The best since Edgbaston!

I shudder to think that I almost managed to miss this match! The venue shift from Kolkata had ensured that the number of tickets available to the public in Bangalore was far fewer than usual and the struggle that ensued on February 24th when tickets were sold was extraordinary. Being used to easy access to tickets and passes, I braced myself for a whole new experience at the stadium few days before the game. We spent a sleepless night witnessing violent crowd behaviour, a police lathi-charge and continuous chaos before finally managing to get just two tickets. The number of tickets sold was less than half of what had been advertised. Following a heavy criticism of their high-handedness, the KSCA decided to release a few more tickets online. I managed to purchase two more tickets after receiving useful information about the online sale of tickets. I was fortunate because the entire quota of online tickets was exhausted in less than an half hour.

Finally, on the big day, we reached the ground about five hours before the start only to find nearly 150 people queued up already at the gates. The intensive security measures ensured that we could not carry any food or water inside the ground. Haphazard seat allocation procedures meant that nobody quite knew where they were supposed to be seated. But eventually, all I cared about was watching the game, and with a great group of cricket crazy fans, it was undoubtedly going to be a day to remember. None of us, however, had the faintest idea of what was about to transpire in the next few hours.

India won the toss and batted. Most of us realised that this was a major factor considering the strength of the batting lineup and the presence of two spinners. A frenetic start where Virender Sehwag had three lives in five balls left us gasping. Sachin Tendulkar played another of his superb ODI knocks, mixing aggression with sound placement. Crucially though, India lost far too many wickets in the end overs and finished about 15-20 runs short of what they should have got after the excellent platform they had. Being dismissed one ball short of the 50 overs is not a bad thing usually, but as we were to realise, on this flat track, every run, including the single the last pair failed to complete, was going to be vital. The Bangalore crowd, already known for its vociferous support, only got louder as the innings progressed and the raucous cheers that went up when Tendulkar reached his century were mind numbing to say the least.

While 339 seemed unassailable, I was not quite confident. The track had absolutely nothing for the bowlers, and if the batsmen had a good outing, the chase was very much on. Andrew Strauss and Kevin Pietersen started like a train, and to most avid watchers, it all seemed like the blistering start the Pakistan openers had given in the 1996 quarter-final. Munaf Patel, not generally known for his fielding, demonstrated stunning reflexes and managed to latch on to a return catch offered by Pietersen. The crowd was roaring and when Jonathan Trott was dismissed soon after, it seemed like curtails for England. A hugely controversial moment followed when Ian Bell was reprieved after being struck palpably in front. The rule stated that in the event the ball strikes the pad at a distance greater than 2.5 metres from the stumps, the decision would stick with the on field call. The technicality of the UDRS had saved Bell and the displeasure in the crowd was immense. Loud chants of “cheating” and other expletives were heard for a while, and at about the 40 over mark, England seemed to well and truly have the match wrapped up.

Strauss’ century was the highest score by an England batsman and one of the finest in an ODI chase. MS Dhoni’s defensive tactics were not going to bring any success and it seemed very obvious that for India to have a chance, England had to mess up. The decision to take the batting powerplay immediately paid dividends when Bell was caught trying to go over the top. Zaheer Khan’s searing yorker nailed Strauss the very next ball and the stadium went wild. Chairs were being thrown, people fell on top of one another and few others even ripped their shirts off in Sourav Ganguly style. With two more wickets falling quickly, it seemed as if England had succumbed to the pressure exerted by the crowd and the bowling. 29 runs required off two overs. India surely could not lose. Enter Swann and Bresnan. They took 15 runs of the hapless Piyush Chawla, setting up a fantastic final over. With 11 runs required off four balls, Ahmed Shahzad deposited a half-volley from Munaf Patel for a six over long on. The crowd could not bear to watch and suddenly a tie seemed a possibility. The improbable came true when, with two needed off the last ball, Swann drove to the covers. The ball was somehow fielded and one of the greatest matches in World Cup history had come to the most amazing of ends and need I say I was privileged to be present for this one. Once again, it is impossible to believe I almost missed this game!