A date with destiny at Wankhede

A defiant Rohit Sharma played down pressure fears at the press conference ahead of Wednesdays semifinal contest against familiar foes New ZealandldquoBe it a league match or semifinal the pressure is always there in a World Cup match We have handled it well from the first game to the last The team has responded well Sharma remarked His authoritative reply provided a glimpse of the selfbelief of this transformed Indian teamBut there is pressure most certainly The pressure of being the overwhelming favourites The pressure of being the hosts The pressure of being the best team in the world The pressure of expectations The pressure of suffering a defeat The pressure of the past Also ReadNew zeal old foeIs pressure a privilegeHard to believe but the flip side of Indiarsquos euphoria at having made it this far in the tournament undefeated is excruciating stress to someNone explains this better than Pawan Surve A hotelier in Mumbairsquos Cuffe Parade Surve likes to introduce himself as a lsquocommitted fan of the Indian cricket team since time immemorialrsquo He said he kept dreaming that India had lost waking up in a clammy sweat night after night while his wife had been devouring so much cricket content on social media each night before bed that she saw one of the players smiling triumphantly in her sleepldquoHope our Diwali continues for the entire weekrdquo Surve added pointing to the multicoloured fireworks exploding across the skyThe anticipation no doubt adds to the excitement but the 2019 Manchester heartbreak involving the same teams lingering in a corner of onersquos mind as an irritant cannot be brushed asideSurve remembers that day as though it were yesterday ldquoWe all felt a great deal of excitement India was brilliant throughout the tournament naturally we expected to leave the stadium with smiling faces We left as soon as MS Dhoni got out It was really a big disappointment We skipped dinner that night and directly left for our hotel from the stadium Hope they avenge that defeat this time sicrdquo he said New Zealand also had the measure of India in the ICC WTC final in 2021 if one requires more attestation of the Kiwis grip over the latter in global eventsThe murmurs at the press conference grew louder Will India wilt under pressureBut pressure is a privilege sometimes Captain Sharma and coach Rahul Dravid two individuals who know all about the pitfalls of heavy expectations are aware these are mere matters of the mindChampions have the habit of bringing out their absolute best especially when their backs are against the wall Rohitrsquos men have inhabited those traitsAlso ReadThe unbeatables underdogs and everything in betweenWankhede letrsquos rewind to 2011ldquoI wish to see the same Wankhede as it was 12 years ago There are only 18 hours left We are hopeful of Indiarsquos winrdquo said Surve Every nook and corner of the city is preparing for the semifinal with great zest and fans are leaving no stone unturned to suitably cheer the blue brigade when they walk into the iconic WankhedeWankhede was where India outplayed Sri Lanka to lift the trophy for the second time in 2011 When the winning shot by the then Indian captain MS Dhoni sailed upward into the lights of the stadium the Wankhede crowd started to applaud and cheer and then roar like a wave crashing and rebounding around the ground gathering strength and fervour with each passing minute Colourful fireworks exploded in city after city and village after village as throngs of people poured into the streets beating drums shouting and cheering to their heartsrsquo contentWhether Indiarsquos propensity to rise above an uncomfortable past will be enough to allow Wankhede to replicate the 2011 magic is hard to tell India though will be aware that any slip up will be viewed as a national catastrophe shattering a billion heartsCome Wednesday the world will know if India have got what it takes to keep winning heartsDear Wankhede can you grasp the hand of destiny once again