Test match turnarounds and results by the barest of margins

The Long form version of Test Match cricket has been by far the most exciting and historically best edition of the game. Just shy of it's 146th year anniversary since the existence of International Test Cricket that began on 15th March 1877, the sport was witness to a gasping thriller for the ages with New Zealand pipping a red hot England side by a solitary margin of one run after being asked to follow on. The win sparked off unquestionable celebrations as it was just the second time a victory of one run had been recorded in this format and just the 4th time ever a test been won by a side following on. When you sum up the two, it's the first time ever a side had won after being asked to follow on and record the thinnest margin of victory ever by a run. Centuries may pass and we may still be privy to more low margin victories in future but undoubtedly it's almost certainly not going to be by a side after being asked to follow on. This makes New Zealand's feat in this test match incredible and all the more remarkably special.

The ebbs and flows that proceeded throughout the 5 days of play at Basin Reserve Stadium in Wellington was a gripping spectacle of the highest order and enough proof to testify that the oldest version of the game has everything within it's purview to keep both the players and spectators hooked on. The denouement that played out eventually could never be envisaged or scripted more perfectly than the way it all actually ended. Shorter versions of the sport such as One Day Internationals and Twenty 20 format have a charm of their own being more box office friendly and bringing in the crowds but the intensity and passion which test cricket generates is surreal and hard to surpass. This was the 2494th recorded International Test Match played and to witness a team win after being asked to follow on and end up being only the second occasion to win a test match by a solitary run shows how special Test cricket is as it keeps churning out astonishing results and unheard of moments & memories time after time. 

Victory after Following On:
Let's take a cursory list of the 4 occasions a team after being asked to follow on still ended up on the winning side.

1894 Sydney, Australia: Eng def Aus by 10 runs. Deficit in first innings 261 runs
1981 Leeds, England: Eng def Aus by 18 runs. Deficit in first innings 227 runs
2001 Kolkata, India: Ind def Aus by 171 runs. Deficit in first innings 274 runs
2023 Wellington, New Zealand: NZ def Eng by 1 run. Deficit in first innings 226 runs

By looking at the above list, we can observe some interesting patterns. The second occasion of a win by following on happened almost 87 years from the first. 20 years later the third instance took place and almost exactly 22 years to the day, the 4th one has been recorded. India's victory over Australia at Kolkata in a way seems mighty special as India had conceded the highest deficit of 274 runs and also ended up winning by the highest margin of 171 runs having followed on. All the other three victories viz the 2 by England and 1 by New Zealand was by bare mere margins which could have tilted the balance either way. One other similarity worth noting from the last 2 occasions is that the losing team were coming off a major winning streak only to end in despair and agony. Australia had won 16 on the trot looking to win their 17th when they came undone and likewise England were victorious in 6 straight games and on the back of winning 10 of their last 11 test matches only to end up losing it finally in excruciating fashion.

Victory by One Run:
Also let's jot down the only 2 attempts in which a team has recorded victories by a single run.

1993 Adelaide, Australia: WI def Aus by 1 run
2023 Wellington, New Zealand: NZ def Eng by 1 run

The second occasion of winning by a run has occurred in 2023 exactly 3 decades since the first one took place in 1993. New Zealand can have the bragging rights of being the only home team to have registered a famous victory by 1 run on home soil. Australia's record in general seems to be quite agonizing having lost 3 matches after asking the opposition to follow on in addition to losing a heartbreaking home defeat by a run to the Windies. They have also suffered tragic defeats losing in single digit encounters most notably being the 2 run defeat to England in the monumental Edgbaston Ashes test at Birmingham in 2005 not to forget a nerve wracking 3 run loss to their arch rivals England at MCG in the Boxing Day Test of 1982. South Africa's re-entry into Test Cricket saw them scalping home an unforgettable 5 run victory over the Aussies in 1994 at Sydney and in recent times their most traumatic defeat would be losing by a mere 7 runs at home to the Kiwis at Hobart in 2011. New Zealand however have been a side in recent times handling their nerves in pressure situations really well and been successful in flushing out 3 gut wrenching close call victories. Apart from the Hobart triumph in 2011 and Wellington victory in 2023, they also managed to eke out a thrilling 4 run win away from home at Abu Dhabi in 2019 paving way towards a famous overseas series victory over Pakistan. 

Scores Level with No Win No Loss (Tie/Draw): 
Coming to some Ifs and Buts, had England managed to score one more run, this match against New Zealand would have been classified as a Tied test. The delivery before the final dismissal can still be debated if it should have been allowed as a wide or not. This could be argued on endlessly for eternity but official verdict has been made with the result firmly going in New Zealand's favour.

There have however been 4 tests played where scores ended up being levelled at the end of the test match but only two of them make it to the list of test matches ending in a 'Tie'. The other two however gets classified as a 'Draw'. The reason for the discrimination depends on whether a batting side is bowled out or not. If a match ends scores level with the batting side being dismissed of all their wickets then it's granted as a 'Tie' whereas if a match ends with scores level on account of overs being bowled up at end of Day 5 with the batting side still having a wicket or more in hand, then it gets vetoed in as a Draw.

Lets look at the 4 occasion of scores being level but match ending in a Tie or Draw:

1960 Brisbane, Australia: Aus vs WI. Result 'Tie'
1986 Chennai, India: Ind vs Aus. Result 'Tie'
1996 Bulawayo, Zimbabwe: Zim vs Eng. Result 'Draw'
2011 Mumbai, India: Ind vs WI. Result 'Draw'

Both the tied test matches were iconic in their era with the first one occurring between Australia and West Indies at the Gabba in 1960 and the second one 26 years later between India and Australia at the erstwhile Madras test of 1986. This particular NZ vs Eng test could have been the third occasion to have taken place after 37 years but alas it was not to be. Australia are however the only side to have been involved in both the Tied test encounters.

Incidentally the other tests where scores were levelled but earned the tag of a 'Draw' took place 15 years apart with the first one happening in Zimbabwe in 1996 followed by India in 2011. The Zim vs Eng game had no chance of being a Tie as England had lost only 6 wickets chasing a target of 205 and ended up falling one run short. The game at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai however was a humdinger and at the start of the last over, there were all possibilities of either of a Win, Loss, Tie or Draw. India finally ended up levelling scores with the Windies with one wicket still remaining in their kitty. Going into the final over, India needed to obtain 3 runs with 2 wickets in hand. If the Windies had scalped both the wickets before India could get two runs they would have won the match. If India had scored the three runs they would have been victors. If India had got 2 runs but lost both their final two wickets, then it would have been a tie. But ultimately it was a Draw because India got the 2 runs to level the scores but only lost one of their wickets in the process. Both the two Drawn test matches with scores level however never get the same recognition as the Tied test matches within the parlance of cricketing folklore.

Victory off the Last Delivery:
Coming to jaw dropping last ball finishes, it's worth noting that there have been two test matches which have been won off the last delivery bowled in the test match.

Let's take an inventory of the matches won off the Final Delivery:

1948 Durban, South Africa: Eng def SA by 2 wickets
2023 Christchurch, New Zealand: NZ def SL by 2 wickets

The most recent encounter between New Zealand and Sri Lanka which incidentally took place less than a fortnight after the epic New Zealand vs England game falls in to this esteemed and elusive category. This incidentally was the 2498th recorded test match and New Zealand thus have the rare honour of being a part of two celebrated back to back test victories etched for the ages through their two quench thirsting last gasp thrillers in 2023. 

Had Kane Williamson been found short of his ground while attempting to cross over for that bye, the match would have been termed a draw with scores being level from both sides. It would have become only the third instance of scores level with match ending in a draw but instead became the second occasion ever where a team had won off the last legitimate delivery bowled in a test match. New Zealand have now won their last two tests by a margin of one run and off the last delivery of the test match respectively with Kane Williamson having the distinction of scoring a century in both these tests.

The only other instance of a last ball finish happened almost three fourth of a century ago in the test match between South Africa and England in 1948. England emerged victorious having been set a final day target of 128 runs off 28 overs and managed to scamper across the line in the very last ball of the 28th over. The coincidence across both these games is that both these sides won the match off the last ball with exactly 2 wickets to spare. Phew! - the romance of test cricket history has certainly been bewitching to say the least.

Victory by One Wicket:
This is also as close as it gets and come to think of it from an alternative point of view, the team chasing would have suffered an agonizing defeat having come so close but not being able to cross the line. However in comparison to teams having won by solitary minor run margins, the victories by teams chasing and winning by a wicket in hand have happened quite a number of times in the history of International Test Cricket with 15 being the exact number.

Let's take a brief look at those encounters as well:

1902 Oval, England: Eng def Aus by 1 wicket
1906 Johannesburg, South Africa: SA def Eng by 1 wicket
1908 Melbourne, Australia: Eng def Aus by 1 wicket
1923 Cape Town, South Africa: Eng def SA by 1 wicket
1951 Melbourne, Australia: Aus def WI by 1 wicket
1980 Dunedin, New Zealand: NZ def WI by 1 wicket
1994 Karachi, Pakistan: Pak def Aus by 1 wicket
1999 Barbados, West Indies: WI def Aus by 1 wicket
2000 Antigua, West Indies: WI def Pak by 1 wicket
2003 Multan, Pakistan: Pak def Ban by 1 wicket
2006 Colombo, Sri Lanka: SL def SA by 1 wicket
2010 Mohali, India: Ind def Aus by 1 wicket
2019 Durban, South Africa: SL def SA by 1 wicket
2019 Leeds, England: Eng def Aus by 1 wicket
2021 Jamaica, West Indies: WI def Pak by 1 wicket

Looking at this list, Australia have again had the rough end of the stick suffering the ignominy of losing 6 encounters by a one wicket margin. They have managed to win only once by a wicket margin. Australia may be the most successful nation ever in cricket history but in terms of close shave defeats, the Aussies seem to be right at the top of the pile. 2019 was the only year which was witness to 2 occasions of a one wicket victory. Some of the greatest hall of fame innings have also apparently come in one wicket victories. Innings which immediately come to mind are Brian Lara's blitzkrieg 153 vs Aus, Inzamam Ul Haq's masterpiece 138 vs Ban, Kusal Perera's heroic 153 vs SA and Ben Stokes counter attacking sterling 135 vs the Aussies.

Thus as at the end of March 2023, International test cricket would have completed 146 years since it's inception comprising of exactly 2500 recorded encounters. Within this mammoth oeuvre, there have been only 4 instances of a team winning after following on, 2 cases of victories by a solitary run, 2 times a match ending in a tie, 2 occasions of match ending in a draw with scores level, 2 attempts of victory off the final legitimate delivery and 15 events of a victory by a side with just a wicket remaining. Test cricket results and pandemonium definitely seem to have a match made in history. 

The Drama that the original form of Cricket viz Test Cricket has provided over it's rich and vast history is simply unparalleled and when it comes to close encounters it's theatrics is unmistakably insurmountable. May the 'Legend of Test Cricket' continue to grow and enchant for generations and lifetimes to come.

Pictures and Source of Statistics: Espncricinfo.com

3 Spine Chilling Sporting Thrillers to round off 2022

The year 2022 was writ large and abuzz with sporting events aplenty from different nooks and corners of the world. I would like to particularly single out 3 remarkable days which are all Sunday showdowns apparently from 3 different fields from the sporting calendar that hold a special place in the heart. Incidentally 2 of these took place in the perennially loved sporting city of Melbourne in Australia with the third being a masterpiece from the Middle Eastern region of Doha in Qatar. Also 2 of these were Grand Finales and the other just a group stage encounter but totally worth it's weight in gold. 

The sports in question happen to be cricket, tennis and football. Cricket is a sport that I have followed since perpetuity by constantly keeping a tab on the different series taking place in various parts of the world. Tennis as a sport has largely been about viewing the Grand Slams and a little bit of the big ticket Masters events. Also I've keenly followed the progress of three of the most influential tennis players not just of this generation but of all time viz Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic. When it comes to Football, it's about largely being in sync with club events such as Premier League, Champions League etc. but more importantly about keeping track of major country events such as Euro, Copa America and especially the World Cup that takes place once every 4 years. 

The year of 2022 produced some vintage rippers from these 3 historical sports. The uncanny but common theme prevailing across these three memorable matches is the fact that they all looked like being just another typical sporting match up with sudden twists and turn of events resulting in a multitude of ebbs & flows effectively culminating and eventually catapulting these matches into virtual all time classics and going down the annals as contests to recollect for a lifetime. 

The architects engineering these rip snorters happen to be celebrated names from these 3 sports viz Rafael Nadal, Lionel Messi and Virat Kohli. Ironically they even happen to be born in back to back years of 1986, 1987 and 1988 respectively. Their exploits in the sporting battle under immense pressure also addresses the adage of "Class is Temporary, Form is Permanent" in a resounding manner. They were all under the hammer faced with extreme adversity and that is when they perfectly exhibited their caliber paving way for their fans to go into raptures and capping off a win to cherish for eternity. 

Thus, an ode to three heart thumping chest pumping spine chilling tearjerkers that truly define the character of what could be termed as sporting blockbusters of 2022 includes the following:

1) Tennis - Australian Open Final - Rafael Nadal defeated Danii Medvedev - Sunday, 30th Jan 2022 - Melbourne Park, Melbourne, Australia

2) Cricket - ICC T20 World Cup Group Stage - India defeated Pakistan - Sunday, 23rd Oct 2022 - Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), Melbourne, Australia

3) Football - FIFA World Cup Final - Argentina defeated France - Sunday, 18th Dec 2022 - Lusail Stadium, Doha, Qatar

1) Sport: Tennis, Event: Australian Open Final, Architect: Rafael Nadal 

Even before the start of a ball being hit by a racquet, the whole tournament was mired in controversy with defending champion and 9 time winner Novak Djokovic barred from participating due to vaccine reasons. This paved the way for Rafael Nadal to up his game and reach the final yet again. For starters, this had been historically Rafa's worst performing Grand Slam and he had come a cropper many a time losing agonizing finals to his nemesis Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer in the past. In the final was looming large the lanky Russian Medvedev who had just beaten Novak Djokovic in the previous Grand Slam final contested which was the US Open of 2021 thus preventing Nole from winning all 4 Grand Slams in the same year and also establishing that the Big 3 remained tied at 20 each in the Grand Slam race. Medvedev was clearly the favorite for this contest and he got the ball rolling right from the beginning ambushing Nadal from the word go. Having taken a 2 set lead and with a break in the third, it all looked more or less a formality before the beast mode being activated all of a sudden by the rampaging bull from Spain. Nobody knew from where Rafa got the energy to fight but what happened in the next couple of hours was sheer herculean brilliance from Nadal as he staved up point after point taking the match to a decider and finally sealing it 7-5 in the fifth set. Rafa was overcome with emotion with the turnaround being absolutely astonishing. Rafa also eclipsed the Grand Slam count to become the first man to go to 21 Grand Slams in a bitter sweet title triumph putting all past demons to rest and exceedingly elevating his fighter ship qualities to a zenith level perhaps that could sparsely ever be comprehended. Rafa Nadal would no doubt go down as the greatest clay court player ever to have donned the game but this win in a surface not supposedly his favorite and the manner of victory virtually rising from the Ashes will go down seemingly as one of his sweetest and perfectly epitomizes the hallmark of a champion showcasing the art of what a fightback and comeback is all about. 

2) Sport: Cricket, Event: Ind vs Pak T20 World Cup Group Stage, Architect: Virat Kohli

India vs Pakistan clashes always attracts the eye balls and this one was billed to be a biggie and turned out to be a bombastic blockbuster. The Melbourne Cricket Ground which is one of the oldest and biggest stadiums in the world was all ecstatic having packed an audience of over 90000 cheering on for their respective teams. The 'G' as you call it was witnessing an India vs Pakistan World Cup game after 30 years since the 1992 ODI World Cup and the excitement was palpable with it being a showdown one just couldn't resist. Coming to some background information, India had an enviable winning record against Pakistan in World Cup encounters having won 12 out of 13 previous contests before this one. It was actually 12 wins on the trot for India but however Pakistan had finally broken the deadlock by literally tearing apart this unsavory record by recording a win in emphatic fashion through a commanding 10 wicket romp of their opponents in the last World Cup of 2021. The World Cup hoodoo against India which was plaguing them for so long had been arrested and Pakistan seemed to be on top once again for large portions of this game. After scoring a respectable 159, they had India on the mat by ripping through India's top order and placing them in a precarious position of 31/4. Kohli and Hardik did try to salvage the ship through a steady partnership but the required run rate was just oozing beyond acceptable levels. India needed an almost improbable 48 to win off the last 3 overs when Virat Kohli suddenly activated God Mode. His dispatchment of back to back sixes off Rauf was some of the cleanest hitting ever witnessed. Ashwin finally hitting a straight boundary off the last delivery to signal an Indian victory had the crowd go into euphoria and dancing in delight. India had pulled off a victory of unparalleled proportions which looked way beyond the bridge at one point but one man Virat Kohli through his sheer will and magnificent batsmanship made it happen. With just this one knock, Virat had avenged all his detractors who had called for his axing by constructing a T20 knock for the ages in such a high pressure taxing environment. Though this was only a group stage game, this victory would rank as one of India's finest ever in the T20 format and one to savor for a long time to come. 

3) Sport: Football, Event: Arg vs Fra FIFA World Cup Final, Architect: Lionel Messi

The FIFA World Cup of 2022 was the 22nd edition to have been staged with its existence going back almost a century back to 1930 when the initial World Cup was held in Uruguay. It was the first ever World Cup to be held in an Arab nation and just the second World Cup to be held in Asia. This was also the first World Cup ever to be conducted during the end of the year with almost all World Cups prior to this being staged around the middle of the year. The event courted a lot of controversy for some of the event handling but ended up being a World Cup to remember especially with so many smaller known unfancied teams toppling big giants of the game. The final was perhaps a testimony to signify that the best had been reserved for the last and boy oh boy what a game of epic proportions it eventually turned out to be. That however wasn't the case for more than 3/4th of the game with Argentina literally dominating the field of play and what looked like a resolutely comfortable victory for Albiceleste turned out to be an almost absolute nightmare at the end. The peaks and troughs foreseen right from when France were 0-2 down to equalizing at 2-2 before taking it to extra time only for Argentina's talisman Lionel Messi to get the lead back again at 3-2 only giving away immediately to a late penalty scored by Frenchman Mbappe completing a terrific hattrick to make it to 3-3 and then once again the drama of the penalty shoot out which Argentina finally managed to scamper through was all jaw dropping stuff of the highest order. Those last 45 minutes of the game was not just intense but also insane with fans shuffling for breath not knowing what was going to happen next. It was breathtaking to witness the sea of events which just kept going berserk all over the place. It felt like this game should really have not had a loser but in the end it was heartbreak for France and pure ecstasy for Argentina who had reclaimed the World title after 36 years making Buenos Aires go in to a frenzy. Argentina also managed to avenge their defeat to France who had knocked them out in the previous World Cup of 2018 in the pre quarterfinal stage. In the end Football was the winner and the entertainment that was got to witness was monumental to say the least. Lionel Messi capped of his career with the one silver lining that was missing in his kitty and the one that he so badly wanted viz the Jules Rimet World Cup trophy. This also enabled him to match the feat of his illustrious countryman Diego Maradona who last won the World Cup for their beloved country way back in 1986. The final held on 18th December 2022 was one of the last sporting events of the calendar year and it was a treat for everyone to witness this rip roaring sporting spectacle.

2022 was certainly a year for the sporting fraternity with plenty of highs and lows. There were many memorable moments and a plethora of records that had been smashed over the course of the year. The 3 matches picked to represent their respective sports not only act as testimony to the greatness produced but also stand as true torchbearers that will testify the leap of time.

Chepauk 2001 - A great Missed Opportunity!

This day 13 years ago on 22nd March 2001 happened to be a Thursday and an unforgettable day in my life. It was the 5th and last day of the final test in the series between India and Australia and all roads pointed to an epic final day finish at Chepauk. The series was locked horns at 1 apiece in the series dubbed as "The Final Frontier" and it all came boiling down to that final day's play which would decide the outcome of one of the greatest test series ever played on Indian soil.

India was on top going into Day 5 but there was a certain Steve Waugh still there at the crease seeing through Day 4. The Aussies were 100 odd ahead with 7 down and everyone knew that if Waugh was castled early on Day 5, the game was there to be taken for India.

A bunch of us from Class X A - PS Senior Sec School had cut school the previous day and gone to witness the penultimate day's action and with the way match was placed and history beckoning, all of us again wanted to bunk and watch the final days play too. But then we got calls from fellow classmates on the 4th day evening saying the situation was serious in school and they were collecting fines and another day of absence will result in parents being called and given a severe warning. It was a big decision to take whether to go to Chepauk and watch history being created or go to school like typical chamathu P.S pasanga and avoid the consequences.

We came to school on the 5th day morning but our minds were still not in place and constantly deviating. It was '0' period and the teacher had still not come, we suddenly gathered courage and decided 'Let hell break loose' we will end up going for the match. And then we made our way till the P.S back gate to leave when it suddenly dawned upon us as to what will happen if someone complained that we all came to class and left for the match. There were always some Naradars :O.
I even now vividly remember the discussion we had in Gate 2 (Back Gate) and after speaking for couple of minutes we all disappointingly but unanimously decided to get back to class. In fact even after getting back to class, the teacher had still not come and there were semblances of hope once again to go back but it was too late.

And then History happened...
Waugh was dismissed early on Day 5 and India quickly wrapped up the tail requiring just 155 to win. Then there was a mini stutter as you always expect with India as they started losing quick wickets. Laxman however was again standing between the Aussies ticking along and taking India to safety. As I was about to leave school for the day, I heard in the transistor (no cell phones back then) that Laxman was caught brilliantly by Mark Waugh with India still needing 20 to win. And then just as I reached home, I entered with the news that Sameer Dighe and the series superstar Harbhajan Singh had taken India to victory and I was just in time to witness the presentation ceremony.

Chepauk was buzzing with excitement and there were scenes of euphoria all round. India had staged a remarkable comeback which all started on Day 4 of the Eden Gardens test which culminated and reached the pinnacle on Day 5 at the M.A Chidambaram Stadium. India had won perhaps the greatest test series ever played in its cricketing history.

Looking back now, there is still a tinge of disappointment and resentment. In hindsight wondering how amazing it would have been had we got the courage on that eventful day to go ahead with our plan and be part of the Chepauk crowd who got to witness history. It would have made the memories fonder and also contributed to a much better and more daring story. 

In the end, a small chickening act put paid hopes of creating our own slice of cricketing history. Just only wish there is a time machine to go back in history and re-write the past :)

Revisiting Nostalgia - A Blast from the Past!

Rewinding the clock back 10 years to this day 13th March 2004.
Reviving Memoirs of an epic cricketing encounter between India and Pakistan.

The Indian Cricket team had been given the go ahead by the Government to tour Pakistan after almost 15 years. Sachin was going back to the place where he made his debut as a diminutive young precocious 16 year old. No Indian or Pakistani cricketer barring Tendulkar had been part of the earlier 1989 tour. The entire country was waiting with bated breath for the series to get underway.
It was a blockbuster in the making and we were all privy to the fact that we were going to witness an historic epoch-making series between the 2 arch rivals.

On the other side of the fence, we were facing our 12th CBSE Board exams which criss-crossed right in between the epicness of epochness which was unfolding at the other end.I wrote my Mathematics Board exam a couple of days ago and was extremely agitated and gutted at myself that I wasn't able to perform as well as I had hoped for. :( It was the subject I was banking on the most but alas it didn't go exactly as I thought , the reactions in the house were para va illa do try to make up by doing better in the other subjects.Surely doing well in the Board exams were in the back of the mind but definitely not at the expense of missing out Indo Pak cricket knowing especially well that the whole world would be glued to their television sets.Decided on a cheap confluencing deal with myself as to how I will watch the cricket and also study parallelly by taking even breaks between both and not getting distracted by either. Of course there was no doubt about the former. :)

And then the real action unfolded on a Saturday morning with the 1st of 5 One Day Internationals played at Karachi. Inzy won the toss and inserted India in. Viru and Sachin got India off to a great start with especially the former in a bull dozing mood flaying the hapless Paki bowlers to all corners of the ground. Especially remember the burly Rana Naved Ul Hasan getting royally murdered by the assassin from Delhi.It was one of the first instances where we go to witness the Nawab of Najafgarh in such a ruthless pile driving mode and in years to come he made Pakistan eat humble pie many a time through his unflinching onslaughts.By the time Sehwag went after belting a whirlwind 79 , Ind had reached close to 150 and were going at almost 10 runs an over. Thoughts of a monumental score crossed the mind.

However the initial momentum sunk and the pace of scoring deteriorated. Rahul Dravid was playing the rearguard anchor innings slowly but steadily taking India to a score of great proportion.It was agonising to see him get castled by a Shoaib Akhtar slow ball for a perilous 99 , (only a single bail had fallen down :() but he had done his job and took India to a commanding total of 349 from their 50 overs.A very high score in those days and perhaps even now. Also the fact that no team had chased 350 before in the history of the game. (Ironically exactly almost 2 yrs hence on 12th March 2006 , South Africa chased down an improbable score of 434 to gun down the Aussies).

Pakistan then began faultily losing 2 quick wickets but then it was the stiching together of a great partnership between the 2 veterans - Mohd. Yousuf (the erstwhile Yousuf Youhana) and Inzamam Ul Haq.Yousuf fell after a well made half century but Inzy continued on his merry way tormenting the Indian bowlers. He was belligerent yet so effortless in the way he made his century.It looked like curtains for India if they didn't get Inzy out soon. And then it happened - Dravid the keeper snapped up a catch off Karthik to end a remarkable innings.

Now the match was neck to neck and it was totally game on. The match was swinging fortunes from one end to another and it was unbearable to watch. Just when you thought India was on top , out came Abdur Razzaq who smashed a few lusty blows to again put Pakis on the ascendancy. And when Razzaq was dismissed, you still had the dangerous Moin Khan and Shoaib Malik who generally take pride in these kind of situations. However when the match was reaching a crescendo , Mohd Kaif leaped across almost air borne avoiding collision with another fielder to pull off a superlative catch to dismiss Shoaib Malik.It was the catch of the match and coming at such a crucial pressure situation , it did really sap up not only the cricketers spirits but also the fans in believing that India could still pull this off. And then the equation narrowed down to 9 runs off the final over , there were discussions on who was to bowl the final over and out came Ashish Nehra. He kept his cool and delivered a series of accurate yorker length deliveries not giving enough room to clear for the Pakistani batsman. It finally boiled down to 6 runs off the final ball.

The intensity was electrifying and the tension of an unyielding proposition. Celebrities like Shah Rukh Khan , Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi were at the ground. Javed Miandad the man who hit that infamous six off the last ball off Chetan Sharma all those years ago was voicing out his opinion as coach from the dressing room.I had read and heard about that ill fated acrimonious day in Indian cricket and the last thing I wanted was to see a similar experience getting re-captured all over again.

And then landed that final delivery , it was a low full toss not a great ball by any stretch of imagination but thankfully Moin played the shot too early not getting enough power thus scooping the ball to Zaheer to take a simple catch. There were celebrations all around and also a great sense of relief. India came out of a great escape.

It was a great game of cricket and justified all the initial hype and euphoria surrounding the series.
India went on to win the ODI series 3-2 and also the test series thereafter 2-1.

Its unthinkable and unbelievable to recall that a decade has passed since this game of cricket.
Certain imprints of the game remain truly etched and impregnated in the mind even now. Some days are truly unforgettable and the 13th of March 2004 bears a true testimony to this fact. 10 years is a long time but even now looking back at all the backdrop events surrounding the game, the high octane on and off field events and savouring all those goosebumpy moments makes this date 13th March 2004 and cricket match between India and Pakistan all the more special and nostalgic.

Scorecard : http://www.espncricinfo.com/.../current/match/64880.html
Report : http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/story/139999.html

Memories of an amazing turnaround at Lords

This day, a decade ago on the 13th July 2002 India won a remarkable final against England in the Natwest Trophy at Lords. Coming into this championship clash, India had lost 9 finals consecutively and it looked like a similar script was about to unfold as the Englishmen posted a mammoth score of 325 batting first. The score looked too daunting and at that stage of time only once before was a total in excess of this was ever chased by a team to win a one day international. Considering the pressure of a big match final at the Home of cricket in addition to India's immensely meek predicament in recent finals, it certainly didn't lift the spirits one bit.

India however got off to a fine start with the openers Ganguly and Sehwag blazing their way to a rollicking stand of 100 within the first 15 overs. And then it all started caving apart with wickets being lost at regular intervals. It was virtually another tale of good riddance when Sachin Tendulkar was castled by Giles to leave India reeling at 146/5. This dismissal brought in two young future hopes of Indian cricket Yuvraj Singh and Mohammed Kaif to the crease. They had brought glory to India by being part of the victorious Under 19 world cup team. Frankly, not much was expected of these two except for a reasonable fight to simply ensure it doesn't yield towards an embarrassingly landslide defeat.

Slowly but steadily, from a precarious position where India were virtually under the cosh these young turks started ticking the runs off the scoreboard. The partnership started blossoming and these guns rose up to the occasion by playing the innings of their life to give India a semblance of hope. When Yuvi held out, it again looked like a 'yet so near yet so far story'. However his dismissal didn't hinder the momentum and India kept chalking in the runs with the lower order providing a stable ground to Kaif at the other end.

It came down to the last over of the innings with Zaheer on strike and 2 required off 4 deliveries. He got a touch off the bat off Flintoff and scampered his way to the other end to give his partner the strike. The throw from the fielder was however long enabling India to get the additional run and seal the win. It was a remarkable comeback considering the circumstance and it was beyond disbelief that India could really pull this one off. It was back then the 2nd highest chase in One Day Internationals.The match is also well remembered for Sourav Ganguly's shirt twirling act at the Lords Balcony. A truly unforgettable day in the annals of Indian Cricket History. Gives goosebumps even today watching and reminiscing that nostalgic day which took place on a sunny Sunday at the Home of Cricket.