One of cricket's most enduring and equally endearing moments this spring was when MS Dhoni's helicopter shot took off on a parabolic trajectory for a straight six off Sri Lanka's Nuwan Kulasekara bringing the World Cup back after 28 years. That image will remain etched in the collective consciousness of millions across the globe. It is this frozen moment that will be savored, lived, relived again and again when one thinks of the 2011 World Cup.
Cricket, or for that matter any sport, lives on images which become a blur when memory fades with time, but never really leaves one's consciousness. Such fleeting moments get engraved in the mind's template like a triumphant victory, agonizing defeat or some facet of the game that cannot be shaken off no matter what.
Equally disheartening too was the image of Zaheer Khan when he hobbled off the field at Lord's. With that, the series was virtually over for India before it had really started.
One of cricket's most enduring moments is that of a smiling Frank Worrell, polishing the just -christened trophy named after him - a mounted cricket ball to commemorate the first ever tie test between Australia and West Indies - with his coat sleeve before handing it over to Australian captain Richie Benaud. That was a rare moment in cricket history when the vanquished was loved even more than the conqueror in the latter's own backyard as Worrell's sporting behavior endeared him to the Aussie crowd.
Balwinder Singh Sandhu didn't play too many matches for India but his golden moment came on June 23r at Lord's in the1983 World Cup final. It was a peach of an in swinger from Sandhu that Gordon Greenidge shaped to leave, but the ball moved in late to clip the bails. It was that kind of an opening the team needed to recover from a low score against a team looking for a third straight World Cup. No matter what Sandhu achieves in life, he will be remembered for that ball which essentially became his signature to fame.
In the same low-scoring match, how can one ever forget Kris Srikkanth's hook off Andy Roberts, almost parallel to the ground that went for the only six of the match with Srikkanth scoring the highest score of the match of 38?
Ian Botham will always be remembered for his 6 for 95 and century against Australia at Headingely in 1981. Being forced to follow-on, Botham scored half the side's score of 149 out a total of 356 in second innings. Left to score 119, Australia was skittled for 111 with Bob Willis taking 8 for 43. A bearded Botham scripted the match singlehanded for a famous victory.
Not always do such images settle in one's mind because of fantastic wins. Some sportsmanship acts cross the realm of reality to take the game to a sublime level.
When Courtney Walsh ran in to bowl the last ball of the match with Pakistan still needing two for a win in a knockout match of the 1987 World Cup, he found Salim Jaffer taking a head start and was out of the crease at the non-striker's end. Walsh could have easily run him out to win the match for West Indies. But, like a benevolent school teacher, he put his finger to his lips, shook his head and walked back to his bowling run-up. Subsequently, Abdul Qadir scored the winning run and West Indies were out of the World Cup but clearly Walsh's sporting action mattered more to lift the spirit of the game. To him, a sporting act was more important than the result of the match.
As Wasim Akram was caught by VVS Laxman off Anil Kumble, how can one forget the smiling assassin's ten-wicket innings at the Kotla? Diego Maradona perhaps shares the 'greatest footballer of all times' sobriquet with Pele. Sunil Gavaskar was the first person to overhaul Don Bradman's record of 29 hundreds. The image of Gavaskar in a floppy hat and T-shirt is still green in the mind.
But at times, Maradona's 'hand of God' images come to one's mind as does Sunny's visage when he almost walked out of the MCG with Chetan Chauhan in indignation. And who can forget Kapil Dev holding the World Cup in 1983? Alas, we missed the sight of a grim Kapil walking in at 17 for 5 and scoring 175 against Zimbabwe at Tonbridge Wells to keep India in the World Cup before eventually winning it. Due to a BBC strike there was no recording of that match.
The 'little Master' of cover-drives and square-cuts, GR Vishwanth, recalled Bob Taylor in the Golden Jubilee Test against England after he was given out caught behind when he hadn't nicked the ball. Taylor and Botham put on a huge partnership which took England to victory, but Vishy's sportive act is what is remembered.
Years ago, while playing a Davis Cup Challenge Round, the umpire made a wrong line call that resulted in a point to India's R Krishnan against Roy Emerson. Emerson protested in vain. Seeking to atone for the umpire's error, Krishnan didn't play the next serve from Emerson, winning applause from his opponent and a standing ovation from the Melbourne Crowd.
To Krishnan, playing right was more important than anything else. That too stays etched in the mind.