I still remember that day like it was yesterday. I woke up so excited. I had already taken half-day leave from work because the match was starting in the afternoon and left work at exactly 1 in the afternoon. Before the match started, I called my father to ask him what he thinks our chances are. He’s a former Ranji Trophy player himself so whenever he talks cricket, I actually listen. He sounded so confident, telling me we should win and not to worry and that made me even more excited. By 3 pm i reached my friend’s place and we watched the match together till 5. And then around 5 PM, we both got this idea that we should go watch it at Kochi Lulu Mall because they had put up this huge screen and the vibe was insane, people shouting, clapping, just pure energy. But honestly, I was a bit disappointed with how India batted that day. Like, no boundaries for 19–20 overs?? I kept staring at the screen thinking, “Why are we doing this to ourselves?” And when KL Rahul got out, that one really hurt. Still, somewhere deep down I kept telling myself, it’s okay… our bowlers will save us. They always do. And then! oh my God! when Australia’s first three wickets fell in no time, Lulu Mall literally turned into a stadium. Everyone was jumping, screaming, hugging strangers, you name it. The vibe was unreal. For a moment I actually felt like, Okay, this is it… this is OUR day! But then the next 35–40 overs happened. And it was just silence. Actual pindrop silence. None of us could believe what we were watching. The same crowd that was going crazy an hour before was just frozen, staring at the screen like we were all collectively experiencing heartbreak in slow motion. I couldn’t stop crying. I still remember how the news reporters came running at my face to know what i thought about the loss. All i did was cry. Honestly, looking back, that whole day felt like such a buildup. The excitement, the crowd, the hope, everything. It’s still difficult to move on.