Published: Feb 28, 2016, 02:31 PM (IST)
Edited: Feb 28, 2016, 03:22 PM (IST)
Aamer is so talented that his ban had got a once-ruthless Michael Holding to near-tears on air. He was a teenager then. There were people opposing his comeback. That was expected. But even they, the ones who voiced opinions against the return of a spot-fixer, did not doubt his talent. Nobody with an iota of cricket sense could have. Full Cricket Scorecard: India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup T20 2016 Match 4 at Dhaka
And there he was, set out to defend 84. The last time a total close to 84 was defended, a contest was born. The Ashes dates back before The Olympics. There was no way Pakistan could have defended that target. There was no way Aamer could have defended that target. READ: Mohammad Aamer’s sensational spell against India in Asia Cup 2016 rekindles memories of Wahab Riaz vs Shane Watson in World Cup 2015
There was no Shikhar Dhawan, but there was Rohit Sharma, fresh from a magnificently paced innings against Bangladesh. Ajinkya Rahane — a man who had come out at the top in all conditions — was at the other end.
The first ball hit Rohit on the boot. Even staunch Indian supporters knew he was out. It was too good a first ball to keep out. Rohit was gone, gone, surely gone.
But the umpire thought otherwise. Never mind, thought Aamer, more pumped up than before. The next ball pitched on off, moved back in; Rohit never had a chance as the ball thudded on to the front pad. This time he was sent back.
Out walked Kohli, the golden boy of Indian cricket. He edged the first ball, but it was a thick edge. The batsmen changed ends. The next ball was down the legs.
Wide. The danger has passed, thought the Indian fans. Those two balls were deadly, but that was about it.
Wrong. The ball seemed to leave Rahane; it came back very late, perhaps too late to cause danger… but then, this was Aamer: the curve would have undone batting technique of the highest order. Poor Rahane had no clue: he made a feeble attempt, but once again, to no avail. READ: Asia Cup 2016: Virat Kohli banks on Pakistan’s mistake that Bangladesh never made!
India 2/2 in 4 balls. Aamer 0.4-0-2-2. But more importantly, it was new-ball bowling of the highest order: precision, pace, movement. Rohit and Rahane were not to be blamed. It may have been Hobbs and Sutcliffe.
Suresh Raina, he of questionable technique, walked out. Raina had always been vulnerable against bounce. Rarely has he been exposed against a fast bowler of this calibre, lab-testing bazookas you could not move out of the way. READ: India vs Pakistan, Asia Cup 2016: Virat Kohli congratulated Mohammad Aamer for his bowling even while batting
But Raina was a left-hander. That meant adjustment to the line. How will Aamer cope?
The youngster steamed in. “Aamer, Aamer…” chanted a cricket-mad Mirpur. Indians, Pakistanis, the world were glued to the screen.
The line was perfect. Raina got away because it was a tad short. The ball zoomed past the outside and thudded into the gauntlets behind him.
The next one moved away, again. It was pitched up, but Raina played it well. It took six balls for an Indian batsman to middle a ball from Aamer. It was only the second time a batsman had played and managed to make contact of any sort.
1-0-2-2. The prodigal son had returned.
At one time, Mohammad Sami used to be express. He was the second bowler to take hat-tricks in both Tests and ODIs. He was not as quick or as fit, but he had experience on his side. Kohli won the battle, playing out all six balls. It was not a question of scoring quick, for if India did not get bowled out the match was theirs.
Aamer 1-0-2-2. Kohli 5 from 7 balls.
Another scorcher, this time, but Raina, somehow, by some divine intervention, managed an inside-edge. Kohli blocked the next ball. The third ball hit him on the pad.
And Aamer roared. And Afridi roared. And Pakistan roared, the ones on the ground and the ones following the sport on television or catching legal or illegal streaming from across the world.
Not out. Replays showed it would have clipped the bails. Somewhere between all this, the Indians had stolen a leg-bye.
Raina, for whatever reason, thought that it was a great idea to flick a ball pitched outside off and shaping away. Millions of hearts, Indian and Pakistani, froze for a second or an eternity. Wahab Riaz did not drop the dolly at mid-on.
Yuvraj Singh. Who else was there? MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin… could India last another fourteen balls from Aamer?
Yuvraj got away because the ball bounced a bit. Aamer, cleverly, did not make the ball move away. Yuvraj, he of fifteen years of experience at international level, let the ball go. It went above off-stump. They managed a bye.
Kohli blocked the last ball. It was audible. The Indians heaved a sigh or relief.
Aamer 2-0-3-3. Kohli 5 from 10 balls.
Yuvraj released some pressure with a gorgeous cover-drive off Mohammad Irfan for four, but the Punjabi giant kept the pressure on: Yuvraj inside-edged the second and third balls an survived; he avoided being decapitated off the fifth; and the sixth missed his outside edge.
But then, again, back to Aamer versus Kohli.
Aamer knew that this was the wicket. He gave it his all. Perhaps he gave it too much. The ball soared above Sarfraz’s head on the bounce. Five wides. Unpardonable, while defending a target of 84. Not so, for this was Aamer, trying to get the biggest thorn in Pakistan’s flesh. Die by the sword…
The next ball was edged… or was that deliberate? Kohli keeps doing that all the time. Single.
One ball later, Kohli had the strike. He played it to point. Some hilarity was caused when Umar Akmal hit the umpire with a throw.
The next ball was over-pitched. Kohli defended it, but the plonk was not as sweet. The next ball, he played neatly to cover.
The next one beat the outside edge. Again. Again.
Aamer 3-0-10-3. It could well have been 3-0-10-5. Kohli 6 from 15 balls.
The lesser of the two battles, Irfan versus Yuvraj, commenced at the other end. The first three balls made Yuvraj hurry into his strokes. The next three were comfortably left. Yuvraj was gaining in confidence.
Afridi risked it. It was now or never. One final over for Aamer.
After being beaten and tormented by Aamer and having survived a call for LBW, Kohli was finally getting into his groove.
The first ball, he played to point. The second was short, the flick was in the air; it was a minor risk, but he had placed it well. Four runs. And India breathed. For once.
Out came the cover-drive, the next ball. The tables had turned. Aamer had three balls left. Kohli had almost seen him through. Kohli was calling the shots.
But he could not afford to get carried away. The next three balls were defended.
Kohli 14 from 21 balls. Aamer 4-0-18-3.
Kohli versus Aamer: 15 balls, 10 runs, 8 of which came in the last 5 balls. One close shout for LBW; two outside edges (one of them probably deliberate); one mistimed.
Aamer had redeemed himself.
The battle was over, somewhat unfairly, for had this been a contest in whites, there would have been a second spell. Aamer could not do anything but stare helplessly as Kohli marched along, toying with Wahab and others and guiding India to victory.
If only this was played in whites. If only this had happened, session after session, day after day, series after series, season after season…
If only they realised that the battle between bat and ball could be the one to end all violence.
If only they knew that cricket conquers all.
If only their rush of adrenaline depended on Kohli versus Aamer than on armed attacks.
If only they felt the urge to watch Kohli versus Aamer, again, again, again…
Give cricket a chance. Please.
(Abhishek Mukherjee is the Chief Editor at CricketCountry and CricLife. He blogs here and can be followed on Twitter here.)
