The Fallen has Risen - India's comeback turnaround orchestrated by 3 Crusaders!

India's conquest over South Africa in the T20 World Cup final 2024 has given it's players and fans much to cherish and rejoice with the manner of victory making it all the more extra special. India clawed it's way from a seemingly improbable situation to register a triumph for the ages and one which would be firmly and proudly etched in it's folklore.

Thus ended India's ignominious draught of not winning a global ICC title for over 11 years and not securing a World Cup for 13 years and not claiming a T20 World Cup for 17 years. The margin was as wafer thin as it could get and the way the team fought like terriers to ensure that the team will not be undone yet again on the big stage in a mega tournament final clash marks signs of a truly Champion side and deservedly so.

The team has gone through a lot across the last decade with consistent performances across the board but all to no avail. The slip ups always tended to happen at the most pivotal stage causing heartbreak time and again. It almost seemed as if a curse was cast upon the Indian cricket team as something or other was always preventing them from crossing the finish line. All the talk of 'Its just a matter of time' appeared to be slashed across the backside since the victory was eluding them for far too long to even contemplate a justification of any repute.

The seed of this particular success was however not sown just now. In fact, there is a long inglorious history associated with it which goes back plenty of years where different outcomes of trauma germinated in indirectly influencing this win and making it a dream come true with redemption being obtained in it's truest essence. Though this victory is attributable to the entire squad including the support staff as each and every member contributed in some way or other to make this feat attainable but for 3 of the members viz Rahul Dravid, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli, this achievement means just a tad extra special considering the pain they've gone through to make this happen. These 3 architects projected the path ahead, transpired to make it happen and inspired India's journey to glory. 

First let's transport back to 2022. Rohit Sharma was appointed captain and was the man in charge of leading his side in the T20 World Cup held in Australia along with Rahul Dravid at the helm of things as coach. India won arguably the match of the tournament against Pakistan with a spectacular showing thanks courtesy to a masterclass from Virat Kohli. All these celebrations turned bitter as just a few days later, India came a cropper being pummelled by the eventual champions England on a day in which they were served a royal drubbing. Things got worse for this duo as they again lost the World Test Championship final in 2023 continuing on from their defeat at the same stage in 2021. When it looked like sanity will finally prevail with India claiming a home ODI WC in 2023 especially after being the most dominant team throughout the tournament came yet again a day of utter disdain with a nightmare being unveiled on the most important day as all the efforts put in throughout the tournament yielded no fruit with a really savage blow being dealt in the final against Australia in front of a billion fans.

Let's now map back to 2014 and the T20 World Cup edition in Bangladesh when this unfortunate draught got implanted. India came in as heavy favourites having just won the Champions Trophy few months back in 2013 and were looking to win their 2nd T20 World Cup. They breezed their way to the final only to be undone by an unfancied Sri Lankan side who came remarkably well prepared in the all important final thus putting a dent in India capturing a major title. This horror run endured from then on for the next decade till 2024. One cricketer induced with misery aplenty happens to be Virat Kohli. He was unfortunate not to be part of the winning side in the 2007 T20 World Cup but he has always been the key performer especially when it comes to this format and more so on the biggest stage which is the World Cup. Both in the 2014 & 2016 T20 World Cup editions, he was the stand out player by a country mile but India as a team again diffused at the big stage losing in the finals and semifinals respectively. If the T20 format was his undoing in capturing a victory for his beloved nation, the despair only extended further with Kohli registering the highest ever total runs amassed in any ODI World Cup only to again be on the losing side in the final of the ODI WC 2023.

We will now go a step further way back specifically to 2007. The current coach of Indian team Rahul Dravid was granted the leadership role and expected to take India all the way after the shattering defeat encountered in the 2003 ODI WC final. When India was hoping to go one better, what ensured was the lowest ebb in India's cricketing history as they bowed out in the very first round causing utter humiliation and disgrace. The whole episode was taken so badly that effigies were burnt of the players by the general public. This turmoil and outcry led to Dravid being stripped of the captaincy in what could said to be the lowest point of his career. As a player, Dravid was a class apart and considered one of India's greatest servants but it was indeed sad that he could never be part of a world cup winning side. He did make amends by coaching the U-19 side to a world cup triumph after failing in his first assignment but striking gold on the second occasion. However one always felt that the man deserved a hurrah with the senior Indian cricketing side as well and when the chance came to take the perfect revenge by avenging the loss as a player in the WC final of 2003, the same story unfolded yet again 20 years later in 2023 as a heavily favoured Indian side had it's worst day coming to a halt on that ill fateful day in Ahmedabad. Dravid also decided to quit as coach after this debacle but was coaxed by the camp to stay on for another 6 months till the T20 World Cup 2024 which he reluctantly agreed.

For Rahul Dravid, to end his career as coach by leading India to a World Cup trophy is a perfect testament dedicated to his greatness and mental toughness. This was at the very same Caribbean 17 years prior in 2007 where he went through horror of the highest magnitude as captain of the Indian team in the ODI World Cup. Also in this particular ground Bridgetown, Barbados that hosted the finale, India encountered an abject shameful defeat in 1997 in a test match against the West Indies where they were shot out for a paltry 81 chasing just 120 with Dravid being part of the team and seeing the collapse unfold. Having been witness to so many regrets running across multiple years, this particular victory to give Dravid the perfect send off makes it so extremely emotional. He may brush this off as just another day as part of his duty but this redemption story certainly couldn't have been scripted any better. Witnessing him hold the trophy aloft beaming with pride unleashing emotions of every kind was truly a sight to behold. Similar is the case with captain Rohit Sharma. Anyone in his place could have just capitulated after what happened in the 2023 ODI WC final. But this man made Australia pay by playing a career defining innings against this very same team in this T20 World Cup by knocking them out and eventually leading his beloved side to a glorious triumph. He wanted this championship so badly and one could see how much this meant to him. Lastly for Virat Kohli to cap off his T20 career with a World cup title to go along with being part of the victorious ODI WC 2011 and Champions Trophy 2013 side places him on a special pedestal. He didn't really have the best of World Cups this time around but cometh the moment and cometh the hour, he showed his class by playing a responsible and crucial knock after the initial setback to eventually win the player of the match trophy in his last ever T20 World Cup match for the country.

The events that transpired on that eventful Saturday of 29th June 2024 at Barbados makes one believe that God truly exists as justice couldn't have been served in a more sweeter manner. The 3 visionaries deserved this redemption more than anything else and rightfully so. This also would rank tribute to being one of India's greatest moments in it's rich cricketing legacy and etched in memory as a day to remember for eternity in India's cricketing fortunes.

3 Spine Chilling Sporting Thrillers to round off 2022

The year 2022 was writ large and abuzz with sporting events aplenty from different nooks and corners of the world. I would like to particularly single out 3 remarkable days which are all Sunday showdowns apparently from 3 different fields from the sporting calendar that hold a special place in the heart. Incidentally 2 of these took place in the perennially loved sporting city of Melbourne in Australia with the third being a masterpiece from the Middle Eastern region of Doha in Qatar. Also 2 of these were Grand Finales and the other just a group stage encounter but totally worth it's weight in gold. 

The sports in question happen to be cricket, tennis and football. Cricket is a sport that I have followed since perpetuity by constantly keeping a tab on the different series taking place in various parts of the world. Tennis as a sport has largely been about viewing the Grand Slams and a little bit of the big ticket Masters events. Also I've keenly followed the progress of three of the most influential tennis players not just of this generation but of all time viz Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. When it comes to Football, it's about largely being in sync with club events such as Premier League, Champions League etc. but more importantly about keeping track of major country events such as Euro, Copa America and especially the World Cup that takes place once every 4 years. 

The year of 2022 produced some vintage rippers from these 3 historical sports. The uncanny but common theme prevailing across these three memorable matches is the fact that they all looked like being just another typical sporting match up with sudden twists and turn of events resulting in a multitude of ebbs & flows effectively culminating and eventually catapulting these matches into virtual all time classics and going down the annals as contests to recollect for a lifetime. 

The architects engineering these rip snorters happen to be celebrated names from these 3 sports viz Rafael Nadal, Lionel Messi and Virat Kohli. Ironically they even happen to be born in back to back years of 1986, 1987 and 1988 respectively. Their exploits in the sporting battle under immense pressure also addresses the adage of "Class is Temporary, Form is Permanent" in a resounding manner. They were all under the hammer faced with extreme adversity and that is when they perfectly exhibited their caliber paving way for their fans to go into raptures and capping off a win to cherish for eternity. 

Thus, an ode to three heart thumping chest pumping spine chilling tearjerkers that truly define the character of what could be termed as sporting blockbusters of 2022 includes the following:

1) Tennis - Australian Open Final - Rafael Nadal defeated Danii Medvedev - Sunday, 30th Jan 2022 - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia

2) Cricket - ICC T20 World Cup Group Stage - India defeated Pakistan - Sunday, 23rd Oct 2022 - Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Melbourne, Australia

3) Football - FIFA World Cup Final - Argentina defeated France - Sunday, 18th Dec 2022 - Lusail Stadium, Doha, Qatar

1) Sport: Tennis, Event: Australian Open Final, Architect: Rafael Nadal 

Even before the start of a ball being hit by a racquet, the whole tournament was mired in controversy with defending champion and 9 time winner Novak Djokovic barred from participating due to vaccine reasons. This paved the way for Rafael Nadal to up his game and reach the final yet again. For starters, this had been historically Rafa's worst performing Grand Slam and he had come a cropper many a time losing agonizing finals to his nemesis Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer in the past. In the final was looming large the lanky Russian Medvedev who had just beaten Novak Djokovic in the previous Grand Slam final contested which was the US Open of 2021 thus preventing Nole from winning all 4 Grand Slams in the same year and also establishing that the Big 3 remained tied at 20 each in the Grand Slam race. Medvedev was clearly the favorite for this contest and he got the ball rolling right from the beginning ambushing Nadal from the word go. Having taken a 2 set lead and with a break in the third, it all looked more or less a formality before the beast mode being activated all of a sudden by the rampaging bull from Spain. Nobody knew from where Rafa got the energy to fight but what happened in the next couple of hours was sheer herculean brilliance from Nadal as he staved up point after point taking the match to a decider and finally sealing it 7-5 in the fifth set. Rafa was overcome with emotion with the turnaround being absolutely astonishing. Rafa also eclipsed the Grand Slam count to become the first man to go to 21 Grand Slams in a bitter sweet title triumph putting all past demons to rest and exceedingly elevating his fighter ship qualities to a zenith level perhaps that could sparsely ever be comprehended. Rafa Nadal would no doubt go down as the greatest clay court player ever to have donned the game but this win in a surface not supposedly his favorite and the manner of victory virtually rising from the Ashes will go down seemingly as one of his sweetest and perfectly epitomizes the hallmark of a champion showcasing the art of what a fightback and comeback is all about. 

2) Sport: Cricket, Event: Ind vs Pak T20 World Cup Group Stage, Architect: Virat Kohli

India vs Pakistan clashes always attracts the eye balls and this one was billed to be a biggie and turned out to be a bombastic blockbuster. The Melbourne Cricket Ground which is one of the oldest and biggest stadiums in the world was all ecstatic having packed an audience of over 90000 cheering on for their respective teams. The 'G' as you call it was witnessing an India vs Pakistan World Cup game after 30 years since the 1992 ODI World Cup and the excitement was palpable with it being a showdown one just couldn't resist. Coming to some background information, India had an enviable winning record against Pakistan in World Cup encounters having won 12 out of 13 previous contests before this one. It was actually 12 wins on the trot for India but however Pakistan had finally broken the deadlock by literally tearing apart this unsavory record by recording a win in emphatic fashion through a commanding 10 wicket romp of their opponents in the last World Cup of 2021. The World Cup hoodoo against India which was plaguing them for so long had been arrested and Pakistan seemed to be on top once again for large portions of this game. After scoring a respectable 159, they had India on the mat by ripping through India's top order and placing them in a precarious position of 31/4. Kohli and Hardik did try to salvage the ship through a steady partnership but the required run rate was just oozing beyond acceptable levels. India needed an almost improbable 48 to win off the last 3 overs when Virat Kohli suddenly activated God Mode. His dispatchment of back to back sixes off Rauf was some of the cleanest hitting ever witnessed. Ashwin finally hitting a straight boundary off the last delivery to signal an Indian victory had the crowd go into euphoria and dancing in delight. India had pulled off a victory of unparalleled proportions which looked way beyond the bridge at one point but one man Virat Kohli through his sheer will and magnificent batsmanship made it happen. With just this one knock, Virat had avenged all his detractors who had called for his axing by constructing a T20 knock for the ages in such a high pressure taxing environment. Though this was only a group stage game, this victory would rank as one of India's finest ever in the T20 format and one to savor for a long time to come. 

3) Sport: Football, Event: Arg vs Fra FIFA World Cup Final, Architect: Lionel Messi

The FIFA World Cup of 2022 was the 22nd edition to have been staged with its existence going back almost a century back to 1930 when the initial World Cup was held in Uruguay. It was the first ever World Cup to be held in an Arab nation and just the second World Cup to be held in Asia. This was also the first World Cup ever to be conducted during the end of the year with almost all World Cups prior to this being staged around the middle of the year. The event courted a lot of controversy for some of the event handling but ended up being a World Cup to remember especially with so many smaller known unfancied teams toppling big giants of the game. The final was perhaps a testimony to signify that the best had been reserved for the last and boy oh boy what a game of epic proportions it eventually turned out to be. That however wasn't the case for more than 3/4th of the game with Argentina literally dominating the field of play and what looked like a resolutely comfortable victory for Albiceleste turned out to be an almost absolute nightmare at the end. The peaks and troughs foreseen right from when France were 0-2 down to equalizing at 2-2 before taking it to extra time only for Argentina's talisman Lionel Messi to get the lead back again at 3-2 only giving away immediately to a late penalty scored by Frenchman Mbappe completing a terrific hattrick to make it to 3-3 and then once again the drama of the penalty shoot out which Argentina finally managed to scamper through was all jaw dropping stuff of the highest order. Those last 45 minutes of the game was not just intense but also insane with fans shuffling for breath not knowing what was going to happen next. It was breathtaking to witness the sea of events which just kept going berserk all over the place. It felt like this game should really have not had a loser but in the end it was heartbreak for France and pure ecstasy for Argentina who had reclaimed the World title after 36 years making Buenos Aires go in to a frenzy. Argentina also managed to avenge their defeat to France who had knocked them out in the previous World Cup of 2018 in the pre quarterfinal stage. In the end Football was the winner and the entertainment that was got to witness was monumental to say the least. Lionel Messi capped of his career with the one silver lining that was missing in his kitty and the one that he so badly wanted viz the Jules Rimet World Cup trophy. This also enabled him to match the feat of his illustrious countryman Diego Maradona who last won the World Cup for their beloved country way back in 1986. The final held on 18th December 2022 was one of the last sporting events of the calendar year and it was a treat for everyone to witness this rip roaring sporting spectacle.

2022 was certainly a year for the sporting fraternity with plenty of highs and lows. There were many memorable moments and a plethora of records that had been smashed over the course of the year. The 3 matches picked to represent their respective sports not only act as testimony to the greatness produced but also stand as true torchbearers that will testify the leap of time.

The solar lunar atmospheric rise of Kohli!

Virat Kohli's run with the bat over the last year has been nothing short of path breaking and earth shattering. He has accumulated runs in gallons and gazillions and if one looks at his batting graph over the last year, it screams a phenomenal meteoric rise. Seldom has any batsman in any era enjoyed such a pyro technic run in both Tests as well as ODI form of cricket. While his test stats are daunting no doubt but these numbers have been matched in the past by other luminaries of the game but if you take his One Day International performances it's just mind boggling and beyond comprehension. He has electrocuted his way to glory by scoring runs at a razor sharp acceleration and his consistency is truly shell shocking.

This staggering run made me to also link it a bit with his astrological horoscope chart as I was somewhat curious to see how such a histrionic display could indeed be possible. Basically just wanted to see if there was any incentive that indicated the universe was also conspiring to make things happen in such an ecstatic fashion.

Before getting into the astrological stats, lets look at his bounty bag in ODIs and tests studded with diamond engraved shimmerings. I have purely taken into his account the runs he has scored since his last birthday ie the whole of the runs he has stacked up from his last Solar return (birthday) to the end of it which in essence could be attributed to his 30th year (5th Nov 2017 to 5th Nov 2018).

His ODI stats read as per below;
1202 runs in 14 matches out of which 5 of them were not out innings amounting to an unimaginable average of 133.5 runs per innings. This includes 6 three figure knocks of which two of them crossed 150. During this period he also scaled the peak of 10,000 one day international runs joining an elite list of batsman to have done so. Matches span across the period from Feb'18 to Nov'18. (No ODIs were played by India during the period Nov'17 to Jan'18).

The test stats read as below:
1673 runs in 13 tests and 23 innings out of which a single knock was a not out innings tallying up to a very impressive average of 76 runs per innings. This golden period has seen him score 7 hundreds out of which 3 came in back to back consecutive innings. The list also includes couple of double centuries to the kitty. India played 4 series during the period spread over the 12 month period between Nov'17 to Oct'18.

Now lets look at his horoscope chart. He is Sagittarius rising (Dhanus) with the following placements; Saturn in Lagna, Rahu in 3rd, Mars in 4th, Jupiter retro in 6th, Ketu in 9th, Venus & Moon in 10th and Mercury & Sun in the 11th. The current Dasa running for him is Rahu and almost his entire cricketing career has run in tandem with it's Dasa which has been extremely beneficial to him in winning lots of laurels. It's despositor Saturn is placed in Lagna itself. Rahu also happens to co-own Aquarius however the main owner still happens to be Saturn only. 3rd house represents courage, skill, strength, determination etc and Rahu has expounded all these significations which is very much apparent in his case. In Rahu Dasa, the sub Antar Dasa period running is Mercury which also happens to be his 7th lord and it's no surprise that his marriage also happened in this sub period of his 7th lord. Mercury sits 9 places (9th is supposed to be most fortunate house) from Rahu and is said to confer fortunate happenings and that's what has exactly happened.

For sudden exponential success, transits also play a role and hence we shall have a look at his different transit charts.

General Regular Transit:
Here we keep the Lagna and Moon as constants and the other major planets are reckoned from these points. The moon is the most important when seeing transits but the Lagna also has a role because mental and physical presence need to co exist for major events to take place. We mainly assess the strength of Jupiter, Saturn, Rahu/Ketu as these are the ones staying in a sign for a large period of time. Almost over the entire course of this period, Jupiter was transiting in Libra over the natal Sun and Mercury. From Lagna, Jupiter is in 11th enabling him to achieve his desires and also over current antar dasa planet Mercury which is auspicious. Also its presence over Sun gives it royal glory. Also Jupiter and Rahu the ruling Dasa planet happen to be in a trine to each other. Seeing things from Saturn's perspective, it has done one full circle of life (2.5 years * 12 signs) and returned back to its natal position. This Saturn return brings renewed changes and it has happened in the good for him. From natal Moon it's in 4th which isn't very good for comforts and lifestyles but from Moon 5th lord Trikona is Saturn and being in a 4th kendra takes away some of the negativity. Also Saturn both in transit as well as natal position is 11th from the current Rahu dasa which is a highly favourable position. Rahu/Ketu in transit is in 11th and 5th from Moon sign. Rahu already has been doing him wonders in this Dasa and his presence in 11th from Moon and that too taking its own nature has catapulted things in his favour. It has in a way offset the negative placement from Lagna where it's in 8th.

Tajaka Solar Transit:
This is the chart which is gathered by keeping the Sun in its exact longitude as of birth. It's like a new year and a new beginning. The Sun retains its place as per what it is in natal chart but the other planets may have a directional shift. Obtaining his Solar chart for 2017 (30th year starting), his Ascendant is Gemini (Mithuna) with Rahu in 2nd, Mars in 4th, Jupiter/Venus/Sun in 5th, Mercury in 6th, Saturn in 7th, Ketu in 8th and Moon in 12th. The most favourable planet for Mithun Lagna, Venus is sitting very favourably in its own 5th house and hence is very strong. 5th is a very important house for sports & entertainment and a strong 5th lord and house denotes intelligence coming out in full fervour. The Lagna Lord Mercury is in 6th which isn't ideal but even there you find that there is a parivartana (exchange of signs) between Mercury and Mars with some of Mars strengthening qualities falling to Mercury. Also the 9th lord Jupiter and 5th lord Venus are together casting a very auspicious yog and this has really helped him surmount exceeding heights. It is to be noted that the 9th and 5th are generally the most auspicious houses in a horoscope. Hence its interesting to see that his solar return chart was pointing in the right direction.

Tithi Pravesh Transit:
This is another transit chart reckoned from the tithi in which one was born. Kohli was born in the auspicious Eka Dashi Tithi with some remaining percentage. Taking the same Eka Dashi birth tithi with exact percentage remaining in 2017 as at birth, we find that his ascendant is same as his natal Lagna Sagittarius. His Tithi Pravesh chart is as follows; Dhanus Lagna with Saturn in 1st house, Ketu in 2nd, Rahu in 8th, Mars/Moon in 10th,  Jupiter/Venus/Sun in 11th and Mercury in 12th. Here you figure that the house of desires 11th has become very powerful with the presence of Jupiter, Venus and Sun. Imagine Lagna Lord (self), 9th lord (fortune) and 11th lord (desires) all sitting together in 11th granting him herculean power to go about with his duty. The 10th with the presence of Mars is also aiding since in natural kala purusha chart Mars gets exalted in the 10th. So in essence, the TP chart also shows that he would have a very promising year.

Hence all in all, even the stars seem to be aligned for Virat Kohli which has seen him raise his game to unprecedented heights. His natal chart with a strong Dasa and Sub Dasa running in addition to powerful transits, a royal solar year and an auspicious Tithi year has led to a rollicking spree of run adrenalin which has made his 30th year of life extremely memorable.

Virat Kohli Details:
Natal Birth Chart
DOB : 5th Nov 1988
POB : New Delhi, India
TOB : 10:30 AM
Ayanamsa : Raman 22-15-18.74