The winner takes it all.......

When India beat Pakistan 4-1 the team looked good enough for the semifinal berth. I wondered what was so great about cricket when hockey was faster and much more exciting, lasting a little over an hour and a half. There is not a single dull moment. You cannot afford to look away for a second lest there is a goal. Then we lost to Australia and the euphoria died. That is where cricket has been different. Its not the game per se. We share our sportspersons’ success and regale and relish drawing vicarious pleasure. One name – Sachin tendulkar, has brought so much joy to millions of fans. When they win... we win. When they lose, we are heart broken. And I realized, winning seems to be everything. Or at least is a great deal. Triumph and disaster might be imposters but they are not the same. I think we have been fed the wrong message over the years which has dulled us Indians into accepting a defeat easily. It took a Ganguly and then Dhoni to inspire their team mates in to believing in themselves and when we had won enough matches it got harder to accept defeat. Defeat feels more bitter after having tasted sweet success. No wonder they say, success is a habit. And today Team India is the number one test team in the world. Yes. Winning is what matters. Legal, clean, played in the right spirit. But winning is the only thing.

Let the defeat burn you,
Let the bitterness creep in your veins
Till you cannot take it anymore.
Cry in anguish, and in pain
And let it provoke you
To give it everything you got.
That last ounce of strength
For then
Success cannot be far.