A John Deere employee based in Dubuque, Iowa was nothing short of thrilled when his employer sent him back to his native India for a work-related assignment.
"Words cannot express my excitement," Mahesh Sivakumar told the Telegraph Herald. "I believe India is going to create history again."
Sivakumar's state of pure bliss and glee had nothing to do with Deere's $100 million investment in the subcontinent, nor the 500 John Deere tractors that the company is lending the country to till its fields.
Rather, Sivakumar - like many other Indians - was thrilled to the hilt, way beyond the ninth cloud - because the mother of all confrontations was scheduled for Wednesday when two archrivals confront one-another for the Cricket World Cup.
"India has faced Pakistan in the World Cup four times in the past, and we have won all the four games," Sivakumar told the publication.
Set to begin at 4 a.m. Dubuque time, the championship game was expected to bring business to a virtual halt in India and Pakistan. Prime Ministers Manmohan Singh and Yousuf Raza Gilani of India and Pakistan, respectively, planned to watch the match together at the stadium.
Indian Deere employee's assignment in native land perfectly timed
An Indian employee of Deere in Dubuque, Iowa was sent to India at a key time.