Counting Down to the Grand Daddy of all Battles.

Someone once said, its just a game, its an obsession of 22 men running after a piece of leather, that someone was later stabbed in a busy market in Pakistan.

The year was 1996, it was the World Cup Quarter final between India and Pakistan at the Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore (I am sorry Bangaluroo, sounds like someone had a crazy banging session in the loo), and the stakes were as high as they could get.

There was shelling at the border that night, every time India or Pakistan lost a wicket, the country losing its wicket would invariably, through its acts of using force almost brought the two nations to war.

It was incredible, it was unbelievable (maybe I am writing this coz India won the match) but being at the stadium that night, the atmosphere was unparalled . Jadeja’s vicious counter attack of Waqar Younis and then who can ever forget the show down between Aamir Sohail and our very own Venky. The bat wagging incident followed by Venky uprooting Sohail’s off stump has gone in the anal’s of cricket history as one of those moments that can only be compared to the conquest of Normandi, to cut this rather long tirade short, it was bloody brilliant!!

Cut to Manchester on a windy day in 1999, India once again played their all too famous foes on a pitch that was supposed to aid seam and swing, thereby giving the naturally talented Pakistan bowlers a huge headstart, but our man Venky did what he had probably never done before, take 5 paksitani wickets to give india an improbable victory. I was on a bus that evening, ipod and mobile phone radios were still many years away from being invented and someone was carrying a good old boom box styled radio, and when Venky got Wasim as the last man out, the scenes on that bus were delirious.

Then came the 1^st of March 2003, the Centurion, a ground known to aid bounce and with Shoiab Akhtar bowling with all those undetected steroids in him, it was going to be murder. I even stopped watching the match when india started batting, I had locked my self in a room and only came out when I heard my roommates behaving like junkies discovering the biggest cache of ganja ever. However one man (if I can still call him that) had different ideas,  Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar came out like a Torpedo honed in on its hapless victims ( read Pakistan) and square cut Pakistan over third man to take india to a brilliantly charged victory.

2007 was a farce, on that dreadful evening on the 18^th of March both India and Pakistan got knocked out of the world cup losing to Bangladesh and Ireland respectively. It was a disaster; never had one fathomed the occurrence of such an event. The results were calamitous, Woolmer was murdered (honestly I think the coroner’s final report on the result of death was our very own equivalent of used toilet paper), Greg Chappell was axed albeit rightfully, and bothIndian and Pakistani cricket was at its lowest ebbs. Even God wasn’t spared and given his fair share of dishing. It was all too depressing.

Its true to say that India has never lost to Pakistan in a World Cup, however between 2003 and 2011, India and Pakistan have met twice at ICC events, ie the 2004 and 2009 Champions and were convincingly defeated.

Leading up to this World cup, both India and Pakistan had rather contrasting buildups. India were ranked 2^nd and were looking rather strong, whereas Pakistan was battling allegations of spot fixing and internal feuds between the teams.

However now as we stand at the threshold of the grand daddy of all matches at this world cup, historical purviews suddenly have no relevance, it all comes down to who turns with his game on, on the 30^th of March.

Its India’s batting against Pakistan’s bowling, Its Sachin v Umar, its Shewag v Ajmal and Yuvraj v Shahid.

Honestly its all too nerve wrecking. To put things into perspective, I was scheduled for a major surgery on the day of the match, which now has rescheduled owing to the match.

The country is drenched in a orgasmic euphoria of expectations, both the countries shall come to stand still, roads will be empty, offices will be forced to shut down, coz come this Wednesday, everyone is going to be on a sick leave or unavailable.