Published: Aug 14, 2015, 06:41 PM (IST)
Edited: Aug 14, 2015, 06:41 PM (IST)
Rahul Dravid was hit in the stomach by a ball from James Anderson, in the India-dominated World Cup match between India and England in 2003. The Indian top order batsmen got starts, and among them, Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar scored half-centuries. They lost four wickets in the final over of the innings, but by then they had reached 250. Dravid, in the latter overs, attempted quick runs, and in that pursuit he lost his wicket, one of the four that fell in the final over. England, in anti climactic but a euphoric (for Indian supporters) sequence of events for India supporters, collapsed and were bowled out for 168. READ: Rahul Dravid’s reluctance at taking high-profile responsibility a blessing in disguise for India
Ashish Nehra, the left-arm fast bowler, took six of those wickets, most of them caught behind or in the slips off balls angled across the batsmen.
This is what he wrote, in an article published by the media:
“Had we lost against England, it would have become difficult to qualify for the Super Six stage. I had been bowling well going into the tournament and that helped me in this match. I finished with career-best figures of 6 for 23 – still the best bowling performance by an Indian in a World Cup. There are few moments during a cricketer’s career that everybody remembers and that became mine.”
India went on to reach the final, where they lost to Australia by 123 runs. Ricky Ponting scored an attacking century to wash out India’s hopes of clinching the World Cup.
