South Africa claim World Test Championship: A win that will 'Turn it Up'

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This South African win has the possibility of changing the sport in the country. And forever. The World Test Championship (WTC) final started poorly for them. Conceding a healthy first innings lead to an Australian side that knows how to win wasn't what the South Africans would have hoped for on days one and two. A loss at Lord's and the age old "chokers" tag would have been back to haunt them. South Africans don't win under pressure was the accepted statement. The myth needed to be busted. Critics proved wrong. Fans offered a new lifeline and the sport a fresh start. It was the start of the Australian second innings when the South Africans started to believe. 48-4 and it was game on.

Rabada and Ngidi had provided the early impetus but even that may not have been enough. They needed to soak in the pressure that has been their nemesis. Overcome the inner demons. Win against themselves rather than Australia. Handle expectations to put it bluntly.

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Pressure. Perhaps the most used word when it comes to sport. Everyone who has played sport will tell you there is always pressure. From fans, parent bodies, sponsors, family and most importantly from yourself. At the end of the day a sportsperson is alone grappling with her or his own mind. A mind that is full of clutter and is constantly fighting to be freed. Of all the thoughts that keep flooding in, of the possibilities that keep disturbing the equilibrium and finally all the hope and expectation of what can be. The possibilities, options and the potential going forward.

In trying to explain pressure in a little more detail I will turn to a different sport. I will turn to Abhinav Bindra India's first individual gold medal winner at the summer Olympics. Abhinav, for the record, came the closest in Rio 2016 eventually losing out in a tie break. It was the closest one can get to a medal and yet not win. Was it pressure or was it just that moment? Again we will never know. But as Abhinav says, it just happens. In that moment when Abhinav was shooting the final shot he was sure. There was no doubting his ability. Till the 17th shot he was in silver medal position and in qualification he had shot the best final round of 10 shots. But that one particular shot did not work. And he knew it the moment he fired. A slight shake of the head was proof what he must have felt. Four years of work had come to nothing and it was a hard pill to swallow. Even for Bindra who had seen it all. Contrary to Rio, Beijing 2008 was different. The final shot from Bindra was a 10.8 and that landed him the gold. Micro mili meters between a gold medal and no medal at all. That's how sport is. And that's what pressure does to you - make you the best or worst on a given day.

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South Africa believed they could be the Abhinav of 2008. Beat the mighty Australians. Script lore and inspire a generation. A victory that will mean a huge deal for the sport and open up multiple possibilities going forward. It will make superstars out of Temba Bavuma, Aiden Markram, and Kagiso Rabada, tags they have deserved for a while now. More importantly the men will serve as an inspiration for the women with the World Cup just months later. To follow in their footsteps. To every man of colour Bavuma will be the aspiration. The Siya Kolisi equivalent. We in India will also start to give the South African example. If they can we can. And that's why the Lord's on Saturday is like no other. A day full of possibility and one of opportunity. A day that has changed South African cricket. Rather cricket. And forever. To fall back on the famous lyrics. Winning.

"I'm winning

I'm winning

I'm winning

I'm winning

I'm winning And I don't intend on losing again."