Published: Feb 14, 2015, 12:53 PM (IST)
Edited: Feb 27, 2016, 01:15 AM (IST)
May 19, 1999. The format of the tournament made losing matches dangerous. And India played out of their skins to snatch defeat from the veritable and fast closing jaws of victory against Zimbabwe. Arunabha Sengupta relives the day when brain freeze happened again and again, almost on order.
The second highest scorer
No dictionary stocks adequate words to emphasise the collective carelessness with which the match was lost. Perhaps this is one occasion when one could justify even that abundant and irritating insertion of an extra ‘o’ with which ‘losing’ is so often spelt in the social media. If only to underline the laxity with which the game was allowed to slip from a sure and secure grasp. Fate did her best to hand the match on a platter, more than once, and each time the Indians took turns to tilt the hand of fortune till the spoils slipped away from their collective reach.
The curious format of the tournament ensured heavy penalty for first-round defeats. The points would be carried over to the Super Sixes. It was imperative that India won against the minnows. They had already been defeated by South Africa in their opening match. Sachin Tendulkar had left for India following the death of his father and would be missing a couple of matches. The onus was on the team to keep their heads and complete the regulation victory over Zimbabwe. But that turned out to be too much of an ask.
When one looks at the scorecard, it transpires that India were looking at a rather formidable target of 253 from 46 overs. However, neither is the fact that simple, nor was the task meant to be that complex.
Javagal Srinath bowled 5 no-balls, with a wide to go with it. Venkatesh Prasad overstepped less, just once, but sprayed it far oftener to send down 4 wides. Ajit Agarkar excelled in both departments, with 5 no-balls and 4 wides to his credit, going for 70 runs off his 9 overs. Even Sourav Ganguly’s gentle medium-pace accounted for 3 no-balls and 2 wides. Ajay Jadeja managed to keep his feet behind the bowling crease, but sent down 3 wides in 4 overs. Finally Anil Kumble, the ace spinner, contributed as well, with one no-ball and 2 wides.
It meant 51 extras in all, still a record for an innings in World Cup cricket. The 16 no-balls in the innings remain a record as well. So, all the Zimbabwean innings required was to blossom with the Flowers, with the Indian extras providing enough nurturing aid. Grant Flower held together the first part of the innings, Andy Flower batted till the end. The 68 not out of Andy and 45 of Grant were all the side needed, with the muscular contribution of the sundries lovingly snuggled as the second highest scorer between the brothers. Take away half of the profligacy and the total would have been mediocre.
Additionally, it meant balls that had to be re-bowled, over and over again. It was no surprise therefore that the Indian over-rate was sluggish to the point of glacial. The result was four overs docked from the resources when they chased. Hence Indians needed to score 253 off 46. A required rate that should have hovered around 4.6 was now 5.5.
A tale of collective loss of heads
The Indians continued to evade the path of sanity as they chased. Even in the absence of Tendulkar, a known and much discussed issue, the innings was kicked off with quite an advanced degree of carelessness. Ganguly perished to a poor pull stroke down the throat of fine leg off Neil Johnson. Rahul Dravid tried to play far too many strokes early in his innings and was brilliantly caught in the covers.
Captain Mohammad Azharuddin, his mind perhaps struggling to come to terms with the four-over penalty, produced a poke at a Heath Streak delivery. The stroke was ideally suited for slip catching sessions before the game.
In 9 overs, India were 56 for 3. By no means was the match lost. It was a game that could have been won in so many different ways. Jadeja brought a semblance of calmness into the course of events, and Sadagoppan Ramesh, in his first World Cup match, was timing the ball superbly. Johnson bounced and Ramesh lazily pulled him over square leg for six. The opener followed this by smashing Streak through the covers. At the 20-over mark, India were cruising at 122 for 3, the asking rate a mere 5.07.
And then Ramesh got to his half-century. No harm in that. Excellent innings. The raise of the bat applauded by all. But suddenly he wanted to charge the left-arm spinner.
Ramesh looked supreme when stroking the ball through the off or off his legs, even though his feet did not really move. In fact, rarely did his feet move. His eye was exceptional, and his hands magical. Hence, skipping down the wicket was perhaps one thing that he needed to avoid at any cost.
But in this game the Indians were out to do everything that they should have steered well away from. Ramesh charged down the track and lofted Grant Flower. The ball soared in the air, the long off fielder ran around, and it just about eluded him. The batsmen ran two.
One heaved a sigh of relief. But… the next over saw Flower pitching three balls up and Ramesh driving them straight to fielders. With frustration creeping in, there he went again, dancing down in ungainly steps, lofting over cover. The ball again fell in no man’s land and the batsmen ran two. Sigh of relief again.
The very next ball. Flatter, faster. Down came Ramesh, in inelegant skips. The bat swung in a straight arc, the ball went straight to deep mid-off. Murray Goodwin pouched it with glee.
Jadeja had some choice words for the man as he walked back. 99 runs were still required, in just over 18 overs. But the first all-rounder had walked in. India had run out of truly specialist batsmen.
But then, against average bowling — and Zimbabwe’s bowling was nothing but average — Robin Singh was rather good with the willow. Paul Strang was hit for boundaries by both the men. Runs came smoothly. Jadeja looked solid and enterprising as ever. And then Heath Streak was brought back and the chirpy Haryana man was trapped leg before.
With 80 needed from 82 balls, the Indian management sent in Ajit Agarkar ahead of Nayan Mongia. The Bombay man responded by driving Grant Flower to mid-on and calling for a run. There was not even scope for half a run. The brain freeze had returned in full blast. The wicket was thrown down. 175 for 6 and the asking rate had crept over 6.
Mongia came trotting out. And out of the blue he swung Johnson over mid-wicket for six. The wicketkeeper was not really known for such strong arm tactics. Johnson pitched up and Mongia drove him past mid-wicket for four. 12 runs off the over. Asking rate back below 6. Hope soared. This was more like it. The batsmen at the crease seemed confident.
200 was up soon, and Mongia pulled Grant Flower for four over his preferred mid-wicket area. Just 43 required off last 8, 4 wickets in hand. The important thing was to keep one’s head.
That was, you’ve guessed it again, not on the cards.
Grant Flower completed his spell with a tight over. The asking rate again crept beyond a run a ball. And in the pressure situation, Mongia swung Guy Whittall across the line, an ugly hoick, and was the death rattle was heard.
The tail was officially in, walking out in the form of Srinath. But, then, Srinath the batsman was not exactly a bunny. In fact he could be more than handy. Paul Strang pitched up and the willow came down in a straight and mighty swing, the ball flew out over mid-wicket. Six to relieve the pressure.
Robin Singh pushed for singles and twos and in the next over Srinath swung again, picking Whittall from outside off and dispatching him over widish mid-wicket. 18 balls to go and 14 runs needed, 3 wickets in hand.
Five came off the next Streak over to bring it down to 9 off 12. Robin Singh looked solid. Srinath hitting the ball with scary precision. Henry Olonga had gone for 17 off his first 3 overs, spraying all over the place. Now he was brought on as Campbell’s last trump card.
Robin Singh pushed the first ball past cover and ran two. 7 required off 11, 3 wickets in hand. Could one lose from here?
Yes, if one tried hard enough. Olonga ran in again. It was on the off-stump, Robin drove, uppishly, slightly off the edge, and a sprawling Campbell held it in cover. The pitch was queered once again.
The new man was Kumble. A batsman good enough to get many more than the 7 required. Srinath and Kumble had once pulled off an improbable chase against Australia when much more was needed and the equation favoured the other side. All they had to do — yet again — was to keep their heads.
Kumble dabbed to gully and a single was run. 6 off 9.
The next ball was played to point. Grant Flower hurled in the return as the batsmen ran. The ball ran away to the other side and as the Indians in the crowd screamed themselves hoarse the overthrow was taken. 4 required off 8 balls. Srinath had already hit a couple of sixes in his brief innings. He could finish it with one stroke.
And perhaps that was the evil thought that ran through his mind. Olonga pitched up, Srinath’s eyes lit up, his head was thrown back, the bat swung once again in a mighty heave in a desperate attempt to finish the game with one strike. The stumps rattled. The tale of collective madness was almost complete.
Venkatesh Prasad cannot really be faulted. One of nature’s unadulterated number elevens, he made an honest effort to keep the ball out, to allow Kumble take the bowling in the full over that remained. Unfortunately for him, Olonga sent in an unerring straight delivery. Prasad moved across, getting in line, his bat unequal to the situation. The ball hit the pad with an ominous thud. The Zimbabweans went up and so did umpire Peter Willey’s firm finger. Olonga had finished the match with three wickets in the over.
The ridiculous saga was complete. It had taken grit, it had taken unfailing perseverance. The match had been almost won, more than once. But ultimately the Indians had managed to pull defeat out of the jaws that had so nearly clamped down on victory.
The result would prove to be extremely costly in the next round.
Brief Scores
Zimbabwe 252 for 9 in 50 overs (Grant Flower 45, Andy Flower 68*; Extras 51) beat India 249 all out in 45 overs (Sadagoppan Ramesh 55, Ajay Jadeja 43, Robin Singh 35; Henry Olonga 3 for 22) by 3 runs [revised target 252 from 46 overs).
(Arunabha Sengupta is a cricket historian and Chief Cricket Writer at CricketCountry. He writes about the history and the romance of the game, punctuated often by opinions about modern day cricket, while his post-graduate degree in statistics peeps through in occasional analytical pieces. The author of three novels, he can be followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/senantix)
