Mumbai was finally back to hosting it’s first World Cup game since the iconic 2011 World Cup final. And what was in store for the faithful that flocked to the stands in heaps galore was nothing short of a slogfest of epic proportions. Well, atleast from one side.
It was a showcase of Protean dominance and a collapse of the mighty English wrapped up altogether in one night at the Wankhede Stadium yesterday, as South Africa defeated the defending champions England in what turned out to be one of the biggest shockers of the ICC Cricket World Cup so far.
The likes of the ever-aggressive Protean middle-order batters such as Heinrich Klaasen and Marco Jansen lit up the Mumbai skies with their skyrocketing sixes and cracking fours. The sounds of the bat cracking with every last hit of the ball filled the ears of all who were there to witness the same.
READ: ODI World Cup: Ton-up Klaasen, Bowlers Power South Africa to Clinical 229-run Win Over England
Yet through it all, one name reverberated the loudest. And it was none other than that of Mumbai’s prodigal son, the Master Blaster himself, Sachin Tendulkar.
SACHIN.. SACHIN… chants at WankhedeAcross leagues, matches, teams and players, Wankhede never fails to remember and pay respect to the man who was our hope for decades ❤️#ENGvSA #CWC23 #SachinTendulkar pic.twitter.com/FZa6AdcaLF
— Vinesh Prabhu (@vlp1994) October 21, 2023
It has been more than a decade now since Sachin played his last international match at Wankhede, but the influence he has and continues to have at this iconic venue is a testament to the sheer greatness of the legendary batter.
Loud, bombastic chants of the classic ” Sa’chin…Sa’chin” filled the venue even though India were not the ones in action last night. Yet, to the Mumbai faithful, the occasion rarely matters as they continue to pay tribute to the local boy who changed the game of cricket forever.
Even after 10 years of his retirement – Wankhede crowd erupts with ‘Sachin, Sa’chin’ chants.pic.twitter.com/TMXXN2Qyu5— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) October 21, 2023
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In this seemingly dreamy Mumbai landscape, what transpired for the English though was nothing short of a nignhtmare.
The defending champions could not contain the firepower of the Protean batting order and also crumbled to the lethal pace attack of South Africa, losing their crucial bout by a mammoth 229 runs.
With just one win in four games, it is now do-or-die for England whose World Cup hopes are hanging on by the finest of threads.
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