MUMBAI // After hoisting a six far back into the pulsating stands of the Wankhede Stadium last night, MS Dhoni shuffled back a few steps and, with a minimum of fuss, picked a stump out of the ground to add to his souvenir collection.
It was impossible to tell from his demeanour that India's "Captain Cool" had just started the biggest party in the history of cricket, and sparked pandemonium all over this vast country.
It meant India's golden generation collected the most prized medal in cricket, and that Sachin Tendulkar is able to add "World Cup winner" to his endless list of achievements in the game.
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More on the World Cup final
• The mayhem of Mumbai on World Cup final day
• A fitting climax to a special cricket World Cup final
• Lasith Malinga can only temporarilu silence Mumbai crowd
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The Mumbai master had to defer to his heir as the most popular player in the sport as Dhoni piloted his nation to victory over Sri Lanka with an innings which would have made Tendulkar himself proud.
For so long, it seemed as though Dhoni, and the next in line to his captaincy, Gautam Gambhir, were going to take the hosts to the title.
They were coasting before Gambhir attempted to hoick his way to a century, only to end three runs short when he was bowled by Thisara Perera.
His departure might have prompted a collapse, given the situation. This match had been billed as the most important in the sport's recent history - at least the most important since India's semi-final victory over Pakistan.
Despite the gravity of the occasion, Dhoni was coolness personified as he and Yuvraj Singh, the player of the tournament, marshalled the Indians through the jitters.
The final six was the exclamation mark on a brilliant, undefeated innings of 91, and meant India became the first Asian nation to win the World Cup twice.
"I had a point to prove, not to other people, but to myself," Dhoni, who had been criticised for his relatively modest contribution to the World Cup with the bat before last night, said at the post-match presentation. "I got the runs I wanted to."
The stump which Dhoni plucked from the ground will probably be worth a handsome sum in years to come.
Not that he needs the money. Dhoni overtook Tendulkar some time ago as the game's most bankable player, but Tendulkar still has the monopoly on the nation's hearts. For now.
"We played for him," Gambhir said of Tendulkar in a televised interview. "Beating Australia and Pakistan and now this is a dream come true."
Tendulkar was paraded around the ground on the shoulders of his teammates, who physically jostled over the chance to carry him around the boundary rope.
All the while, Dhoni calmly brought up the rear of the celebrating caravan of players, with the odd congratulation from the likes of Virender Sehwag.
"The team stuck together," Tendulkar said. "We have had rough times, but we have stuck together and proved a lot of people who doubted us wrong. It is a great honour to be part of this team."
India's success meant Mahela Jayawardene and Muttiah Muralitharan were cruelly denied at the World Cup's final hurdle for the second time in four years.
Having been acclaimed by his captain, Kumar Sangakkara, as Sri Lanka's finest batsman ever, alongside Aravinda de Silva, earlier this week, Jayawardene clinched his claim to greatness with a top-class century.
De Silva, now Sri Lanka's chairman of selectors, scored a decisive century when they won the 1996 World Cup, and Jayawardene followed his mentor's lead 15 years later.
Centurions rarely finish on the losing side in finals, and Sri Lanka will have thought Jayawardene's effort had paved the way for success when Lasith Malinga then fired out India's superstar openers early on.
Sehwag fell to the second ball of the innings, then Malinga broke a billion hearts soon after when he had Tendulkar caught at the wicket, 82 runs short of his hundredth ton in international cricket.
This was a match of farewells. Gary Kirsten was in charge of his final match as India's coach, having led for three highly successful years.
Trevor Bayliss, the understated Australian coach, is also moving on to new pastures after confirming Sri Lanka as a major force on the world stage. However, the most emotive goodbye was that of Muralitharan, whose records as an off-spinner are likely to last every bit as long as Tendulkar's ones with the bat. However, he finished wicketless in his final appearance in international cricket.
"With the batting India have, anything under 350 seems like it is not enough," Sangakkara said. "The only way you can beat them is to get seven wickets straight away and we were not able to do that."
pradley@thenational.ae
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Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
Started: 2020
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Entertainment
Number of staff: 210
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
How to keep control of your emotions
If your investment decisions are being dictated by emotions such as fear, greed, hope, frustration and boredom, it is time for a rethink, Chris Beauchamp, chief market analyst at online trading platform IG, says.
Greed
Greedy investors trade beyond their means, open more positions than usual or hold on to positions too long to chase an even greater gain. “All too often, they incur a heavy loss and may even wipe out the profit already made.
Tip: Ignore the short-term hype, noise and froth and invest for the long-term plan, based on sound fundamentals.
Fear
The risk of making a loss can cloud decision-making. “This can cause you to close out a position too early, or miss out on a profit by being too afraid to open a trade,” he says.
Tip: Start with a plan, and stick to it. For added security, consider placing stops to reduce any losses and limits to lock in profits.
Hope
While all traders need hope to start trading, excessive optimism can backfire. Too many traders hold on to a losing trade because they believe that it will reverse its trend and become profitable.
Tip: Set realistic goals. Be happy with what you have earned, rather than frustrated by what you could have earned.
Frustration
Traders can get annoyed when the markets have behaved in unexpected ways and generates losses or fails to deliver anticipated gains.
Tip: Accept in advance that asset price movements are completely unpredictable and you will suffer losses at some point. These can be managed, say, by attaching stops and limits to your trades.
Boredom
Too many investors buy and sell because they want something to do. They are trading as entertainment, rather than in the hope of making money. As well as making bad decisions, the extra dealing charges eat into returns.
Tip: Open an online demo account and get your thrills without risking real money.
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The Gandhi Murder
- 71 - Years since the death of MK Gandhi, also christened India's Father of the Nation
- 34 - Nationalities featured in the film The Gandhi Murder
- 7 - million dollars, the film's budget
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The%20Roundup
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The specs: 2018 Maserati Ghibli
Price, base / as tested: Dh269,000 / Dh369,000
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged V6
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 355hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 4,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 8.9L / 100km
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
SPECS
Engine: Two-litre four-cylinder turbo
Power: 235hp
Torque: 350Nm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Price: From Dh167,500 ($45,000)
On sale: Now
Thank You for Banking with Us
Director: Laila Abbas
Starring: Yasmine Al Massri, Clara Khoury, Kamel El Basha, Ashraf Barhoum
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Getting there
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.
The stay
Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.
Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com
The five pillars of Islam
The Year Earth Changed
Directed by:Tom Beard
Narrated by: Sir David Attenborough
Stars: 4
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Jigra
Starring: Alia Bhatt, Vedang Raina, Manoj Pahwa, Harsh Singh
COMPANY PROFILE
● Company: Bidzi
● Started: 2024
● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid
● Based: Dubai, UAE
● Industry: M&A
● Funding size: Bootstrapped
● No of employees: Nine
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
How tumultuous protests grew
- A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
- Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved
- Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
- At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
- Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
- Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
- An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
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Joker: Folie a Deux
Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson
Director: Todd Phillips
Rating: 2/5
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6
Developer: Treyarch, Raven Software
Publisher: Activision
Console: PlayStation 4 & 5, Windows, Xbox One & Series X/S
Rating: 3.5/5
A%20QUIET%20PLACE
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Cinco in numbers
Dh3.7 million
The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown
46
The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.
1,000
The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]
50
How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday
3,000
The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
1.1 million
The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5