Before the start of any world tournament, be it the 50 over World Cup, T20 World Cup or ICC Champions trophy, discussions start making rounds on social media on whether South Africa will win its ‘first ever’ world title this time. The same is the case with the arrival of the upcoming T20 World Cup 2021.
There is nothing wrong in having this discussion, except to believe that South Africa has never won a world title. The Proteas have won not one but two world titles already. And a lot of us seem to have forgotten that. It is widely believed that the team has never even reached the final of any world tournament, which is so wrong.
The first ICC Champions Trophy started off in 1998 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It was also called the ‘Mini World Cup’ or ‘ICC Knock Out’ back then. It followed the format of eight teams participating in quarterfinal stage at the start. The four winners would play the semi-final and the last two the finals.
Photos courtesy: Cricketcountry.com and Olympics.com
South Africa met the West Indies in the final, which was touted to be an exciting contest and this is exactly what it turned out to be. West Indian opener Philo Wallace, who was a star back then, scored 103 off just 102 balls. It looked like they would easily cross the 300 mark but Jacques Kallis’s 5 for 30 ensured that they got all out for just 245 in the last over.
In reply, South African openers Daryll Cullinan and Mike Rindel started well and put on 54 runs. But they kept losing wickets and were reduced to 137 for 5 at one stage. But their late captain Hansie Cronje was going strong. He scored 61 off 77 balls under pressure and had two useful partnerships with Dale Benkenstein (27 off 40) and Derek Crooks (24* off 21) to see his side home by four wickets.
Highlights of the 1998 ICC Knockout Final
This was the first time South Africa lifted a world title. But this achievement is still somewhat remembered by the cricketing world but the other one isn’t.
Cricket was introduced for the first time in the 1998 Commonwealth Games (CWG). It saw the participation of 16 countries, which is much more than what we see in any World Cup. It had West Indian islands Jamaica, Antigua-Barbuda and Barbados participate separately. It also saw the participating of non-regular teams like Canada and Northern Ireland.
Of all the test-playing countries, only South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Zimbabwe fielded their strongest teams. During the same time, India also had to participate in the Sahara Cup, the bilateral series against Pakistan that used to take place Toronto, Canada. Hence, they split their main team into two and sent two teams each for the Commonwealth Games and Sahara Cup. Pakistan sent a second string team.
Shaun Pollock’s spell in the final against Australia in the CWG 1998. There is no video of the highlights of the game. This one was posted just two months back
The two best teams of the CWG, South Africa and Australia, reached the finals. The Aussies batted first and were bundled out for just 183. Shaun Pollock was the star as he picked up 4 for 19. While chasing, Andrew Hudson (36 off 39), Rindel (67 off 106) and Kallis (44 off 96) helped South Africa win the final in a comprehensive way by four wickets. They were without the services of Cronje in this series.
CWC matches didn’t have the stamp of the ICC (International Cricket Council). But it was still a world tournament nevertheless and the matches were played in all seriousness.
Interestingly, South Africa won two world titles not just in the same year but also in a span of less than a month and a half (CWC final: September 19, ICC KO final: November 1).
Those were the days when South Africa was the best team in the world, at least in ODIs. At the end of the previous year (1997), they had also won the quadrangular tournament in Pakistan. Once again, they won the final while chasing.
Kisan Baburao Hazare aka Anna Hazare started his non-violent fight for the implementation of the Jan Lokpal Bill in April 2011. But his movement gained tremendous momentum only on 15 August 2011 when he sat meditating at the Gandhi Smarak at Delhi. He announced fast unto death from the next day onwards if the bill isn’t passed with the points included by him and his NGO India Against Corruption.
People got attracted to the sight of Anna meditating and started joining him. It had a similar effect on me as I was watching it on TV. I vividly remember a young man telling a news channel reporter, “This is the first time in my life that I am feeling patriotic.” These scenes instantly had an effect on me.
Anna Hazare at Raj Ghat on 15 August 2011
From the next day onwards, rallies and agitations started taking place in Mumbai through IAC’s city wing. I didn’t even feel the need to think before becoming a part of it. All these years, I was eager to do something for the country but didn’t know how. This movement finally became an answer.
We were determined to bring the Jan Lokpal Bill in practice. I had gone through it and I was convinced it would help eradicate corruption. Deep inside, I was wondering how, when and whether it would be implemented. But I repressed these thoughts back then and was pretty successful at that.
Arvind Kejriwal, Anna Hazare, Kiran Bedi and Swami Agnivesh during the 2011 andolan [Photo source: Annahazare.blogspot.com]
Similarly, I found thousands of youngsters with a similar patriotic zeal. They too always wanted to do something for India but never had the means. They finally got one. This was visible from the loud slogans hailing Mother India and Anna during the rallies. We walked and walked without any pain in various rallies.
The most memorable moment was the mega rally planned from Bandra station to Juhu Circle. The distance was long but I, like others, never felt that. On top of that, there were heavy rains but we kept marching on without umbrella or any cover.
The mega rally from Bandra to Juhu
People around me and on social media claimed that we are lucky to have got a chance to take part in something similar to India’s freedom movement and I believed them instantly. I always felt I should have been born before India got independence so that I could have taken part in the freedom movement. This dream was getting fulfilled in 2011.
Another memorable incident was the protest outside MP Priya Dutt’s house at Pali Hill, Bandra. Even four police vans and a large number of cops called in for a small group of non-violent protesters didn’t scare me even a bit. Under normal circumstances, I would have been frightened.
Outside Priya Dutt’s residence in August 2011
In the meanwhile, we were also keeping an eye on the happenings in Delhi where Anna was on hunger strike. Apart from having grave concern for Anna’s health, we were rejoicing at popular celebrities like Aamir Khan, Rajkumar Hirani and Sonu Nigam showing open support for Anna.
Finally, after days of extreme protests, the central government agreed to the demands (at least, this is what was told to us) of Anna and IAC. He was finally going to end his fast.
The moment when Anna did that by having lemon juice through the hands of two little girls was a moment of triumph. The IAC organizers literally spelt out the names of the communities the two girls belonged to – Dalit and Muslim – but I was too naive to understand the politics behind it.
Anna Hazare breaking fast
After we were told that the government has accepted the demands of the IAC for the Jan Lokpal Bill, we returned to our normal lives. But later on, it was said that the government has taken a U-turn and Anna will be sitting on fast yet again in December. The location chosen was Mumbai and my joy new no bounds.
The agitation that started on 27 December 2011 couldn’t achieve much. Not many people turned up at the venue at BKC, Bandra. Finally, Arvind Kejriwal, one of the main members from Anna’s core team, decided to enter active politics and the agitation was called off. Anna stayed far away from this plan as he didn’t believe in becoming a politician.
This was probably the end of the struggle for the implementation of the Jan Lokpal Bill. After doing some protest against the arrest of cartoonist Aseem Trivedi in 2012, Kejriwal went onto start Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). His party has fought three elections in Delhi out of which they won two with miraculous numbers.
Kejriwal might be a better CM than few others in India. But he or anyone from his party are not even uttering the term ‘Jan Lokpal Bill’, leave alone doing anything to implement it. He became the CM for the first time in 2013 by targeting the then CM Sheila Dixit. He had vowed to initiate action against her in corruption cases in 2013 but that too didn’t happen [she passed away in 2019].
Of all the people from Anna’s core committee, Kejriwal has benefitted the most. Their other core member and ex celebrated cop Kiran Bedi too benefitted in some way. She tried her hand in politics by contesting for BJP in 2015 Delhi elections but lost by a large margin. But she was later made the Lieutenant Governor of Puducherry.
Kiran Bedi, Arvind Kejriwal and Anna Hazare during the 2012 andolan
Looking at the larger picture, it seems that the aim of the whole movement was to bring BJP in power in India. I also realized that a lot of people had taken part in the movement just because they wanted BJP in power. And it worked out so well for them!
I also found news reports about Right Wing groups being in charge at Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan when Anna was on fast. This was also a major indication.
The scenario in India is completely different after a decade. Earlier, corruption was the villain. Now there is an addition of rampant hatred for anyone who doesn’t believe in the problematic ideologies of supporters of one political party. They want us to believe that things have become so much better and if you don’t agree with them, you become an anti-national.
Around 10 years ago, our motto was to make India great. Today, after 10 years, we are just hoping and praying that things shouldn’t, at least, become worse than what they are right now.
Takeaways:
I have no hesitation in accepting that the whole Anna Hazare movement has yielded nothing good and has, in fact, made things worse. Like me, I know others who feel that they have been played with.
During the 2011 agitation at Azad Maidan, Mumbai
But at the same time, I can’t deny that I gained interest in politics or in the current affairs of the country only because of this movement. Before that, I didn’t know the difference between MP and MLA. So, at the most, it has helped me at a personal level; not that this is a major achievement though.
Like many others, I too feel bad to see Anna not even speaking up [I really don’t want him to fast or do something like that] against the wrongdoings of the current government or people who are a part of it. It’s clear that he was concerned for the country only pre-2014.
Anna has always been a practitioner of Gandhi’s non-violent ideology but he doesn’t find it necessary to at least speak up against the violent events and speeches that have taken place in recent years against innocents.
There have been few instances in recent years where Anna has announced to go onto a hunger strike against the current government, mostly for the welfare of farmers. But it always ended soon or didn’t begin at all after he got some assurance from someone from the ruling party.
Today, I am not a supporter of Anna. But maybe because of his achievements at Ralegan Siddhi and his various other contributions to the society, it’s difficult for me to hate him.
Sanjay Manjrekar was known as an effective middle-order batsman for Mumbai and India during his playing days. He continued the legacy of his father Vijay Manjrekar, a popular batsman of his era. After retirement S Manjrekar is known for his work behind the microphone as a commentator.
But in between these two roles, somewhere lies Manjrekar the singer. This might come as a surprise to people who started watching cricket after the cricketer retired but he is a pretty good singer.
I came to know about Manjrekar’s fondness and talent for music when he brought out a music album called Rest Day way back in 1996, the year I started following cricket.
Sanjay Manjrekar and Rahul Dravid [Photos courtesy: Newsbyminute.com and Asianlite.com]
The album contained favourite Hindi songs of Manjrekar’s teammates sung in his own voice.
Here’s what he sang for which cricketer:
Mohammad Azharuddin – Oh Re Taal Mile Nadi Ke Jal Mein from Anokhi Raat (1968)
Sachin Tendulkar – Main Zindagi Ka Saath Nibhta Chala Gaya from Hum Dono (1961)
Anil Kumble – Chalte Chalte Mere Yeh Geet Yaad Rakhna from Chalte Chalte (1976)
Javaga Srinath – Ruk Jana Nahin Tu Kabhi Haar Ke from Imtihan (1974)
Manjrekar also went onto sing ‘Raat Kali Ek Khwab Mein Aai’ [Buddha Mil Gaya 1971], ‘Pal Pal Dil Ke Paas’ [Blackmail, 1973] and ‘Barson Hue hain Dil Mein’ [ghazal].
Listen to the album above
But there was a surprise package too. Vinod Kambli, who was known for his aggressive batting, also showed the singer inside him and sang ‘Tumse Achha Kaun Hai’ [title song, 1969] and an original track ‘Hum Kasam Khayenge’ along with Manjrekar and Arvinder Singh.
As I kid, I was ecstatic to see our cricketers trying their hand [rather, throat] at singing. The trailer of this album used to appear on TV almost daily and I used to watch it with wonder and excitement.
I still remember Manjrekar had impressed me with his singing. Mind you, it was an era where auto-tuning a person’s voice was hardly or never practiced.
Manjrekar showed his singing talent again later on in the same year [I guess]. It was the cricketers’ special of Zee TV’s musical game show Antakshari. He was paired with Rahul Dravid; Sourav Ganguly with Nayan Mongia; Sunil Joshi with Salil Ankola and Eknath Solkar with Madan Lal.
Manjrekar ruled the show with his singing and overshadowed Dravid. And it seemed like Dravid didn’t have any problem with that.
And as I am writing this, I realized a good soul has uploaded the entire cricketer’s special Antakshari video on YouTube just less than a year ago. See below:
