So, we are supposed to be neutral, and this was not the World Cup; in fact the top three teams in the world weren't even around. But what could we do? Cricket does this, and does it even more if you happen to be Asian. This was no show of pseudo-nationalism – though shades of that inevitably creep in – this was the real deal.

This was the greatest one-day match many of us had ever seen. The elements were all there: plenty of runs, a sustained and feverishly high emotional intensity, and a desperately close finish. Mostly, it happened at a time when all hope had been abandoned and that ol' losing feeling – it sucks – had descended one more time.

There were many like us today. Today night was a nation rising in slow belief. The calm young heads of Kaif and Yuvraj guided them through an astonishing night. It was a while before the first crackers went off – there had been no reason to anticipate something quite so dramatic. Chaps signed on to the chat with nicknames like `326/8', and congratulatory phones buzzed about with an exuberant fizz. On Monday, they shall all once again embrace the mundane pressures of everyday. Today, they had felt something in the blood.

Soon – but not for a while, and not till the team starts losing again – this win shall be seen in perspective. To many it feels like the coming of a new generation of winners. Let's wait and see how that works out – if India comes hard there's always the chance that someone comes harder still. But let's not waste time worrying about it now. For reasons that cannot be fully explained, and may not ever be fully justified, this felt like a very big moment in Indian sport.

Rahul Bhattacharya is staff writer of Wisden.com in India.

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