Chokra

Chokra, the 1996 Cricket World Cup Song, very robustly represented the excitement and spirit of the aforementioned tournament. Composed by Piyush Soni, said to be “Music for the People”, Chokra paints the story of how a young boy who persevered to make something out of his life. This can be reflected in Sri Lanka rise to victory against Australia in the 1996 Cricket World Cup which in itself, one can compare and contrast the West Indies team of the same era. This piece’s aim Is to show how through perseverance, as demonstrated in Chokra, how Sri Lanka and the West Indies have been affected by cricket from then and now, discussing unity and pride of the team, how race played a significant role in the game at the time and how cricket is an ever building endeavour by the players themselves. The 1996 Cricket World Cup, also known as the Wills World Cup, represented much change in cricket for both West Indies and Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka, hosting for the first time alongside India and Pakistan, had much to prove as a nation fighting on home territory. Deemed underdogs due to their previous world cup encounters, they surpassed the limit and became champions. This championship match would have united all of Sri Lanka as it was the first time they had made it to the final let alone past the first round. With all their nation’s pride on the line they were successful in not only a victory but also bringing confidence and togetherness to their country. However though the sun shun brightly upon their nation the tournament also marked one of the incidence that led to the end of West Indies as a global cricket giant. The failure of the young West Indian players of the era to carry on the dominance of cricket may have led to discouragement throughout the multinational member countries. One can compare the West Indies to Sri Lanka’s unity as a country nation, as they are one country and the West Indies team consists of many. There is a sense of solidarity represented by the sole

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