August 2006, Kuala Lumpur– DLF Cup 2nd ODI, India v/s West Indies
Sachin 141*(148b, 13*4s, 5*6s)
I always prefer watching an even contest
between bat and ball rather than witnessing the manslaughter of bowlers. But now
days the game has become lop-sided towards the batsmen. Fans who pay for the
game want to see heavy runs being piled up and the policy makers have obliged.
Flat wickets, shrinking grounds and the ever changing rules of the game have
made life tough for the bowlers; as a matter of fact, the bowlers would prefer
to be lying inside a coffin in the graveyard rather than bowling on most of the Indian
wickets. Maybe this is a part of the evolution of the game but I will always
have my soft corner for overcast conditions, slight dampness & grass on the
wicket, the bowlers making the ball go crazy and the batsmen playing a dogged
inning to score the runs. And any innings played in such testing condition will always be rated highly in my books. Let's look at one such knock which embodied patience, class and courage.
Sachin
suffered multiple injuries between 2004 and 2006. It was frustrating for the fans
see the premier batsman being sidelined for such an elongated period of time.
Sachin walked back into the team for the DLF Cup at Kuala Lumpur in August
2006. India was facing West Indies on a lively wicket in the 2nd match
of the series. India won the toss and opted to bat first. Sachin and Dravid started
the proceedings for India. Over cast conditions, damp pitch with small cracks
on it and bowler capable of bowling over 140 kmph on a consistent basis; this
was expected to be a tough comeback for Sachin.
In the very
first over, a ball from Jerome Taylor kept a little low; Sachin adjusted well
and guided the ball through the slips for a four. In the next over, Fidel
Edwards bowled a short one; it sailed over the head of Sachin; variable bounce
was only going to make things tough. The next ball was just short of good
length and pitched on the middle and off-stump; it swung outwards sharply and
took the outside edge of Sachin. But the wicket keeper made a mess of it.
Sachin retaliated with an inch perfect straight drive, only to be robbed off a
certain boundary by the stumps at the other end. The next delivery again swung
across the face of Sachin’s bat and beat him all hand down. The contest was exhilarating.
It’s often said in cricket that “You never get in on such wickets. One unplayable
delivery and you are gone. So score the runs when you can”. Sachin decide to
get as many runs as possible of the bad balls and play out the good one. Sachin
collected two well struck boundaries off Taylor; one with a flick to mid-wicket
and another with a fierce square-cut to point. The confidence in Sachin was
growing. Sachin also took two back to back boundaries off Edwards. The first
one was a little streaky; took the top edge and flew over the wicket-keeper’s
head for a one-bounce four. The next one was intentionally slashed over the
slips for a boundary. The game became a little subdued for a after that. The single
were not coming easily and the boundary balls were at a premium.
In the 12th
over Ian Bradshaw bowled an overpitched delivery from over the wicket; Sachin
played the shot of the day to collect four runs. It was a cover drive all along
the green carpet, oozing with class. Sachin was looking good now and the West
Indies skipper Brian Lara was just starting to get worried. He handed over the
ball to Dwayne Smith and asked him to pitch it on the cracks. A couple of balls
reared up and one even took the glove of Sachin but the master hung on. Sachin
kept on accumulating runs in a riskless manner but in between he also played some
glorious shots; a straight-drive for four, a pull for six and a leg-glance for
another boundary. He reached his half century off 67 balls with 7 fours and a
six.
Sachin along
with Irfan Pathan took Indian score to 200 by 35 overs. Sachin pushed the tempo
up and took on Dwayne Bravo for two fours in one over; one was a deft glide
through the third-man and the other was a firm lofted punch through the mid-off
region for four runs. Sachin completed his 40th century with a
single; it came off 119 balls with 13 boundaries and a six. Sachin’s innings was
the fulcrum around which the complete Indian batting rotated. He kept on
rotating the strike and others were given the chance to hit out. The wickets
kept on falling from the other end but Sachin kept on pushing the Indian score toward the coveted 300
mark. By the end of 47 overs, Indian scorecard read 271; the 300 mark looked
improbable. But Sachin finally exploded and finished off the innings with 4
powerful hits for maximum. The first one came off a half-volley on the off-stump
and the culprit was Bravo; Sachin craved it over the extra-cover region for a
six. An action replay followed three balls later; same bowler, same shot and
same result. However, this time the shot was a little straighter. In the
penultimate over Sachin took Taylor for another big one as he slogged a full delivery for six
over long-on. In the last over Sachin stepped out to Bravo and lofted him over the
extra-cover fence for the final six of the inning. Indian score swelled up to
309. Bravo was chosen for special punishment that day and Sachin took him for
40 runs with 4 boundaries and 3 sixes.
It was
a supremely calculated innings by Sachin; Started with caution, followed by
controlled accumulation of runs and capped off with an exuberant flourish. Sachin
batted through the complete quota of 50 overs and ended with unbeaten 141 runs.
The inning included 13 boundaries and 5 sixes. Unfortunately, India lost the
match by 29 runs under the influence of ridiculous Duckworth Lewis rule. Sachin
was awarded the man of the Match.
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