Now or Never

Seven years later,fate has given Sachin Tendulkar that rare gift: a second chance

Separated by about 20 feet and a fancy dressing room glass wall,MS Dhoni and Kumar Sangakkara descended their respective flights of stairs at the Garware end of the refurbished Wankhede Stadium. Glancing at each other from the corner of their peripheral vision,the Indian and Sri Lankan skippers matched each others gait and pace every step of the way down the marble steps,and towards the glistening World Cup trophy placed on the grassy outfield below. This moment on Friday afternoon,was nothing but a small-scale reflection of their respective World Cup campaigns so far.

Both India and Sri Lanka have echoed each other8217;s peaks and troughs during this edition,matching each other with equal amounts of finesse,poise,ambitions and injuries,rarely spiraling out of their choking command over different oppositions. But come Saturday night,the showdown of balanced proportions will finally tilt,as only one of Dhoni or Sangakkara will get to wrap their hands wholly around the quadrennial cup. Unlike during their photo-op on the eve of the game.

Soon after descending from the shade to the burning Mumbai sun,Dhoni and Sangakkara clutched at what would be the winners reward together,staring each other in the eye for the ever-hungry shutterbugs. Posing for the photographers before one of the most evenly matched finale8217;s in World Cup history,their glares simultaneously shifted to the trophy itself one that will bear the name of one of the two sub-continental cricketing giants by the end of tomorrow night. And,tragically,one of the two modern-day greats of the game Sachin Tendulkar and Muttiah Muralitharan would end his career in a disappointment.

Stage is set

While Murali may or may not play what would be his last game on Saturday he still carries fitness issues,Tendulkar surely will. At 99 international centuries,the stage is set for the master batsman to win his first World Cup,score his 100th ,and if sources are to be believed,retire on the greatest high on home ground.

I think it is the love and passion for cricket that has kept him ticking all these years. He gives a 100 per cent at every practice session and whenever he comes to the field,he comes with a purpose. That attitude has not changed for the last 21 years. Most of the other guys have lost interest but not Sachin. God created him to play cricket, said Dhoni,paying his opener the ultimate tribute.

One of the very reasons behind Tendulkars longevity could be that he has never won the World Cup. At the Wanderers in 2003,he could only watch as his holy grail slipped out of his fingers. Seven years later,fate has given the ever-so hungry batsman that rare gift: a second chance.

Standing in the master and India8217;s way,however,are a side they too familiar with. They have faced each other in the World Cup semi-finals twice in 1996 and 2003 but it will be the first title clash between India and Sri Lanka.

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And not since the Cup was played here 15 years ago,has there been a well balanced final,thanks to Australias stranglehold on the game. Much was expected from the Australia-Pakistan encounter in 99,but the end result ensured that Australia ran away with the rest of it,incidentally,convincingly smashing 20118217;s finalists in the following two Cup editions. Unlike Australias era of dominance at the Cup,Saturday has all the makings of a match worthy of a final.

Apart from their 2011 Cup records being almost identical,India and Sri Lanka have met each other more often than any other two teams in the last three years,giving them an acute understanding of each others8217; strengths and weaknesses. As skippers,Dhoni and Sangakkara have met 31 times in one-day internationals the Indian leading 17-12,with two wash-outs mixed into the fray. What will make Sangakkara happy though is the fact that Sri Lanka leads 4-2 on the World Cup stage,including the last time they met at Port of Spain in 2007,and twice during Arjuna Ranatungas successful 1996 Cup.

Sri Lankan cricket kicked off from that 1996 win and reached great heights. Everything that happened after that,is because of Ranatungas side. It changed the face of the sport in our country. But many people have laid down their lives for the country since,and we would like to give them another reason to celebrate with a second World Cup, an emotional Sangakkara said on Friday.

On the other hand,India will look to take inspiration from their wins over the Lankans in 1999 and 2003. Better still,if they manage to take a leaf from the very clichéd 1983 book. Just like the Sri Lankans,even the Indians will be competing for their second World Cup title in the 50-over format one that the entire country has awaited for nearly three decades. While India obviously have no survivors from Kapil Devs team in the current squad,Sri Lanka have one Murali.

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Interestingly,India come into Saturday8217;s match without having played a match at the Wankhede during this Cup. The Lankans,on the other hand,have against the Kiwis in the only fixture that they did not play at home. But thats a slight edge to have,as Indias home support will more than just nullify it. The gap isnt much between the two sides going into the most important event undertaken by both sides in the recent past,but a win,for either side,will separate the teams by more than just a dressing room glass or a country-dividing strait. The divide will be the ultimate one: a World Cup trophy. And it will also be a fitting coda to a maestro8217;s showcase career.