The T20 World Cup began last night in Mumbai and if you thought India’s opening match against the USA would be a chill, no-stress, warm-up vibe, then you clearly have not been emotionally traumatised by cricket before. Because India did win, yes, by 29 runs. But the way we got there? It was full drama, rizz and oh, pookie energy too. (A SKY and Rohit Sharma moment happened, and we can’t keep calm).
This match had a lot of “why do we do this, to ourselves” energy. The score was India 161/9 and USA 132/8. That is what the scoreboard said.. The actual game was really dramatic like you would expect from a World Cup game on the first night.
USA won the toss. They decided to bowl first. This was a decision because for the first ten overs India was really struggling. And then Abhishek Sharma got out first ball. First ball! They gave him not even time to settle in, just straight into the deep end. And then…
Wickets kept falling, India were 46/4, then later 77/6, and Wankhede suddenly felt like an upcoming PTSD battlefield for us, but one guy decided to flip the script. That person was Suryakumar Yadav. Enter SKY!
The scoreboard did not look good at all until SKY took over. SKY really changed things around for the better. The scoreboard started to look a lot better after SKY was in charge.
India finished with 161/9. You might be wondering how they got that total after everything fell apart. The answer is simple. It is SKY. SKY scored 84 runs. He was not out. He did this in 49 balls. This was not a small good performance, it was not a good try. SKY played a captains innings. You can almost see him thinking that he will not let the team do badly on the night. He hit ten fours, one six and boundaries that we could feel in our souls.
The USA deserves a lot of credit. The USA bowlers came up with a plan and they did what they planned to do. For some time the United States of America had India in a spot. When it was time to score runs Sanjay Krishnamurthi scored 37 runs and Milind Kumar scored 34 runs. The United States of America kept trying hard they kept pushing themselves and they did not make it easy for India.
When you are trying to score 132 runs with a few players left, under lights in a city like Mumbai against a team like India, it is not funny at all. Siraj and Arshdeep got the wickets when it could make a real difference.
Because The Last Few Months Have Been Brutal For Him
This situation with SKY did not come out of nowhere. For months now SKY has been going through a time. This is the kind of thing that happens to athletes when fans think they are done. His were not good, he was not scoring runs and every innings was a struggle. It felt like everything was going wrong for SKY. The internet started saying mean things and calling him names like “Washed” and “Finished”. People were asking why SKY was still getting a chance to play. People were really upset they thought he was taking someones place in the team. The jokes about him were never ending, as people were saying things, like “SKY’s not working” and “this guy is slow” and even said “we do not want him”.
It was constant. It was really exhausting. That is why last night was very tough. Not just because he scored runs lots of people score runs, but because he scored runs when the team were in trouble. He scored runs when it was not easy. He scored runs when the match was getting away. So yes here are four moments from night that showed he is still, in the game. It was fully rizzed up, and said “keep talking, I’m still here.”
Moment One: The Lone Warrior Knock
India were really struggling with their top batsmen gone and the middle order was not looking good. The score was very bad. Suryakumar Yadav just stayed at the crease. He scored 84 runs without getting out. He faced 49 balls. SKY played like a captain who knew that if he got out India would end up with a low score like 120. It was like a fight to survive and people who love cricket were definitely fighting for breath at times. Suryakumar Yadav was the one who made sure India did not end up with an embarrassing score. People spent months calling him washed, but he responded on ground and made a kind of score that would make people hurriedly log in to their twitter account and delete whatever trash they have been writing about him.
Moment 2: The Siraj Story That Hit Home
This is what really got to me. It is the story of Siraj that we just cannot forget.
After the match Mohammed Siraj shared something that became really famous on the internet. Mohammed Siraj said that SKY called him and said “Pack your bags and join the squad”. Mohammed Siraj thought SKY was joking. He said to SKY “Surya Bhai do not play with me”. This is because playing in a World Cup at home was a dream for Mohammed Siraj. SKY, as the captain liked Mohammed Siraj trusted him and wanted Mohammed Siraj to be there, with the team.
That’s the genre of captaincy people don’t talk about enough, the human part, where you make someone feel like they belong before they even step on the field. SKY was leading not just with runs but also with trust.
Moment Three: Rohit Hugging SKY
At one point, Rohit Sharma hugged Suryakumar Yadav and it went viral immediately because it didn’t feel like a casual teammate hug. It felt toooo bhai-chara coded. Rohit knows trolling, and SKY has been drowning in it. Both have had phases where the internet decided they were the problem. So seeing that embrace felt like companionship, it felt like someone saying, “Man, I get it.”
People were saying it was the most Bade Papa-Chhote Papa moment ever. Rohit Sharma has always been very close to Virat and the other players.. What happened with Suryakumar Yadav also known as SKY last night was special. It was special because SKY really needed that moment. You could feel how much it meant to him. Rohit Sharma and SKY had a moment together.
Moment Four: The “Should I Bat Or Bowl?” Dad-Coded
Then came the cheekiest little moment of the night. SKY, on camera, asking Rohit: “Should I bat or bowl?” It was innocent, it was funny and it was too pookie-coded to be missed.
And the internet immediately turned it into the most dad-coded thing ever, like the younger dad asking the older dad for instructions. Rohit Sharma was standing there as the ultimate daddy of Indian cricket, a role we love seeing him in. SKY was adorable and respectful and slightly mischievous. It was silly, but it was also weirdly sweet, which is the perfect recipe for any favourite internet moment.