It was good while it lasted...

Ah well... so CSK didn't make the finals and I'm gonna have to eat a lot more than oats for breakfast. Dhoni can't really win everything and Murali was going to have to go for more than 6 an over. Hayden didn't start with 40 on the board, and neither did Raina with 2 sixes against his name. Funny really... The law of averages worked out individually, but what were the odds of everything falling apart on one day.

Credit goes to RCB though, and to one of my absolute favourites, Anil Kumble. To bounce back from the bottom of the table to this is no mean feat, and unlike Chennai, who've looked pretty much just above average the entire tournament, the two finalists are peaking at the exact right time.

Peaking. As in present continuous. As in, you haven't seen anything yet. The final tomorrow is gonna be amazing, and I don't mean Sivamani's performance.

Ah well... It was good while it lasted. No more monstrous walks down the track, glorious cover drives, porous deep fielding, slick-oiled palms and gritty comebacks. No more chants of "Yellow jersey always wins!" and drum beats to Azeem-o-shah after the presentation. No more absolutely Gay comments about Dhoni's "power and agression" and "amazingness" from a certain commentator who's name seems to imply that in the South African winter, Rum-is King...

Ah well... It was good while it lasted. At least now we'll all root for the same colors when Sachin goes out to bat, without that uneasy, terrible feeling of treachery that arises from a decade and more of hero-worship. We can go back to blasting the Australian school of cricketing, and stop reasoning that Sri Lankans are almost Indians after all.

Yup. It was great while it lasted.