Chennai 1999 what a great test
When did Los Angeles Times send its reporter to cover a test match? When did an Italian journalist cover a test match? We are not talking about a Milan Derby at San Siro. It was in 1999. The coliseum was the historic M A Chidambaram Stadium in the locality of Chepauk in Chennai which was formerly known as Madras. Why did the LA Times reporter and the Italian one were there in Chennai? They came there to see how a nuclear armed India and nuclear armed Pakistan will fight like ?cry babies? in the field of cricket. They didn?t want to miss some interesting fight in the field of cricket. May be they had every reason to be there though their knowledge of cricket was akin to finding hen?s teeth.
The occasion wasn?t that big! India and Pakistan were commencing their cricketing rivalry after a gap of 10 years. Isn?t it a long gestation? That was Pakistan?s first visit to India after 12 years. Yes. Lots of water has flown under the bridge since Imran?s team conquered India in that unforgettable test match at Bangalore.
Times have changed in 12 years. There was no Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, and Abdul Qadir from Pakistan. There was no Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Dilip Vengsarkar, Mohinder Amarnath and Ravi Shastri from India. But the passion and emotions remain the same. After all it is the mother of all the battles (atleast for the South Asians).
The battle lines were clearly drawn. The pressure was felt even by the umpires as they made one mistake after another in the most ludicrous manner. Steve Dunne and V.K.Ramaswamy weren?t at their best on those four days.
I was lucky enough to go to the ground to watch the first, second and fourth (final) days of the test match. I was just a few months into my first job and still I had ?high fever with vomitting?and I called up my Project manager from the hospital. May be they christened the hospital as ?Chepauk stadium? on that day for my convenience. That was the first time I was into a ground to watch an international game of cricket. The roar was stunning and the atmosphere was electric. When Saeed Anwar was given LBW shouldering arms the whole stadium rejoiced since they have witnessed him make a small amount of 194 in an ODI a year earlier at the same venue. Pakistan recovered thanks to a calm 50+ from Youhana and a cavalier innings from Moin Khan which was played from the heart as he does in his wont. But India was able to bowl out Pakistan for 238 and we were in good spirits. Then Ramesh on his debut and Laxman had to negotiate some 8 overs in the fading light and the humidity levels were atrocious at that time of the day due to sea breeze. Boy! What a debut for Ramesh? He was facing the deadly pair of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis and he timed the ball regally. The whole stadium erupted in unison since Ramesh was a home boy and most of them in the stadium had seen him play at the various club levels in Chennai. We went back home happily thanking the Indian team for providing a good day?s play.
On day 2 my fever got intensified and the temperature went up to 103 degree Fahrenheit and I had to take another day off from work. It was a day which announced the arrival of Saqlain Mushtaq to the world of cricket. When Ramesh was given out LBW to Akram on the second day morning the whole crowd cheered as if Ramesh was playing for Pakistan. Hang on! There has to be something wrong here. No. The departure of Ramesh did allow the arrival of Sachin Tendulkar. He came to the crease to a tumultuous welcome. His body language was positive and he did his usual look to the sun to get used to the natural light after entering the ground from the closed confines of the dressing room. We were all dancing in the isles as if our greatest ambition in life was about to be unfolded. He came. He saw. Alas he was conquered. The wily off spinner bowled a beautiful drifter which flummoxed the great man and he spooned a simple catch to Salim Malik at point. When Malik took the catch he was the enemy number 1 for the whole of Chepauk nay India. It was a reckless shot in hindsight but the credit has to be given to Saqlain for fooling Sachin with his artistry. Then Rahul Dravid and Saurav Ganguly resurrected the Indian innings with some disciplined batting. But the stadium wasn?t enjoying since they felt like robbed. Their man has let them down badly. To all those who wanted to watch the great man display his wares they were thwarted by the magic of Saqlain Mushtaq. Saqlain bowled a beautiful spell and with the help of Afridi he helped Pakistan to restrict India to a slender 16 run lead. In Pakistan?s second innings Venky Prasad had Anwar to a lovely delivery. The day ended bizarrely when the play was suspended when Ijaz complained about something which wasn?t clear to us in the stands. We realized later that Ijaz couldn?t bat since the sun was right into his eyes at that time of the day. It must have been strange to see a day?s play being closed for Sun being too bright!!
Day 3 - Afridi and Prasad hog the limelight
I had to go back to work on a Saturday (backlog) which didn?t allow me to go to the stadium. The day saw how Afridi played a whirlwind innings which threatened to take the game away from us. But Sachin was able to remove Inzamam and Youhana to keep Pakistan in check. But the partnership between Malik and Afridi was so threatening and we started to lose hope (Pakistan 4/275). It required a moment of absolute brilliance from Rahul Dravid to turn the tide towards India. He took an absolute blinder off Sunil Joshi to dismiss Malik. It was a stupendous low catch to his left and that lifted the sagging morale of the Indian team. Then Venkatesh Prasad turned into a ?Wheatish Ambrose? as he ran through the Pakistani side in a stunning spell of Five wickets for NO RUNS. He helped India to bowl out Pakistan for 286 and that set India a target of 271 to win. When India started their final chase they ran into a red hot Waqar Younis who was spitting fire. He removed Ramesh and Laxman with two rib snorters and India were in a precarious 2/20 and which let Sachin Tendulkar to grace the occasion.
The last time Sachin Tendulkar has faced Waqar was in Sialkot in 1989 when the bowler broke his nose with a corker. Sachin didn?t flinch as he played a heroic innings at that time to save the test for India. He made every drop of blood which fell on Jinnah Stadium to count. Times have changed. It is not a battle between a teenage prodigy and a young fast bowler. The prodigy has become the best batsman in the world and the fast bowler has become an all time great. Waqar Younis ran in like a raging bull and the question on everyone?s lips was how Sachin will survive the last few overs. He did survive with panache. He bent his knees and off drove Waqar Younis in a fashion which deserved the Kohinoor diamond to be moved from UK to Sachin?s Bandra residence in Mumbai. It was class at its superb best. India ended the day at 2/40 requiring another 231 for win on the final day.
Day 4 - Another Greek tragedy for India
It was the SUPER SUNDAY for the subcontinent fans. All the roads in Chennai led to the M A Chidambaram Stadium. Everyone was hopeful that their talisman will shepherd India to safety past the choppy waters. The whole stadium was sporting a war paint with tension being palpable on everyone?s face. I went to the stadium wearing a cap with an India flag and a T-shirt with an Indian flag stitched on it. We went as a group of four and we carried a huge Indian flag. We were seated in a stand which was in the square leg position from one end and covers from the other end. Chennai wanted nothing but an Indian win. Why not? Our great messiah is there batting with confidence.
Wasim Akram is not Wasim Akram for nothing. He ran in and bowled an absolute beauty. Rahul Dravid didn?t know what hit him. IMO Wasim?s delivery to dismiss Rahul Dravid has to be rated higher than his dismissals of Lamb and Lewis at Melbourne in 1992. The ball swung in the air and beat Dravid Lock, stock and barrel. Saurav Ganguly came and went back thanks to another incompetent umpiring decision (a bumped ball). Azhar too was chased away with ease and India were staring at the barrel at 82/5 with no light in sight at the end of the long and winding tunnel. The crowds were quiet. Even the highly vociferous ?Sachin?Sachin??Sachiiinn? chorus has died down.
But Sachin Tendulkar had set his mind on winning the game for India. His defense against the swing and pace of Akram and Waqar was exemplary. He tackled Saqlain, Nadeem Khan and Afridi with aplomb. He attacked them at the right moments. He found an able ally in Nayan Mongia and both of them started to give life to the crowd as the Mexican waves started to appear again and the usual religious chants of ?Sachin?.Sachin??.Sachin???.Sachiiin? have started to appear again. The crowds were delirious and the flags were innumerable.
When Sachin completed his wonderful 100 I asked an elderly gentleman (who was sitting behind me) who has visited the ground for more than 30 years a simple question. I asked him ?Do you rate this Sachin innings better than Vishwanath?s 97 against West Indies in 1974-75 at the same ground?? He said ?It is a close call?.
Pakistan is not India?s biggest bugbear without any reason. They didn?t have the great leadership of Imran Khan in 1999. But still Wasim Akram was a good motivator in his own right. He never let the shoulders drop and he kept on egging his team and they were rewarded when Nayan Mongia played an awful shot and then the skipper was quick to remove Anil Kumble.
When India was just 17 runs away from their first win over Pakistan in 20 years, the great tragedy struck. Sachin who was conducting his virtuoso orchestra amidst great back spasms and unbearable pain finally died as a brave soldier at Chepauk. He spent every ounce of his energy towards the national cause and he had to be saluted for his fortitude. Once again he was beaten by the drifter of Saqlain Mushtaq and when Wasim Akram took THE CATCH he broke millions of Indian hearts. Still India should have won the game. But Pakistan had the confidence of 1987 Bangalore while India had the ghosts of 1987 revisiting them again. Indian tail didn?t have the clue against the guile and wile of Akram and Saqlain.
When Srinath and Venky Prasad were batting at the crease the whole stadium was hoping for a miracle. There were chants of ?Pillayaarappa, Yesuvae, Allahvae Indiaa vai kappathuppa? (English translation from Tamil: Lord Ganesh, Jesus, Allah please save India) from some sections of the stands. The Gods didn?t answer the Indian prayers. There was one more twist when Pakistan was one wicket away from the win. There was a mix up between the batsmen and the decision (run out) was referred to the third umpire. The stadium didn?t have a giant screen then and the crowds turned to the press box (the green and red lights were just above the press box) hoping against the hope to see whether India has some more fight left or not. When we saw the Pakistani journalists rejoicing in the press box (after seeing the TV there) we expected the red light to come. Usually in Indian press boxes the visiting journalists sit in the front rows followed by the home reporters. But thankfully the green light came to offer a glimmer of hope for India. But Saqlain Mushtaq duly bowled Srinath to complete an unbelievable win for Pakistan and the whole stadium was able to hear the breath of each and every Pakistani player since a pin drop silence descended on the stadium. The Pakistanis were a a-hoop and we could hear their joyous noises and it entered our ears like a sharp knife.
When the Pakistanis started their famous victory lap from the Anna Pavilion the cheers started to emanate from the main pavilion and it did spread like wild fire. As the Pakistanis ran through the field the noise became deafening. I was one of the few individuals who just didn?t have the heart to clap since I had the huge Indian tricolor wrapped around me like my dear life and tears were rolling down the cheeks. For me it was not just a cricket loss. It was a national calamity as Pakistan had come to India and snatched victory from jaws of defeat in front of my eyes. My heart just couldn?t accept the reality. I know in reality no one had died. But it was not just another game of cricket.
Finally we had to leave the ground licking our wounds after yet another heart breaking loss against Pakistan. 12 years have gone since the agony of Bangalore. We have added one more chapter to the sour memories of Indian cricket.
But in the final analysis one has to give credit to the wonderful spell by Saqlain Mushtaq on day two against the strong Indian middle order including a duck for Sachin Tendulkar. One has to salute the savagery of Afridi though he wasn?t one bit pretty. Wasim Akram?s captaincy in the final stages of the game was as cool as one would expect in a crunch situation.
Finally the most disappointed men were the ones who came from LA Times and Italy. They expected an India-Pakistan battle and finally they were reminded that the subcontinent cricket fans can be as sportive as the ones in Milan and New York. Their editors must be cursing their decisions to spend so much to send them and not to see an ugly brawl between the teams. It was a day when India stood tall even in a painful defeat because of the generous and sportive Chennai fans.
Let us relive those moments at Mohali, Kolkata and Bangalore.
Jai Hind!
When did Los Angeles Times send its reporter to cover a test match? When did an Italian journalist cover a test match? We are not talking about a Milan Derby at San Siro. It was in 1999. The coliseum was the historic M A Chidambaram Stadium in the locality of Chepauk in Chennai which was formerly known as Madras. Why did the LA Times reporter and the Italian one were there in Chennai? They came there to see how a nuclear armed India and nuclear armed Pakistan will fight like ?cry babies? in the field of cricket. They didn?t want to miss some interesting fight in the field of cricket. May be they had every reason to be there though their knowledge of cricket was akin to finding hen?s teeth.
The occasion wasn?t that big! India and Pakistan were commencing their cricketing rivalry after a gap of 10 years. Isn?t it a long gestation? That was Pakistan?s first visit to India after 12 years. Yes. Lots of water has flown under the bridge since Imran?s team conquered India in that unforgettable test match at Bangalore.
Times have changed in 12 years. There was no Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, and Abdul Qadir from Pakistan. There was no Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, Dilip Vengsarkar, Mohinder Amarnath and Ravi Shastri from India. But the passion and emotions remain the same. After all it is the mother of all the battles (atleast for the South Asians).
The battle lines were clearly drawn. The pressure was felt even by the umpires as they made one mistake after another in the most ludicrous manner. Steve Dunne and V.K.Ramaswamy weren?t at their best on those four days.
I was lucky enough to go to the ground to watch the first, second and fourth (final) days of the test match. I was just a few months into my first job and still I had ?high fever with vomitting?and I called up my Project manager from the hospital. May be they christened the hospital as ?Chepauk stadium? on that day for my convenience. That was the first time I was into a ground to watch an international game of cricket. The roar was stunning and the atmosphere was electric. When Saeed Anwar was given LBW shouldering arms the whole stadium rejoiced since they have witnessed him make a small amount of 194 in an ODI a year earlier at the same venue. Pakistan recovered thanks to a calm 50+ from Youhana and a cavalier innings from Moin Khan which was played from the heart as he does in his wont. But India was able to bowl out Pakistan for 238 and we were in good spirits. Then Ramesh on his debut and Laxman had to negotiate some 8 overs in the fading light and the humidity levels were atrocious at that time of the day due to sea breeze. Boy! What a debut for Ramesh? He was facing the deadly pair of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis and he timed the ball regally. The whole stadium erupted in unison since Ramesh was a home boy and most of them in the stadium had seen him play at the various club levels in Chennai. We went back home happily thanking the Indian team for providing a good day?s play.
On day 2 my fever got intensified and the temperature went up to 103 degree Fahrenheit and I had to take another day off from work. It was a day which announced the arrival of Saqlain Mushtaq to the world of cricket. When Ramesh was given out LBW to Akram on the second day morning the whole crowd cheered as if Ramesh was playing for Pakistan. Hang on! There has to be something wrong here. No. The departure of Ramesh did allow the arrival of Sachin Tendulkar. He came to the crease to a tumultuous welcome. His body language was positive and he did his usual look to the sun to get used to the natural light after entering the ground from the closed confines of the dressing room. We were all dancing in the isles as if our greatest ambition in life was about to be unfolded. He came. He saw. Alas he was conquered. The wily off spinner bowled a beautiful drifter which flummoxed the great man and he spooned a simple catch to Salim Malik at point. When Malik took the catch he was the enemy number 1 for the whole of Chepauk nay India. It was a reckless shot in hindsight but the credit has to be given to Saqlain for fooling Sachin with his artistry. Then Rahul Dravid and Saurav Ganguly resurrected the Indian innings with some disciplined batting. But the stadium wasn?t enjoying since they felt like robbed. Their man has let them down badly. To all those who wanted to watch the great man display his wares they were thwarted by the magic of Saqlain Mushtaq. Saqlain bowled a beautiful spell and with the help of Afridi he helped Pakistan to restrict India to a slender 16 run lead. In Pakistan?s second innings Venky Prasad had Anwar to a lovely delivery. The day ended bizarrely when the play was suspended when Ijaz complained about something which wasn?t clear to us in the stands. We realized later that Ijaz couldn?t bat since the sun was right into his eyes at that time of the day. It must have been strange to see a day?s play being closed for Sun being too bright!!
Day 3 - Afridi and Prasad hog the limelight
I had to go back to work on a Saturday (backlog) which didn?t allow me to go to the stadium. The day saw how Afridi played a whirlwind innings which threatened to take the game away from us. But Sachin was able to remove Inzamam and Youhana to keep Pakistan in check. But the partnership between Malik and Afridi was so threatening and we started to lose hope (Pakistan 4/275). It required a moment of absolute brilliance from Rahul Dravid to turn the tide towards India. He took an absolute blinder off Sunil Joshi to dismiss Malik. It was a stupendous low catch to his left and that lifted the sagging morale of the Indian team. Then Venkatesh Prasad turned into a ?Wheatish Ambrose? as he ran through the Pakistani side in a stunning spell of Five wickets for NO RUNS. He helped India to bowl out Pakistan for 286 and that set India a target of 271 to win. When India started their final chase they ran into a red hot Waqar Younis who was spitting fire. He removed Ramesh and Laxman with two rib snorters and India were in a precarious 2/20 and which let Sachin Tendulkar to grace the occasion.
The last time Sachin Tendulkar has faced Waqar was in Sialkot in 1989 when the bowler broke his nose with a corker. Sachin didn?t flinch as he played a heroic innings at that time to save the test for India. He made every drop of blood which fell on Jinnah Stadium to count. Times have changed. It is not a battle between a teenage prodigy and a young fast bowler. The prodigy has become the best batsman in the world and the fast bowler has become an all time great. Waqar Younis ran in like a raging bull and the question on everyone?s lips was how Sachin will survive the last few overs. He did survive with panache. He bent his knees and off drove Waqar Younis in a fashion which deserved the Kohinoor diamond to be moved from UK to Sachin?s Bandra residence in Mumbai. It was class at its superb best. India ended the day at 2/40 requiring another 231 for win on the final day.
Day 4 - Another Greek tragedy for India
It was the SUPER SUNDAY for the subcontinent fans. All the roads in Chennai led to the M A Chidambaram Stadium. Everyone was hopeful that their talisman will shepherd India to safety past the choppy waters. The whole stadium was sporting a war paint with tension being palpable on everyone?s face. I went to the stadium wearing a cap with an India flag and a T-shirt with an Indian flag stitched on it. We went as a group of four and we carried a huge Indian flag. We were seated in a stand which was in the square leg position from one end and covers from the other end. Chennai wanted nothing but an Indian win. Why not? Our great messiah is there batting with confidence.
Wasim Akram is not Wasim Akram for nothing. He ran in and bowled an absolute beauty. Rahul Dravid didn?t know what hit him. IMO Wasim?s delivery to dismiss Rahul Dravid has to be rated higher than his dismissals of Lamb and Lewis at Melbourne in 1992. The ball swung in the air and beat Dravid Lock, stock and barrel. Saurav Ganguly came and went back thanks to another incompetent umpiring decision (a bumped ball). Azhar too was chased away with ease and India were staring at the barrel at 82/5 with no light in sight at the end of the long and winding tunnel. The crowds were quiet. Even the highly vociferous ?Sachin?Sachin??Sachiiinn? chorus has died down.
But Sachin Tendulkar had set his mind on winning the game for India. His defense against the swing and pace of Akram and Waqar was exemplary. He tackled Saqlain, Nadeem Khan and Afridi with aplomb. He attacked them at the right moments. He found an able ally in Nayan Mongia and both of them started to give life to the crowd as the Mexican waves started to appear again and the usual religious chants of ?Sachin?.Sachin??.Sachin???.Sachiiin? have started to appear again. The crowds were delirious and the flags were innumerable.
When Sachin completed his wonderful 100 I asked an elderly gentleman (who was sitting behind me) who has visited the ground for more than 30 years a simple question. I asked him ?Do you rate this Sachin innings better than Vishwanath?s 97 against West Indies in 1974-75 at the same ground?? He said ?It is a close call?.
Pakistan is not India?s biggest bugbear without any reason. They didn?t have the great leadership of Imran Khan in 1999. But still Wasim Akram was a good motivator in his own right. He never let the shoulders drop and he kept on egging his team and they were rewarded when Nayan Mongia played an awful shot and then the skipper was quick to remove Anil Kumble.
When India was just 17 runs away from their first win over Pakistan in 20 years, the great tragedy struck. Sachin who was conducting his virtuoso orchestra amidst great back spasms and unbearable pain finally died as a brave soldier at Chepauk. He spent every ounce of his energy towards the national cause and he had to be saluted for his fortitude. Once again he was beaten by the drifter of Saqlain Mushtaq and when Wasim Akram took THE CATCH he broke millions of Indian hearts. Still India should have won the game. But Pakistan had the confidence of 1987 Bangalore while India had the ghosts of 1987 revisiting them again. Indian tail didn?t have the clue against the guile and wile of Akram and Saqlain.
When Srinath and Venky Prasad were batting at the crease the whole stadium was hoping for a miracle. There were chants of ?Pillayaarappa, Yesuvae, Allahvae Indiaa vai kappathuppa? (English translation from Tamil: Lord Ganesh, Jesus, Allah please save India) from some sections of the stands. The Gods didn?t answer the Indian prayers. There was one more twist when Pakistan was one wicket away from the win. There was a mix up between the batsmen and the decision (run out) was referred to the third umpire. The stadium didn?t have a giant screen then and the crowds turned to the press box (the green and red lights were just above the press box) hoping against the hope to see whether India has some more fight left or not. When we saw the Pakistani journalists rejoicing in the press box (after seeing the TV there) we expected the red light to come. Usually in Indian press boxes the visiting journalists sit in the front rows followed by the home reporters. But thankfully the green light came to offer a glimmer of hope for India. But Saqlain Mushtaq duly bowled Srinath to complete an unbelievable win for Pakistan and the whole stadium was able to hear the breath of each and every Pakistani player since a pin drop silence descended on the stadium. The Pakistanis were a a-hoop and we could hear their joyous noises and it entered our ears like a sharp knife.
When the Pakistanis started their famous victory lap from the Anna Pavilion the cheers started to emanate from the main pavilion and it did spread like wild fire. As the Pakistanis ran through the field the noise became deafening. I was one of the few individuals who just didn?t have the heart to clap since I had the huge Indian tricolor wrapped around me like my dear life and tears were rolling down the cheeks. For me it was not just a cricket loss. It was a national calamity as Pakistan had come to India and snatched victory from jaws of defeat in front of my eyes. My heart just couldn?t accept the reality. I know in reality no one had died. But it was not just another game of cricket.
Finally we had to leave the ground licking our wounds after yet another heart breaking loss against Pakistan. 12 years have gone since the agony of Bangalore. We have added one more chapter to the sour memories of Indian cricket.
But in the final analysis one has to give credit to the wonderful spell by Saqlain Mushtaq on day two against the strong Indian middle order including a duck for Sachin Tendulkar. One has to salute the savagery of Afridi though he wasn?t one bit pretty. Wasim Akram?s captaincy in the final stages of the game was as cool as one would expect in a crunch situation.
Finally the most disappointed men were the ones who came from LA Times and Italy. They expected an India-Pakistan battle and finally they were reminded that the subcontinent cricket fans can be as sportive as the ones in Milan and New York. Their editors must be cursing their decisions to spend so much to send them and not to see an ugly brawl between the teams. It was a day when India stood tall even in a painful defeat because of the generous and sportive Chennai fans.
Let us relive those moments at Mohali, Kolkata and Bangalore.
Jai Hind!
