India, both the team and the nation, do ICC proud

Save for a Cup-clinching 100th international hundred from Sachin Tendulkar on his home ground, and a sackful of wickets – in honourable defeat, of course – for Muttiah Muralitharan, the Mumbai final followed to the letter the International Cricket Council’s script of choice.

India, the powerhouse of administration and interest, transferred all that clout on to the field on their home patch to at last follow up their maiden success of 1983.

It was the shock ground-breaking victory, of course, against the then mighty West Indies at Lord’s 28 years ago which has been the founding stone of the edifice of modern cricket.

India, in all senses now, occupy the top floor.

As befits a huge land mass populated by more than a billion – mostly cricket fanatics – Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s team consistently proved a cut above the rest in this six-week tournament which finished in a blaze of partisan glory on Saturday.

Tendulkar duly, and doubtless honestly, described it as the proudest moment of his life after Dhoni had delighted the capacity crowd in the grand manner by smashing Nuwan Kulasekera for six over long-on for India’s winning runs against Sri Lanka.

If this was an occasion culminating to perfection, it must not be forgotten that the success which ICC top brass will surely trumpet to all corners of the cricketing world was no foregone conclusion.

Yes, India were always the likeliest winners – favourites from the outset, beaten just once and appearing throughout to have such power and depth in batting resources in particular that the percentages would always be loaded in their favour.

But this World Cup was not just about the hosts claiming their rightful place, at the top of the world in 50-over as well as Test cricket.

Understandably unspoken though it was, the avoidance of two sinister forces was the real bottom line.

Twenty four hours after the happy conclusion, it could be safely and with much relief proclaimed that the 2011 World Cup was free of terrorist incident.

After the atrocities of Mumbai little more than two years ago, only the truly complacent could have arrived on the sub-Continent at the start of February free of worry that the tournament might be targeted by violent extremists from some sick quarter or another, whether or not there was ever a will to do that, the time is right to congratulate the ICC and the sub-Continent’s security staff on their efforts.

That is not to say everything was palatable to the eyes of the wider world. In particular, the alarming – and apparently entirely routine – tactics used by police to disperse those queueing for tickets to watch England and India in Bangalore did not please many western eyes.

It is still perhaps premature to declare the World Cup free of that other dark force, apparently subdued over the past six weeks.

After the spot-fixing crises which marred Pakistan’s tour of England last summer, there was naturally heightened sensitivity to the potential for corruption in India – a country where off-course bookmaking remains an illegal activity.

Yet – apart from spurious gossip about one group fixture, which found its way into print but was quickly discredited – there is no evidence of any untoward collusion.

If that is somewhat amazing to many, others will delight if not marvel at what this World Cup delivered in purely cricketing terms.

ICC chief executive Haroon Lorgat has already spent much time lauding the resurgence of the much-maligned 50-over format.

It is surely right that he does.

Questions will continue to be asked about the length of the tournament and the capacity of a 100-over match to accentuate the gulf in ability between minnow teams and superstars.

But it seems the ICC are on to that and will do their best to strike a balance between a contest which does their sport justice and also caters necessarily for the aspirations of cricket’s younger countries.

The performances of Ireland, most obviously in their defeat of England, is surely all the proof needed that there must remain some opportunity at least for smaller nations to cause a stir.

Kevin O’Brien’s astounding hundred in Bangalore provided a permanent gem of cricketing history, and lasting vindication of some associate presence on the biggest stage.

O’Brien left England shell-shocked. But there were other lessons in store for them and others. It was unequivocally spelled out to England and Australia that there is much more to world cricket than the Ashes.

Both have much to ponder if they are to approach India over either 50 overs or five days, notwithstanding England’s tied Group B run-fest with the champions.

South Africa yet again flattered and fell short. Despite being the only team to beat India and appearing the best-equipped to do so again, they faltered terminally in their quarter-final run chase against New Zealand.

The Kiwis did themselves proud, and Pakistan also defied much logic to reach a semi-final against India in which the stakes were high in almost every respect.

Thankfully, there was not only a peaceful resolution but a passable spectacle in Mohali.

India proved then and once more against their deserved fellow finalists on Saturday not only that they are the most talented team in the world but they can handle the pressure which comes with that status.