doesn't stop abruptly at the trophy. It's a big zone of marvelous takeaways, one such is Kane Williamson and his behavior on and off the field.

After the tragedy in the final, which will be retold time and again till cricketing eternity, the Kiwi skipper didn't try to garner laurels as a martyr, even though he had every right and most of us would have taken his bitter outpours with big bear-hugs of sympathy. The pinching tragedy could not produce even a single phrase of acrimony in him. Imagine how Indians, including our cricketing stars, would have reacted in a similar situation.

Dear Kane, you are the biggest star to all those whose eyes just don't look at the trophy only. Believe me, there are millions of such eyes that appreciate gentlemanly combat within the boundaries of grace and dignity. Better luck next time—if people can't still forget about the trophy. However, I am sure you are already past the temporary storm and walking on some lonely beach carrying that stoic, meditative muse.

So guys, Kane shows it's possible to win without flashy temper, angry tattoos, throwing abuses at the opponent even after hitting century and taking wickets, proud prowls like an extra terrestrial super-species, glitz, glamour, bla bla bla. His delicate smile pacifies many a storm.

Some ladoos for our team’s effort also. Don’t hate our cricketing team. If they go off the line sometimes, we should never forget that they are the product of the social system created by us. We make them starry-eyed Gods. So, of course, the poor guys slip sometimes, like the idiotic proclamations of womanizing exploits by two of them on a silly show hosted by a terribly chatty person.

Most importantly, give them the credit they deserve. Topping the table in a round robin league format, where each team plays against the rest of the participants, proves the meticulous level of performance. The knockout stage is basically dicey. You get some bad 45 minutes on the field and you are out. It doesn't tell anything about the team's ability. Just that New Zealand clicked at the right time. It was a great game of cricket. Well done India and congrats New Zealand! Oh, yea, well done England also!