India 5 Pakistan 0: Yeh Dil Mange More!
Friday, 13 February 2015
A last ball six - and my brother cheering
a Pakistan win wildly. Circa 1986 - that's my first memory of an India-Pakistan
match.
Patriotism and nationalism aren't virtues
we are born with. Those are instilled later. To my 3-year old brother, every
wicket or boundary needed to be cheered -- a shot well-played needed to be
applauded. Having walked the earth for a few more years than him, I knew
a Pakistan win couldn't be cheered.
A year later, the World Cup came to India
and we made the semi-finals. But it went by in a flash. As defending champions,
India took on the best in the world and as far as I could comprehend from the
reactions friends and family, we gave a reasonable account of ourselves.
And then in 1992, I started bleeding
blue. Kerry Packer's pajama dream had become a World Cup reality. And I
must confess to this day, that remains my personal favourite as far the myriad
hues of India's ODI blues go... My recollection of watching India in
1991-92 centered around the buzz generated by Sachin Tendulkar. On that long
trip down under, I remember India losing but Indians marvelling at a 20-year old's
batting prowess. Waking up at the crack of dawn to watch the tests -- the
quality of TV coverage -- Channel 9 to DD was a comparison between a mature
Cognac and locally-brewed hooch.
That almost endless tour culminated in
more disappointment - India's dismal performance at the World Cup. The only
bright spark there was we beat Pakistan - the team that eventually went on to
be world champions. Oh the sweet joy of our intrepid Mr More getting Miandad's
goat, that Miandad who had so 'cruelly' hit a 6 off the last ball years earlier
at Sharjah...
And we basked in Tendulkar glory till the
tourney was back in India. 1996 it was - and I'd moved to Kolkata from Delhi by
then. I had been exposed to watching cricket at the Eden Gardens and was
hooked. My excitement at the opportunity of being able to watch a
semi-final live at the Eden Gardens was exacerbated with the joy of Venkatesh
Prasad giving Amir Sohail the send-off of the tournament. India had beat
Pakistan again. We had made it to the semi-finals - and they would play at the
Eden Gardens. What happened after that was an anti-climax we'd all want to
forget. Again Tendulkar stood out and we cheered -- our small victories.
1999 -- Not much off it since we didn't
make it even to the semi-finals. But two stand out. A belligerent Sourav
Ganguly, ably aided by Rahul Dravid taking Sri Lanka to the cleaners in Taunton
and us beating Pakistan. Would you believe it, we lost our other games in the
Super 6 stage but Pakistan, we beat. Pakistan still made to the finals where
they got knocked over by Australia, and yes OF COURSE we had them beat again.
Thrice we'd faced them and thrice we'd
beaten them... so measured in cricket matches, India beating Pakistan in a
world cup was almost normative for any boy like me growing up in the
1990s.
In 2003, we went all the way to the
finals. But the India-Pakistan tie is all that I remember. Ganguly got a zero
but we had Tendulkar getting 98 on top and then Yuvi and Jammy (aka Rahul
Dravid) finishing with flourish as India chased down a large Pakistan
total. I also remember that World Cup for Kenya making it to the finals
where we beat them. Ricky Ponting and Damien Martyn obliterated us in the
finals. Australia had won its 3rd consecutive World Cup -- and yes, we were
a little gutted - BUT we had BEATEN Pakistan.
2007 was a disaster. And we didn't get to
play Pakistan -- so no small joys to take away from the Carribean shores.
Back in India in 2011, and MSD&Co won
the cup. Apart from Dhoni hitting a huge six to win it for us, the match that
stood out for me is the semi-final against Pakistan. Again a standout
performance by Sachin Tendulkar, and our bowling held up to our neighbours in
green.
Imran Khan had once said, "Cricket
is a pressure game, and when it comes to an India-Pakistan match the pressure
is doubled." He played cricket for Pakistan for 20 years and has
over 500 international wickets. He must know what he is talking about.
Watching it from the confines of my
living or working space, I must confess being an Indian fan has been a rather
pleasurable experience... Onwards and upwards to February 15 then and another
India-Pakistan face-off at the World Cup - yeh dil mangey more!
This article was first published on sports.ndtv.com
Thursday, March 07, 2013
Sandy Storm blows Viru away
As a batsman, Sandeep Patil has a modest test record - an
average in the mid thirties from 29 tests - and
two remarkable innings... one in his debut series in Australia where
he smashed Lilee & Co. for a blistering 174 and another two years later in
England - where he smashed 24 runs of a Bob Willis over. He was a members of
the squad that won the World Cup in 1983.
Patil has been the manager for the Indian team, a rebel ICL team and the
Director at the National Cricket Academy in Bangalore. And then six months ago, he was made Chairman
of Selectors - the wise men who pick the squad on whose shoulders rest the hope
of a billion people.
Today he's done something that I wouldn't normally
associate with him, or for that
matter any Indian selector. He's dropped
Virender Sehwag. There I said it... DROPPED Virender Sehwag!
This comes after the exit of Gautam Gambhir - who was dropped
at the start of this series. So India will search for opening 'nirvana' in the next two tests (and may be a few after that) with untested
batsmen - Shikhar Dhawan and Ajinkya Rahane.
Gambhir and Sehwag are the only Indians to aggregate more
than 4000 partnership runs in Tests - and that at average of over 52 in the
last 8 years. They have gone where even the exhalted Mr Gavaskar hadn't
ventured (Sunil Gavaskar and Chetan Chauhan -3010 runs at 53.75) - becoming one
of just five pairs in test cricket to achieve this feat.
Admittedly, there was a huge gap between their exploits home and away but consider
these staggerring stats... In Viru, we
have a batsmen who holds the record for the top three test scores by an Indian
- a man with 8500 test runs at an average that had fallen in a past 12 months
just a tad under 50. A man who has played over 100 tests and has 23 centuries
including two triple tons. Of the 26 batsmen to debut for India in the past 12
years, he just one of the two to have
scored a century on debut - and that was against South Africa, in South
Africa.
His partner, the dour Gauti, has played 54 tests for his
4000 runs, making 9 centuries on the way.
And we've just put them back on the drawing board --
consigned them to play Ranji Trophy for Delhi -- ostensibly in a bid to regain
some form. (Note to self: Must go to
Kotla if they're playing for Delhi)
It is a brave new world that Indian cricket must venture
into when the team travels to South Africa later this year. So let me throw in
my two bits for anyone who's listening -
bring back Wasim Jaffer. The
Mumbai run machine has had a phenomenal domestic season - his team Mumbai won
everything in sight... And he has played 20 of his 31 tests abroad - for 5
centuries and almost 2000 runs at an average of 34 is better that most Indian
batsmen overseas.
Friday, January 13, 2012
CRICKET from a Couch: And they all fall down...
I must confess. I love watching test matches. India winning just makes the experience a whole lot better, but I'd watch a test match anyway.
And on an Australia tour, for an Indian TV spectator, the Perth Test is most comfortable. And 8 am start makes it the perfect accompaniment to a morning cup of coffee, in the cold Delhi morning. But that's me.
For Indian batsmen, it’s a whole different ball game - they go waca, waca with the extra pace and bounce of the wicket. But this series was different. For once there wasn't a perceptible difference between how Dhoni & Co played in Sydney and the way it’s been so far in Perth. And maybe as an upside, for once I can't decide whether our bowling is worse than our batting or is it the other way around.
Cricinfo's Coverdale says 'Maidens Choke India' - well, I'd have been glad if they just got two an over but hung around. The problem with the current Indian line up seems to be that they are unable of sticking around and batting four-five sessions. In the last four innings India has played, they've been out for a team total of under-200 three times, and this when the hallowed batting line up has a top order with nearly 60,000 test runs between them! For Sachin, Dravid and Laxman, this was supposed to be their swansong down under. But that ain't happening - no wonder it’s called a 'fairy tale' ending... and this is after all test cricket, not a KJo bollywood special.
After the England whitewash last year, I wondered if things could get worse. The Windies provided some relief at home but then came the big boxing day loss and the massive mauling in Sydney. And still the the question persisted - Can the losses get any bigger? Well, Team India is on track - shot out for 161, and then pulverized by a David Warner blitzkrieg. And to think, this was the Team No 1 just six months ago. Gautam Gambhir keeps asking (on a commercial) - Have I made it large? Will someone please tell him - yes, you have and so have the others... Large hearts are, after all, what must keep them going in the face of such enormous losses.
Maybe, I should just blame it on Friday the 13th bringing bad luck... Yes, that's just what it was. Tomorrow is another day. I solemnly resolve to wake up to see the Australian openers walk out and pray... uh oh!... my agnosticism won't do any good... Hmmm, perhaps I'll wake the missus up, she'd pray... She feels bad for all the 40-year-olds going down under...
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
CRICKET from a Couch: Knock yourself out on India
India has made it to the quarterfinals of the World Cup… One Hindi TV channel sports anchor could barely remain in his char – the expert rambled on about how this was a great achievement, and I sat there baffled.Baffled - because I was at my in-laws in Lucknow, a city where Holi seems to have combined with cricket to make for a very heady mix… bat-shaped pichkaris, gulaal packets branded ‘Howzat’ (presumably, the this colour intended to shock and ask questions of people playing with it!)… I understand all the gimmicks work if India keep winning – so it makes for good business, but this general euphoria about India in the knock out stages is inexplicable… The last edition where India were sent home early couldn’t have scarred the nation so, could it?
Baffled – because had anyone in their wildest dreams imagined India not making it to the knock out stages. In one breath Dhoni and his men are talked about the favourites to win the cup (apart from patriotism, I’d like to know the cricketing sense behind that rating) – and the next moment such joy because they’ve made it to the quarter finals.
Nevertheless, India has made it to the quarterfinals and now plays Australia… so what next?
Borrowing a tentacle from the great oracle of Octopus Paul fame, I hereby predict an exit… I’d love to be proved wrong, but I just feel that Ponting’s Punters aren’t going to lose twice in a row… Pakistan beat them comfortably, the first time an Australian side has lost in a World Cup match in 12 years, but that’s all there is to it. The men from down under are a fine one-day side, and though they may not be as dominant as the side 7-8 years ago, they are still are force to reckon with especially in the limited overs game.
If the men bleed blue (Sachin seems ready to bleed anything, as long as the cup is his) and get past Australia, then Pakistan may be the team next in line… There’s been little international cricket played across the LoC, but their ‘Love of Cricket’ is undiminished. So is the erratic- yet-brilliant nature of the team. I must confess I am thoroughly enjoying watching them – especially their bowling – with Afridi and Umar Gul in fine form… India has never lost to Pakistan in the World Cup – but I have a feeling, they just might start this time…
So why am I so skeptical about our chances? And before questions are raised about my patriotism, may I just reiterate that I’d love to be proved wrong just this once and see India raise the cup. But here are 5 reasons why I think India hasn’t got what it takes to win the cup….
1. Inconsistent Batting – India hasn’t chased at all in this World Cup barring a match or two against minor teams. And when it has the famed batting line-up has struggled… Batting first India has set up decent totals, but not huge ones. England got to 325-odd to tie the match, South Africa chased down almost 300. Remember, in the match against south Africa, after the start India got, there was talk of a 400-plus score but from about 260 -1 , the batsmen collapsed.
2. Sachin, Sehwag and then? – Only the openers seem to be clicking for India in this World Cup… Gambhir has played well in streaks and so has Yuvraj with two 50s. But the rationale for dropping Virat Kohli to number 4, or sometimes even 5 is something beyond me… It is like tampering with the only player in the batting line-up who has performed consistently well in that spot over the last 12 months.
3. Yusuf Pathan – Clearing the boundary on large South African grounds seems to have created an impression in the minds of people and selectors alike – this man is a match-winner… On his day, so is may be the young rookie , who has one or two 1st class matches under his belt, but that is not the point. Is Pathan a consistent performer, and the answer, as statistics would bear it, is NO . Strike rates are a good thing – you cannot win matches on strike rates alone , you need to bother the scorer ever so often and put runs on the board. And Pathan bowls a bit – ‘a bit’ being the operative phrase here… in 5 matches he has just 1 wicket, an average of about 150 and an economy that around 5 runs an over… The batting fairy seems to have deserted his and taken her little glass-bat – Pathan the Mighty now has a very mortal 63 runs from his 5 innings, some of them batting at number 4…4. Bowlers required, please apply to Team India – So you put up a score of 300 you need bowlers to defend it… you also need bowlers to restrict other teams to manageable par-scores should you be chasing… Even Bangladesh got over 280 against our bowling attack – so what can we defend? Let’s face it, apart from Zaheer, we haven’t got a glass act. Munaf tries, Nehra (especially after South Africa) is a No-No, Sreesanth , just scary… In the twist-and-turns department, Harbhajan is the only act that seems to be on the stage, Chawla hit out of the park, and fill-ins like Yuvraj getting some stick and some laughs… And when it comes to getting 13-14 runs of the last over, teams have started fancying themselves against India – we have no bowler who knows how to keep it tight at ‘ the death’.
5. Batting power plays – There is something about power plays that gets India all tied up in knots. Our team doesn’t bleed blue – it just bleeds and gives us the blues – wickets tumble in a heap, everyone scramble for the pavilion – and the commentators and experts, for cover, revising their analysis ball-by-ball… In the match against South Africa, India lost 4 wickets in the crucial power play for just 30 runs… starting a collapse in which 9 wickets fell for just 29 runs- and India couldn’t even bat out its full quota of overs… Perhaps team India is too predictable in its use of the power play – why can’t we take it in, may be, the 25th over and ask a few questions of the opposition skipper which force him to make strategy changes. Taking it anywhere after 38 is expected- between 40 and 45 is anticipated and therefore bowling combinations, etc are worked out far-far in advance… I am willing to concede that the batting Powerplay has proved a puzzle for most teams, not knowing whether to take it when the going is good or when they need to find a way out of a mess. But at least teams from outside the subcontinent seem to be experimenting with the mix…
So feast your eyes on India and knock yourself out, before Dhoni and his boys manage to knock themselves out…
Monday, March 7, 2011
CRICKET from the Couch: Seeking - 5 true, blue bowlers
It’s evident, isn’t it – bowling isn’t India’s strong suit… and yes I have heard all this talk about playing to your strengths, but in a limited over game, if 6 batsmen don’t work, then 7 wouldn’t… But batting later - first, my common sense gyan about India’s bowling woes.
India has so far played 2 spinners Chawla and Harbhajan , and Zaheer and Munaf as the new ball options. Interestingly, while other teams like South Africa have tossed the new ball to a spinner, India has preferred to stick to medium- fast bowlers (make that more medium than fast – either seldom bowls over 135 kmph at their fastest).
As I watched India bowl at Ireland today, something that was almost self-evident struck me hard. Sure, Ireland got just 207, but both our spinners had been far from impressive.
Against Ireland, Bhajji bowled his 9 overs for 29 but got just the 1 wicket. Chawla bowled his 8 overs for 56 runs and went wicketless. 17 overs -75 runs and 1 wicket from 2 of India’s main bowlers. Compare this to the two people who in Dhoni’s lineup make up the 5th bowler – Yuvraj Singh and Yusuf Pathan. Today Yuvi was on song – got 5 wickets – but between the two of them they also got 17 overs in. 17 overs -63 runs and 5 wickets. And if that made you say ‘Whoa!’, hold that - there’s more…
Harbhajan’s 2 wickets in 3 matches have cost him 64 runs a piece – that when 2 of the matches were against so-called ‘minnows’ – Bangladesh and Ireland. Chawla has played 2 matches – and his 2 wickets – both in the England game has cost him about the same. Compare the runs per over – and Bhajji has had a better time – conceding just four-and-a-half, Chawla has been taken to the cleaners – the English and Irish managed over 7 runs from each Chawla over. Compare that to Zaheer’s 8 wickets at 16 a piece, or Munaf’s 7 at 20, and you’d know why I said the bowling woes were self evident…
Before I move on to my prescription – here’s the curious case of Mr Yusuf Pathan. He biffs the ball a long way and turns his arm over – a sort of a half bowler who makes up number 5. And here’s where it gets curiouser – Mr Pathan has in the 2 matches before the Ireland game scored just 22 runs in the tournament – and when it comes to bowling he’s bowled 18 overs – picking up just the 1 wicket and giving away almost 6 runs an over. Yet the wise men of cricket ( and skipper Dhoni , et al) consider him a critical part of team . So am I the one missing something – or is it just the case of people’s vision being coloured by a couple of biffy innings in South Africa – and some lusty blows against the Irish? Perhaps the team management feels its necessary to have someone who gives the crowd its money’s worth… then have the courage to drop one of your specialist batsmen – a Gambhir maybe – and let Pathan cliam his place in the side. Currently, it seems to be in place of a bowler, and his bowling isn’t upto scratch.
So I don my ‘Dhoni’ cap – and muster the courage to say the unspeakable in the Indian cricket… play 5 bowlers, it may be important, not just to contain sides but also to defend totals… totals that have tended to be northwards of 300 this World Cup.
Drop Chawla – More than anything, his confidence seems to have taken a beating – and bring in Ashwin.
Ravichandran Ashwin is a better bat, and definitely a more restrictive spinner. He isn’t a tourist on the squad, is he… and he would complement Harbhajan quite well. Besides, if we must give him match practice, then the knockout stage isn’t really the right place to start.Should courage find its way to the captain, then here’s the second bitter pill for Dhoni – drop Pathan and get in Ashish Nehra. The team could do with 5 bowlers – then between Yusuf and Yuvi, whatever they bowl is a bonus. Look at it another way, it covers for someone having a bad-bad night. Again, if Nehra is indeed match fit, no better way of testing it, is there…
Besides, Nehra has picked up 154 ODI wickets at an average of 31, and does exceedingly well in the World Cup where he averages 19. So, if he is fit, and given the stage, the man does have a habit of picking up wickets.
In Ashwin’s case, when he played for the Chennai Super Kings, he was Dhoni’s go to man. Besides, in the 7 one-dayers he has played, Ashwin has picked up 14 wickets at an average of 23, conceding under 5 runs an over.
So while regular cricketing wisdom suggest that 2 off-spinners and 2 left arm seamers may not be great – and 5 bowlers is a no-no, Mr Dhoni please think out-of-the-box. After all, there’s a World Cup out there to be won, so put your best foot forward, or in this case, your best arm over… After all, if runs win matches, so do wickets…
Friday, February 18, 2011
CRICKET from the couch: Why India should play a second spinner
I saw India beat the living hell out of a Kiwi team that hadn’t a clue what hit them. Sure, it was a practice match and there wasn’t much at stake – but Dhoni’s men in blue served notice again – this World Cup could well be India’s. It is in the sub-continent, India has the hopes of a billion people riding on their shoulders, the team has struck form in the last year or so and most batsmen in the team seem to have hit a purple patch.
India has an embarrassment of riches in the batting department. Sehwag and Sachin are any one-day side’s dream opening combination – between the two of them, they have over 70 one-day centuries and over 25 thousand runs. Then at number 3, there is Gautam Gambhir – who has been batting well, can open and seems to have a wise head on young shoulder. He served notice by a run-a ball 89 at Chepauk’s warm up game, consolidating when needed and accelerating at the right time.
Let’s not forget, the top contender for the number 3 spot is Virat Kohli. He’s also from Delhi and has had a year to kill for – almost 1400 runs since January 2009, at a 50-esque average and a strike rate touching 90. He has scored 4 centuries and has made the crucial No 3 spot his own with some sensible, yet scintillating batting. So clearly then this is a toss-up… not just for who gets into the final playing eleven, but also for who bats where.
Captain MS Dhoni picks himself – after all he’s also the wicket keeper of the team – so barring any mishaps he slots in at No 5 or 6. With an unbeaten 62-ball century in the warm up against New Zealand , Dhoni looks like he could lead the team by example with the bat – in the middle overs and at the death. And after his marauding performance against South Africa in the ODIs there, I’d say Yusuf Pathan is also a shoo-in.
So in the batting department, India has a problem of plenty – that’s both good and bad… Good - because bench strength is required to get through long tournaments and some amount of healthy competition within the team helps raise the bar. Bad – because it makes selecting the playing-eleven difficult.
And with such names in your side, there is a great urge to play all of them – so you could end up with a team that has 7 batsmen then Yusuf Pathan as an all rounder and just 3 specialist bowlers. The other day, I heard, Sunny Gavaskar say India should play 7 batsmen – pitches in the subcontinent are batsmen-friendly and the team must put up 300-plus scores or chase them down.
I read an op-ed which suggested Dhoni should come in at number 7 – and Yusuf Pathan should follow at 8. I have one question – if 6 batsmen can’t score, what makes you think the 7th or 8th can? Also on Indian pitches, having scored 350, you’d still need to defend it or if the opposition bats first, you need a bowling line-up which can give your batsmen a shot at a ‘chase-able’ total – whatever that may be.
So, with my cricket-fan common sense and perspective from the couch, here’s what the Indian playing 11 should look like.
Gambhir and Sehwag open and set it up with a right-left combination. Virat Kohli follows at number 3 – a spot that he’s made his own. Sachin, the man with the 51 centuries and nearly 450 ODIs, should come in at number 4 – good if we lose a few quick wickets and he needs to bat with the lower order, almost an anchor for the side.
Follow that up with a Raina or Yuvi (yeah, one of them should be 12th man) at 5, the skipper MSD at 6 and a Yusuf Pathan at 7. If you need quick runs, promote Pathan up the order – he’ll hit irrespective of his place in the batting line-up.
And then the bowlers, Bhajji – he’s no mug with the bat and can slog a few, a Piyush Chawla or a Ravichandran Ashwin, both handy with the bat and then Zaheer with either Nehra or Sreesanth.
What this would allow India to have is 4 specialist bowlers – who’d in an ideal world (and I know there are aberrations) will bowl 40 overs. Then Dhoni would need to rely on Yusuf Pathan, Sehwag and Yuvraj or Raina for just 10 overs. Of one of the bowlers has an off-day, use your part-timers for more. Under the lights on low, slow tracks, an Ashwin will be extremely restrictive and a Piyush Chawla wicket-taking as the warm-up match against Australia proved.
But this is what I want – what are the odds of it happening?
Well, there are indications that Raina may have to sit out and wait for Yuvi to goof–up, so that’s one on the checklist. Ashwin getting the nod is a long shot – conventional wisom suggests that with Bhajji in they won’t play another off-spinner. Of course, proponents say the part-time bowlers Sehwag and Yusuf also bowl off-spin, so there are enough options. I’d like to see Ashwin play because he’s a very different kind of bowler – flat and straight – ideal for keeping runs down. Piyush Chawla is one googly even the team management may be foxed about. Chawla has clearly proven his wicket-taking abilities, but a leg-spinner in a one-dayer is always a bit of a risk, especially when the bowler has the tendency to bowl a 4-ball each over…
India’s first match against Bangladesh may give some indications, but I think the final shape of the playing (and, I hope, winning) eleven, will be seen in the match against England on the 27th – India will be keen to pull out all stops to win against one of the strongest sides in their group.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
CRICKET from a Couch: Bruised at Eden
But when it comes to cricket, I’ve firmly settled on the couch – or in this case an office chair (a rather comfortable one, if my colleague Kumud will spare me his). That’s from where I intend to watch most of the games – cricket is a 4-letter word in my house – I’m allowed an innings of T-20 or sometimes if the wife isn’t there a couple hours of test cricket… after all monopolies aren’t a good thing and with so many regular demands on the TV, cricket takes a back seat.
But why the couch? For starters its comfy, I get to eat and drink while I watch – distance provides perspective, and in these days of snick-o-meters and stump cams, great perspective .
AND the only World Cup match I went to the grounds to watch left both for me and the nation bruised and sore.
Eliot wrote ‘April is the cruelest month of the year’ but in Kolkata, March can be equally cruel, if not more…
Over 90,000 people crammed into Eden Gardens at around noon – the match would begin at 2pm – but security concerns meant that almost everybody was seated an hour early. In the L-stand at mid-on I rued my decision of not going with my father to the clubhouse - by 1pm the ruing had turned to cussing – oh what I wouldn’t give for the Bijolygrill lunch-packets and the shade of the club house ( there was no AC then, but at least there were some fans).
But India was taking on Sri Lanka, it was the semi-final of the world cup and I had Bhoomba for company. (Boomba- aka Amitava Ghosh- my friend from school, who had both a scooter and a car at his disposal, and a girl from the neighbouring ‘sister’ school - which made him an uber cool 17-year old to hang out with. Sometimes such names of endearment make me think Bengali parents and relatives are just, plain cruel.)
On producing our tickets as we entered the stands, we’d been handed a 1.5 litre pet-bottle of cola – and by the time the captains walked out for the toss, I’d finished mine – Boomba was wiser, he was doing his best Lawrence of Arabia imitation and held on to his cola bottle as if we had the Sahara to cross…
Azhar (the Eden favourite) won the toss and invited Sri Lanka to bat – we gasped… Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana walked out and we wondered how many would they put on… A few days ago in a league game in Delhi they’d taken the Indian bowlers to the cleaners and chased down 272 with ease… That memory must’ve been fresh in the Indian skipper’s mind – he did not want to set them up for another chase…
In the first over Jayasuriya slashed – Eden roared – he was caught on third man – and the next ball, Kalu went playing a mirror image – 2 gone for just 1 run on board and India couldn’t have asked for a better start – we were jumping for joy… the cola pet-bottles becoming poor ‘champagne’ substitutes for many… (Boomba was still waiting for his oasis to arrive)
In walked Aravinda – he crunched a few – at the other end Gurusinha gave him company – but he perished when Sri Lanka was 30-odd… 3 down in the first 15 overs – Srinath on fire, Lankans on the mat…
And that’s when the plot started to unravel – first Mahanama, then Ranatunga – the Lankan middle order started getting a few – nothing spectacular but still enough to keep them in the game (or so we thought at that time) They ended up with 250 -51 from their quota of overs and India needed just over 5 runs an over under the lights.
That was easy-peazy – Sachin ‘smashing’ Tendulkar could get them all… at 6 pm the crowds were pleased - India was almost there… Boomba went hunting for water – his cola bottle firmly tucked under his arm…
India did not begin tool well either – Sidhu went within the first 15- 20 minutes. Sachin and Sanjay Manjerakar looked to keep us on course… not spectacular but efficient enough – almost a 100 runs were added…
And them started the tumble, first Tendulkar, then Azharuddin for a duck and then Manjrekar – India lost 3 wickets for 5-6 runs as Jayasuriya tightened the screws - Dharmasena, Murali chipped in…
And another 3 went – a deluge. India lost 7 wickets for 22 runs (I did research this one) and that was simply too much for us to take. First paper sunshades rolled into balls, accompanied by boos, newspaper rolls, etc soon followed, as did the empty water bottles… The crowd was too fried to think rationally – India had collapsed and that was perhaps the only way to express their frustration…
We stood up on the concrete benches (no bucket seats back then in the stands) and joined the ‘hai-hai’ chorus. Clive Lloyd called-off the match , awarding it to Sri Lanka, Kambli walked off in tears (why I wouldn’t know, he’d played painfully slowly for his 10 runs).
Riot control personnel of the Rapid Action Force had been deployed around the boundary when the crowd had started to get restive – may be that’s what allowed the match to go on for a bit more , for India to slide further… These personnel now tried dispersing the crowd from the stand - they tried to shoo us away….
Which bottle hit the blue camouflaged men, I don’t know… I ran almost the instant Boomba threw – the wicker batons flashed, the cops charged and we ran – out the compound of the stadium, out on to the road, past the Gostho Pal statue, right across the Maidan. Mounted policemen everywhere not wanting to spare the rod, eager to ensure that as the team buses rolled out, the players were not attacked by the irate (and by now bruised and fast-dispersing) mob.
I ran till the Grand Hotel, my father had asked me to meet him there… Baba got his disheveled son something to eat, and as we drove back, innocuously told me ‘some Mike Jagger’ was sitting right behind him – ‘very disturbing it was’ he said as people wanted this Jagger guys’s autographs. Wow – that was just how I wanted the day to end… Mike Jagger-ed…
So now for one-day internationals in general, and the World Cup in particular, I’ve confined myself to the couch… that from where I stand, has the best view in the house… and no ‘Mike Jagger’ surprises.
Pro et contra by Prasad Sanyal is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at prasadsanyal.blogspot.com.
