Kolkata: With the Men in Blue just a win away from making history as the first team to successfully defend the T20 World Cup crown, the anticipation and excitement is palpable among Indian fans worldwide.However, more than enhancing the silverware count of the Indian side in recent past, the titles have helped to abolish of big-small divide in a vast country with more than 1.5 billion people. Success in almost all the biggest stages has been all-pervasive; and cricket has acted like a great leveller, feel former cricketers-turned-administrators and veterans of the game.“It (playing consecutive T20 WC finals) has an impact on the whole country. It has nothing to do with a particular region. This is a marquee event of ICC. And the biggest challenge for Indian team is to repeat what they have done in Barbados two years ago (winning the 2024 T20 WC final against South Africa). In the history of T20 World Cup, no team has retained their title in successive tournaments,” Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia told TOI on Friday from Mumbai, where he watched India beat England on way to the final on Thursday night.“India has already crossed one hurdle by reaching the final and now the ultimate hurdle is there.”Former India player Shahbaz Nadeem, currently the Jharkhand State Cricket Association (JSCA) joint secretary, echoed Saikia’s thoughts. “Cricket-wise there’s no smaller team or small town in India now. The game has reached every nook and corner of the country and that’s the success of cricket in India. Performance at the domestic level is very high as BCCI is doing great in association with all the state bodies.“India is dominating the world cricket for quite some time now and it is encouraging for all the youngsters that they are playing for a country which dominates the world. So if you’re doing well in India at any level, it means you are ready to do well worldwide,” Nadeem said on Friday.The former left-arm spinner added, “Competitive level is very high in domestic cricket. That itself makes a statement on how Indian cricket is running right now. I think selection for any Indian side is tougher than being successful at international level. Because when you are coming through so much competition it already makes you mentally tough, gives you an edge to be successful at the world level.”Another veteran cricketer, Odisha all-rounder Biplab Samantray, feels that apart from India on the threshold of winning back-to-back T20 World Cups, it’s J&K clinching the Ranji Trophy for the first time that reflects the reach cricket now has in the country.“There’s nothing like you’re playing for powerhouses such as Mumbai or Delhi or Karnataka these days unlike earlier times. Players are coming from all corners, be it boys or girls. Look at J&K winning Ranji this season, I have been there playing domestic cricket, they don’t have any proper stadium or cricket culture but still won Ranji. These stories, including that of Auqib Nabi, are inspiring for all the youngsters besides India winning everything at international level,” the former Sunrisers Hyderabad player said from Cuttack.However, he was quick to add that “pressure of performing is good for the budding cricketers”. “If there’s no pressure, you will feel relaxed and casual. Pressure keeps you on your toes, more focussed and no complacency. You should keep working hard and the result will come, because success is a by-product of process,” added the 37-year-old.With all eyes on Suryakumar Yadav’s men when they take field in Ahmedabad on Sunday for the coveted crown, Saikia and Nadeem will be in attendance, too, to watch history in making with fingers crossed like billions of fans and aspiring youngsters worldwide.
