Cricket is a religion in India, but in New Zealand, it is a sport that you play between two rugby seasons. Rugby is the Rahul Roy in Aashiqui, the Sanjay Dutt in Sadak and the Akshay Kumar in Khiladi. Cricket is the Deepak Tijori in all three. Never the main lead, but always delivering impactful performances that audiences remember long after leaving the cinema hall.
At the last Summer Olympics, New Zealand had their best campaign ever and finished 11th on the medals tally with 10 gold, seven silver and three bronze. In ODI World Cups, they have been semi-finalists on seven occasions and made it to the final twice.
So how does a country with a population of 5.3 million deliver so consistently on the world stage? The answer lies in their sincerity and work ethic. While they are not blessed with the numbers, they make up for it with their dedication and determination.
The team received a lot of criticism for their group stage exit at the T20 World Cup last year. The lack of preparation was clearly the elephant in the room.
Good preparation for CT
This time around, they made sure they left no stone unturned in preparing themselves. A tri-nation series victory in Pakistan, the perfect entree to the main course of the Champions Trophy. New Zealand fans take a long time to get involved in big events. It doesn’t help that all the matches start at 10pm New Zealand time and finish at about 6am. But the Black Caps, by the strength of their performances, have once again forced everyone to stay up all night and watch their semi-final victory over South Africa, and I am sure the final will be no different.
Several pubs will be open round the clock on Sunday night and cafes will open way before normal times to serve breakfast to enthusiasts who put in the night shift. Betting is legal in New Zealand, and it will be a big day for the local Totalisator Agency Board or the TAB.
India’s constant nemesis
Apart from Australia, New Zealand have been the only other team to consistently trouble India in all formats, which is why the locals are upbeat about their team’s chances in Sunday’s final.
The whole world seems to have something to say about India not going to Pakistan and playing all their matches in Dubai. New Zealand is no different. Over the last couple of weeks, everyone I met seemed to be a foreign policy advisor with a PHD in Indo-Pak relations. The Black Caps, though, will only focus on what’s within their control. They are one victory away from clinching a world title, something that the White Ferns managed to achieve at the same stadium last year.
So, will the perennial best men finally be the groom? We are less than 24 hours away from finding out.
Rahul Patil, an Auckland-based Indian-born writer, is following New Zealand’s fortunes
Source link
