February 7 was one of the greatest days in Indian cricket. A sweeping moustache swept Pakistan off in Delhi. Anil Kumble took all 10, and I was there. It was exactly 10 years ago.
And yet, it never matched to some of the greatest cricket I'd ever seen (pretty bold statement coming from a person who was barely 14 then). I failed a final mathematics paper just to watch Brian Lara score that 153 not out against Australia. I could have been retained in class IX, but our class teacher let me off on account of 'discipline'.
But 10 years on, I never imagined I would watch another great moment of cricketing history unfold right before my eyes. A lot has happened in these 10 years: India won the inaugural T20 World Cup, Sourav Ganguly came back, and went away in a blaze of glory (I'm Bengali, what do you expect?), my favourite cricketer ever, Brian Lara, walked away from the game, Australia captured the World Cup thrice, including a thrashing of India in 2003, and so on and so forth.
Only a day back was the turning of another chapter in world cricket. The IPL auction set another benchmark. Andrew Flintoff and Kevin Pietersen became the costliest cricketers ever. Yet, February 7, 2009, gave birth to new memories.
This was a team I would support even when my own team played them: the West Indies. Yet, it was seldom that I would see them win. They were awful in the late 90s. Curtly and Courtney went away, and the West Indies were never the same again. Carl Hooper and Jimmy Adams also went. There was nothing left to support. Embarrassment kept getting a new name each time the West Indies went down.
But it all changed today. They were playing England in the first Test at Sabina Park. The same side which humiliated them five years ago at the same venue. Remember Brian Lara's 400 not out? Yeah, the same series. The West Indies were all out for 47 in an innings. Ten years further back, in 1994, Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh had inflicted the same misery on England when they were run down for 46.
Mike Atherton kept saying the wheel had come full circle when the West Indies beat England after the Poms were shot out for 51 in their second innings today. It all came back. The old stars whose posters I'd collect weren't there today. But there was a certain Chris Gayle, and his victorious team.
All I hear people saying these days is 'Test cricket's boring'. 'Twenty20 is here to stay'. 'No other team like the Indian team' (I live in India.) Could agree with the third point. But did you see what I saw tonight?
Test cricket is the pinnacle of all cricket, if not all sport. The West Indies have won since their downfall too. But this time it seems the streak could stretch. Let's hope so. For the good of cricket. Watch the highlights of the game, although I expect the IPL owners to stay away!
Icing on the cake? Usain Bolt celebrating with Chris Gayle.
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