India, you have won this World Cup.
Your congratulations are coming. Just give me a few minutes, because first I want to tell you why.
Each and every one of you is the reason.
For the past few days, even before the Australia match, there was belief. It was in the streets, in the air, across all of India. You could feel it, that unshakable belief.
Today, in the stands, you had Sachin Tendulkar, you had Rohit Sharma, I even saw V. V. S. Laxman. And I asked myself, where were the South Africans? The former cricketers we look up to?
Who showed up from our side? Nobody.
Not one of them thought this event was important enough to attend. Not even our Minister of Sport was there.
And yet you were.
That is the difference between our countries. That is what the people at the top in South Africa think about cricket.
Our men and women worked so hard. They played brilliantly. They had every chance to win today. But what does it feel like for them when none of their heroes show up?
What message does that send? That they were expected to lose?
That was the difference today.
Yes, India performed beautifully in those crucial moments, but it was your people, your heroes, your love for the game that carried them through.
Imagine looking up and seeing Rohit Sharma in the crowd.
Imagine shaking hands with Sachin Tendulkar before the match and hearing, “Go well. Good luck.”
That is powerful. That is belief.
Australians and the English always say South Africans do not care about cricket.
And today, for the first time, I believed it.
Because you, India, you live and breathe this sport.
From the people at the top to the fans in the streets, it is in your blood. It is breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
You are the true winners of this World Cup.
And you know what?
You deserve it.
