And they choked!
Circa February 24
The venue was New Delhi’s Feroz Shah Kotla and South Africa were up against the West Indies. Johan Botha got Chris Gayle in the first over, Darren Bravo displayed his Laraesque traits, debutant Imran Tahir picked up four wickets and AB de Villiers scored a match-winning hundred. And yes, there was some rain too.
But this time, the Proteas had got their math right! The ridiculous ease with which South Africa won their World Cup-opener prompted one to wonder if they would go on to create history. Graeme Smith & Co won five out of their six preliminary matches to finish atop Group ‘B’.
However, 29 days into their campaign, South Africa were slated to meet New Zealand in the third quarterfinal at Dhaka. On match-eve, their media manager was busy finding out a way to ferry the players and journalists to Colombo for the semifinal! That’s how sure the Proteas were of seeing off the Kiwis.
Their bowlers did everything right and restricted Daniel Vettori & Co to 221 for eight. Smith and Jacques Kallis and de Villiers batted well and took them within 100 runs of the target.
Then, tragedy struck. Jacob Oram rose to the occasion and his four-wicket haul meant that the last five batsmen added just 13 runs. And history repeated itself. South Africa choked yet again.
—Derek Abraham
When Sachin hooked Steyn
The 2011 World Cup was all about a certain Sachin Tendulkar. And like millions of Indians, I am a diehard fan of his. So to see Tendulkar lift the Cup was a dream come true. I felt that I was chasing the dream with Tendulkar. I was lucky to cover a few games. And what a match it was — India vs South Africa at Nagpur.
The mouthwatering Group ‘B’ contest lived up to expectations. India, however, lost by three wickets with two balls to spare.
It may have taken more than a year for Tendulkar to reach his 100th international century, but it took him just two games to go from 98 to 99. Tendulkar, then 37, played like a 17-year-old.
His 101-ball 111 came against one of the best attacks, led by Dale Steyn.
And given that I had seen all his ODI hundreds on the idiot box, watching him tear apart an attack from the best seat in the house was a different experience. He drove, flicked and cut with elan, but that hook shot for six, off Steyn, was the shot of the day. The century, laced with eight boundaries and three sixes, came in a losing cause, thereby giving his critics more fodder. But for me, the Cup was for Tendulkar.
—Taus Rizvi
Stadium or War zone?
There was a World Cup and there was a World Cup semifinal. The India-Pakistan contest in Mohali exceeded all limits of comprehension. It was not just cricket.
The publicity, expectancy, security, heat, hype, hoopla, drama and, in short, chaos surrounding the match went up to hysteric levels. There were policemen, armymen, paramilitary forces, commandoes, sleuths, guards, security guards, private guards… they all went from berserk to insane. Chandigarh was a city under siege. The PCA Stadium was guarded as if it were a nuclear hub. Pentagon may not have such high security.
Amid this, there were rumours about a terrorist strike and the preparedness for any eventuality. Somewhere inside the stadium, there apparently was a chamber which would have housed the players, VIPs and VVIPs. It was a war zone.
There were ministers, prime ministers, governors, leaders, politicians, bureaucrats, diplomats, and film stars. The air was filled with the talk of India-Pakistan peace, friendship, bonhomie, diplomacy, terrorism, Kashmir…. In the hustle and bustle of the security exercise of gargantuan levels, the cricketers were reduced to extras. Cricket was pushed to the backburner.
Not quite! The hyperactivity failed to hijack cricket. When the national anthems were played, everything else was forgotten. Even as the Tri-colour fluttered, the stadium rose in unison and chanted Jana Gana Mana… in full throttle. The air was filled with patriotic flavour. It was a moment of wonder and breathtaking emotion.
—Vijay Tagore
Do it the Zim way
Covering the ICC World Cup was a dream come true. Forget the matches, I will treasure what the Zimbabwean team taught me. Cricketers from this country made me realise the true meaning of sportsmanship.
Stalwarts Heath Streak, Grant Flower and Alistair Campbell, all former skippers, were in India with a young team. They were members of the support staff and reporting to chief coach Alan Butcher, an English cricketer who had played a Test and an ODI. Every member of the squad, well aware of his job, did not invade anyone’s territory.
Streak, the former all-rounder, justified his role as bowling consultant. Batting coach Flower guided the young players. Chief selector Campbell was always around. I found quite astounding because in a country like India where cricket is a religion, bringing together three former captains on a single platform for a cricketing cause is next to impossible. What if Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev and Dilip Vengsarkar teamed up for the sake of Indian cricket? Well, we wouldn’t see any more whitewashes!
—Nikhilesh Pathak
Zak makes it possible
I had a fascinating time covering the only tied encounter in the World Cup. Sachin Tendulkar and Andrew Strauss may have scored brilliant centuries as both sides ended up with 338 on the board, but it was Zaheer Khan’s brilliant spell that stood out.
He picked up three wickets for 11 runs in three overs to bring India back into the game. It was the 43rd over of the match and the first of the batting powerplay. England, who needed 59 off 48 balls with eight wickets in hand, were in cruise mode.
Skipper Strauss, who had 157 to his name, and Ian Bell (batting on 69) never looked like getting out. Zaheer, who had figures of 7-0-53-0 to show prior to this over, came up with a gem of a performance.
To me, it was the over of the tournament. He had Bell caught at mid-off by Virat Kohli on the fourth ball. Up next was a deadly yorker which even Strauss couldn’t tackle. The southpaw was gone for 158.
If not for these wickets, the match could have well gone in England’s favour. The manner in which Zaheer made up for his mediocre opening spell gave him a lot of self confidence. He went on to become the joint-highest wicket-taker of the tournament.
—Angshuman Deb Barma
Paid holiday in Colombo
First of all, let me assure you that I am a very hard-working journalist. But landing in Colombo on March 24, 2011 to report on the Sri Lanka-England quarterfinal on March 26 was like going on a holiday.
The place was buzzing with familiar sports journos from India. Now, it wasn’t that nobody wanted to work — no! It was just that the real action was in Mohali, as the India-Pakistan semifinal was on March 30.
Everyone asked me why I’d come to Colombo when the real action was in Mohali. I told them this paid holiday was a reward for a year’s hard work for my TV channel.
The first thing I did on the day of the Mohali match was ask my boss what they expected of me. The answer was music to my ears — “Nothing! The Pakistan and Indian Prime Ministers are in Mohali. No one wants to know what’s happening in Colombo!”
My most difficult assignment in Colombo was on March 30 when I desperately tried to find a big screen to watch the India-Pak match. I counted the number of Sri Lankans hooting for India in the five-star hotel. There were very few!
But I was the one celebrating as India won. Thus ended my paid holiday.
—Chander Shekhar Luthra
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}