I looked around.. I felt as if I was in a cauldron.. I could feel the pressure..There was a deafening wave of noise passing through the stadium.. Still I could listen to my racing heartbeat. I could hear people rooting for me.6 balls to go,8 runs to score,3 wickets remaining..Those 3 wickets,Those 8 runs were the difference between mortality and immortality for me..Which way was the "Butterfly" going to flap its wings this time?
This defining moment was not even a remote possibility an hour ago..I was starting my 8th over of the match. It was the 36th over and the Aussies needed another 92 to win with 7 wickets in hand. I had already gone for 56 runs in my first 7 overs.I leaked another 10 runs in that over.The match was slipping away..I felt I was betraying my home crowd.. A feeling of guilt had started to set in.. A beautiful dream was going to be shattered.. From that moment till the 49th over,I quietly kept fielding at the boudary.Somehow we hung on and the match went into the 50th over.
I could see tension on the face of my 'captain cool' before the start of the last over. He was obviously not sure who would be the best person to turn to. When I was least expecting it,he turned towards me and threw the ball into my hands. I was stunned. I thought-"what is this man doing. I have already gone for so many runs,and he wants me to bowl the last over.If I get hit again,this would be the end of my career and his captaincy. Someone will have to face the wrath of the public and it could be either one of us or even both of us." My thoughts were interrupted when he walked upto me-"I know you got hit today,but I also know that you are the best out here. I have immense belief in you, now go and show the world that you have that champion in you".I knew I had someone's faith.
It was FAITH that had got me started.A shaken me needed more though.That 'more' came from the crowd. The whole crowd vociferously started chanting my name.It was the best feeling 'yet' in my life.I knew God had given me that one chance to redeem myself.I now knew that I had the SUPPORT of the people who mattered to me.
I ran in and delivered my first ball. Bang! It went right over my head to the boundary. Ah that sinking feeling was striving to come back. The loser inside me wanted to conquer me. But the "Butterfly" had other plans.I felt a wave of SELF BELIEF within me.I was not going to give up.Not this time.
I ran in for my second delivery. Bang! It was hit hard.That was going to be all over,or so I thought till the diving fielder intercepted the ball inside the circle. It could have been all over right there. I could have been the biggest villain in tomorrow's newspapers.It could have been the last time I had bowled in an international match.Not to be though. The "Butterfly" had given me a big advantage. My team mate had saved the boundary. I had LUCK on my side now.
I knew this was the last straw from the Butterfly.Within a span of few minutes,It had given me Faith,Support,Self Belief and Luck. Every moment could have been different.My captain could have chosen for someone else, the crowd could have hooted me for my performance till then, I could have felt demoralised after the boundary and the Butterfly might have flapped its wings in a slightly different way for the fielder to miss the ball in his dive. Nothing of that sort actually happened. I now had the RESOLVE. This had to turn into my day.
3 balls later, I stood there with my arms outstretched.My team mates jumped over me. There were huge celebrations as firecrackers went off in the stadium. Who would have thought that someone would take a hat-trick in the last over of a World Cup Final. That 'someone' who could have easily been the evil had transformed into a Demi-God.That feeling of lying in the middle of the ground, tired like hell,completely sapped of energy,mentally numb,and VICTORIOUS, was an unmatched feeling.
If you try to feel the path to that magical moment the way I have described, you will also be able to feel the sense of insecurity that lay at every step. The Butterfly Effect of life could have been exactly the opposite.The day could have ended on the worst possible note.What should have been done after that debacle?Was it necessary to feel the remorse or guilt? I don't think so. If you believe in The Butterfly effect of life, you would realise that there is very little margin for error in life. If by chance, we are at the wrong end of the margin, we should never panic and wish to go back in time. You never know if you would find that past the way you had left it. So rather than worrying about the failed definitions of your life, you should strive to make succesful descriptions of the present day definitions of life. The day you implement it completely,you will find the Butterfly fly the way you want it to.
