So, the D-day in the World Cup has arrived!

After a gap of 12 years and two ODI World Cups, the Indian men’s cricket team is in the finals. Incidentally, it was on this day in 1969, that Apollo 12 landed on moon and became the second one ever to do so. Now, it happens to be seen if the Indian team which has been unbeaten so far can take their fans to the moon with a third ODI World Cup title. But how does it feel for someone born in the mid 1980s who also happens to be a diehard Sachin fan?

This is ODI World Cup through the eyes of a Sachin fan…

The first World Cup, that they probably recall is the one in 1996. With due respect to other players, for the Indian fans, that era was mostly about just one question – “Sachin hai kya?” (Is Sachin Tendulkar there?) Well, the great man did have an excellent World Cup scoring 523 runs at an average of 87.16. The fact that the next best scorer from India was Navjot Singh Sidhu with 178 runs just highlights the gulf between Sachin and the other Indian batsmen.

The extreme impact of this was seen in the Semi-finals against Sri Lanka which still remains a thorn in the heart of the Indian fans. When Sachin was still batting, commentator Geoffrey Boycott had remarked, “While he is there, he is making batting look reasonably comfortable.” But with his fall India lost seven wickets for 22 runs and slumped to 120 for eight from 98 for one.

1999: Eat cricket, Sleep cricket

By the time of 1999 World Cup, cricket craze was at its peak and as the Coca Cola campaign said, “Eat cricket, Sleep cricket, drink only Coca Cola”, the Indian fans did indeed eat and sleep cricket. The Indian team had found new stars in the form of Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid who reduced the workload on Sachin. While it was a good team, it failed to qualify for the semi-finals, probably due to the heart-breaking 3-run-loss to Zimbabwe. Oh, by the way, Sachin had to miss this match due to the sad demise of his father. The only solace for the Indian fans was the victory over Pakistan amidst the Kargil war.

2003:  “I tried so hard and got so far, But in the end it doesn't even matter.”

Between 1999 and 2003, a lot of changes took place not just in India but in world cricket as well. The match-fixing saga took away many big names. Team India under the able leadership of Sourav Ganguly was like a phoenix rising from the ashes. And after a disastrous start to their 2003 campaign when they were bowled out for 125 against Australia in their second league match, India won eight consecutive matches to enter the finals. Unfortunately, Australia and the number 125 came back to haunt the Indians again. They lost the finals by 125 runs after Ricky Ponting led Aussies had posted 359 for two, an almost unthinkable total to chase if not un-chasable. Of course, Sachin emerged as the highest run-getter in the tournament, and his 98 against Pakistan was a knock for ages. But to borrow from Linkin Park, for Sachin it was like, “I tried so hard and got so far, But in the end it doesn't even matter.”

2007: Shhh..Did it really happen?

As far as the 2007 edition was concerned, the lesser spoken about it, the better. India failed to advance past the group stage after losses against Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.

2011: Dhoni finishes off in style

And then came the 2011 World Cup, being held in India after a gap of 15 years. We all remember Ravi Shastri’s immortal lines - “Dhoniiiiiiiiiii, finishes off in style, a magnificent strike into the crowd…..India lift the world cup after 28 years, the party starts in the dressing room and it's the Indian Captain who has been absolutely magnificent in the night of the final”.

Most of the 90s kids had become grown up men and passed from colleges, but it didn’t stop them from dancing all night long on the Marine Drive in Mumbai or Church Street in Bangalore. They had so far only heard about the 1983 World Cup victory from elders, but to experience it was surreal. The team carried Sachin on their shoulders during the victory lap around the Wankhede making the eyes of many fans moist.

2015: A sans-Sachin World Cup

The 2015 World Cup witnessed something that the 90s kid had never seen in their life – a sans-Sachin ODI World Cup. This was the first time since 1992 that India was playing a ODI World Cup without Sachin Tendulkar who had already retired. Well, the team lived up to the tag of defending champions being unbeaten till the semis where they yet again lost to the Australians.

2019: So near, yet so far

The next edition was a case of so near yet so far. For the second consecutive time, India faltered in the semis, this time against the Kiwis. The direct hit by Martin Guptill had only broken the stumps as MS Dhoni was short of his ground, but it also shattered the hopes of millions of Indians. About the runout, in an interview Dhoni had later said, “To me, that was the last day I played cricket for India (even though) I announced my retirement one year later. But the fact was, that day I retired.”

2023: We are here to rule

So, what is going on in the mind of the 90s Sachin fans in this World Cup? The way in which this Indian team has dominated the tournament is something that these people have never seen in their lifetime. Right from Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Shreyas Iyer, Mohammad Shami, Jasprit Bumrah, Ravindra Jadeja, everyone has been phenomenal. Also, Virat Kohli scaled the mountain of 50 ODI centuries, going past Sachin’s 49 which many thought would be ever broken.

Virat did win the heart of Sachin fans by bowing down to the master after reaching the milestone. Since then, the number of people participating in the Sachin vs Virat debate has gone down drastically like the AQI of Delhi after winter rains.

While the haze from Sachin’s Desert storm is still fresh in the memory of his fans, but those who once chanted ‘Sachin..Sachin’ would love to see King Kohli play a World Cup winning knock and Rohit lift the trophy.

Afterall, this King has the God’s blessings!