The World Cup is back in India so one can expect high levels of excitement from a cricket-crazy nation. But more than the excitement, all we can see is a huge mountain of expectations being laden on the Indian team and especially the Little Master Sachin Tendulkar. The cricket fans of India have subconsciously assumed that India will lift the trophy with the help of Tendulkar.
Expecting your team to win the cup is natural and there’s nothing wrong in it. However, having a pre-occupied notion that India will reach the final and win it and not ready to accept or expect any other result can have dire consequences.
One should not forget that there are 14 teams participating in the World Cup. Out of these, six teams, apart from India, stand a chance of winning the cup. But it seems people of India feel that the rest of the 13 teams are as good as Canada or Netherlands, judging by the way they are expecting India to win.
And Tendulkar has never had such a huge load of expectations from the public as he is having right now. We should also not forget that although he is considered as God of cricket, he is a human being after all.
Right now, people are buying Indian team’s t-shirts in large number and displaying their support in every manner possible. However, God forbid if India fails to lift the trophy, the same people will burn effigies of the team while giving all kinds of filthy abuses. We have witnessed such terrible and shameful scenes during the last few world cups.
Even though maximum numbers of cricket fans are in India, there are very few who understand the game and are ready to accept any result by being a true fan of the game and a true supporter of team India.
I understand there is a huge amount of disappointment after India loses but why can’t we be open minded and accept that it’s a game where one team has to lose? If we are true supporters of team India then why we can’t show support when our team loses since that is the time when they need maximum support? Being a true supporter of team India, I will pray for our team but I am also ready to accept any result.
The schedule for the 2011 World Cup – (taken from http://cricket.yahoo.com)
| # | Date & Time | Match | Venue | |
| 1 | Sat 19 Feb 02:00 PM IST | IND vs BAN | Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur
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| 2 | Sun 20 Feb 09:30 AM IST | NZ vs KEN | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
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| 3 | Sun 20 Feb 02:30 PM IST | SL vs CAN | Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, Hambantota
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| 4 | Mon 21 Feb 02:30 PM IST | AUS vs ZIM | Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium, Motera
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| 5 | Tue 22 Feb 02:30 PM IST | ENG vs NED | Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur
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| 6 | Wed 23 Feb 02:30 PM IST | PAK vs KEN | Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, Hambantota
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| 7 | Thu 24 Feb 02:30 PM IST | SA vs WI | Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
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| 8 | Fri 25 Feb 09:30 AM IST | AUS vs NZ | Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur
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| 9 | Fri 25 Feb 02:00 PM IST | BAN vs IRE | Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur
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| 10 | Sat 26 Feb 02:30 PM IST | PAK vs SL | R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo |
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| 11 | Sun 27 Feb 02:30 PM IST | IND vs ENG | M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
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| 12 | Mon 28 Feb 09:30 AM IST | ZIM vs CAN | Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur
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| 13 | Mon 28 Feb 02:30 PM IST | WI vs NED | Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
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| 14 | Tue 01 Mar 02:30 PM IST | SL vs KEN | R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo |
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| 15 | Wed 02 Mar 02:30 PM IST | ENG vs IRE | M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
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| 16 | Thu 03 Mar 09:30 AM IST | SA vs NED | Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali
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| 17 | Thu 03 Mar 02:30 PM IST | PAK vs CAN | R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo |
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| 18 | Fri 04 Mar 09:30 AM IST | NZ vs ZIM | Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium, Motera
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| 19 | Fri 04 Mar 02:00 PM IST | BAN vs WI | Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur
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| 20 | Sat 05 Mar 02:30 PM IST | AUS vs SL | R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo |
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| 21 | Sun 06 Mar 09:30 AM IST | SA vs ENG | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
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| 22 | Sun 06 Mar 02:30 PM IST | IND vs IRE | M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
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| 23 | Mon 07 Mar 02:30 PM IST | CAN vs KEN | Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
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| 24 | Tue 08 Mar 02:30 PM IST | PAK vs NZ | Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
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| 25 | Wed 09 Mar 02:30 PM IST | IND vs NED | Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
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| 26 | Thu 10 Mar 02:30 PM IST | SL vs ZIM | Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
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| 27 | Fri 11 Mar 09:30 AM IST | WI vs IRE | Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali
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| 28 | Fri 11 Mar 02:00 PM IST | BAN vs ENG | Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong
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| 29 | Sat 12 Mar 02:30 PM IST | IND vs SA | Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur
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| 30 | Sun 13 Mar 09:30 AM IST | NZ vs CAN | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
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| 31 | Sun 13 Mar 02:30 PM IST | AUS vs KEN | M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
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| 32 | Mon 14 Mar 09:00 AM IST | BAN vs NED | Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong
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| 33 | Mon 14 Mar 02:30 PM IST | PAK vs ZIM | Pallekele International Cricket Stadium, Kandy
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| 34 | Tue 15 Mar 02:30 PM IST | SA vs IRE | Eden Gardens, Kolkata
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| 35 | Wed 16 Mar 02:30 PM IST | AUS vs CAN | M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
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| 36 | Thu 17 Mar 02:30 PM IST | ENG vs WI | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
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| 37 | Fri 18 Mar 09:30 AM IST | NED vs IRE | Eden Gardens, Kolkata
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| 38 | Fri 18 Mar 02:30 PM IST | NZ vs SL | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai |
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| 39 | Sat 19 Mar 09:00 AM IST | BAN vs SA | Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur
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| 40 | Sat 19 Mar 02:30 PM IST | AUS vs PAK | R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo |
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| 41 | Sun 20 Mar 09:30 AM IST | ZIM vs KEN | Eden Gardens, Kolkata
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| 42 | Sun 20 Mar 02:30 PM IST | IND vs WI | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
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| 43 | Wed 23 Mar 02:00 PM IST | A1 vs B4 (1st Quarter Final, C) | Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur |
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| 44 | Thu 24 Mar 02:30 PM IST | A2 vs B3 (2nd Quarter Final, D) | Sardar Patel Gujarat Stadium, Motera |
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| 45 | Fri 25 Mar 02:00 PM IST | A3 vs B2 (3rd Quarter Final, E) | Shere Bangla National Stadium, Mirpur |
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| 46 | Sat 26 Mar 02:30 PM IST | A4 vs B1 (4th Quarter Final, F) | R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo |
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| 47 | Tue 29 Mar 02:30 PM IST | Winner C vs Winner E (1st Semi Final) | R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo |
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| 48 | Wed 30 Mar 02:30 PM IST | Winner D vs Winner F (2nd Semi Final) | Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali |
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| 49 | Sat 02 Apr 02:30 PM IST | SF1 vs SF2 (Final) | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai |