da premier bet： One of the most abused clichés in sport is the one about the game, ratherthan a team or individual, being the winner
Dileep Premachandran01-Mar-2005
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Inzamam-ul-Haq’s amaxing knock was not enough for Pakistan © AFP
One of the most abused clichés in sport is the one about the game, ratherthan a team or individual, being the winner. For those on the losing side,especially after a contest decided by the length of a fingernail, such aglib phrase is no more than a slap in the face, another reminder of fallingagonisingly short. But sometimes, maybe once every decade or so, sport hasthe ability to transcend itself and render the result immaterial. So it waswith this one-day international at Karachi.Years from now, those present will still marvel at the vivid memories, whilethose who watch archival footage will stare in awe at the splendour of thesporting theatre on offer. For India, the victory erased bitter memoriesthat went back almost two decades, but ultimately the result mattered littlewhen compared to the atmosphere that enveloped the ground as the afternoonslid into night.It had been seven years since an Indian team played in Pakistan, and therehad been no full tour since 1989. With Karachi being denied a Test match,the opening one-day match carried additional resonance, and there was asecurity phalanx in place by the time the two captains walked out to toss.Inzamam-ul-Haq won the toss to thunderous applause, and then befuddledeveryone by sending India in. The expected Sachin Tendulkar-Shoaib Akhtarsideshow didn¹t disappoint, but after the master had played some gloriousshots, it was Shoaib who wheeled away in celebration. By then though, withVirender Sehwag blazing away in all directions the run-rate had reachedastronomic proportions.By the time Sehwag was outfoxed by a slow yorker from Rana Naved-ul-Hasan tarred, feathered and hung out to dry by some scintillating shotmaking India were rattling along at ten an over, with the fielding restrictionsstill in place. Though Pakistan hauled it back in the second half of theinnings, a majestic 99 from Rahul Dravid gave India the impetus to reach349, leaving Pakistan to make 20 more than any team had ever done to win amatch batting second. And while the batting had been dazzling, it wasovershadowed by the effervescence and sense of fairness of a capacity crowdthat accorded a surprised Dravid a standing ovation.Pakistan¹s run chase, for the most part, seemed to consist of chasingshadows. The openers barely made a dent, and even though both Inzamam andYousuf Youhana batted with refreshing positivity and class, the requiredrun-rate refused to climb below eight. Youhana¹s was a coruscating hand, ajoyful amalgam of drives, cuts, languid flicks and outrageous hoicks thatappeared to give Inzamam heartburn. After he departed for a brilliant 73,the stage was all Inzamam¹s.He had eased into the cricketing consciousness with imperious shotmaking ina World Cup semi-final 12 years earlier, and faced with near-impossibleodds, he delved into his treasure chest of experience to unveil an inningsof intelligence and beauty. Paced to perfection, it had both bludgeon andcaress and strokes timed so magnificently that the fielders were made tolook clumsy and second-rate. With Younis Khan providing inventive support atthe other end, the 350-run oasis suddenly appeared to be more than achimera.It was Murali Kartik, playing only because both Harbhajan Singh and AnilKumble were out injured, who gave Ganguly respite, coaxing the faintest ofnicks from Inzamam¹s bat after he had stomped to 122 from just 104 balls.Suddenly, the equation 72 from 47 balls didn¹t seem as easily solvable.Younis and Abdul Razzaq though wouldn¹t entertain negative thoughts,thumping some fine boundaries as the target was whittled down. But Kartikthen bowled Younis, and Zaheer Khan pegged back Razzaq¹s off stump to leavethe burden to Moin Khan, an impudent and aggressive shotmaker in his heyday,and Shoaib Malik.With only 10 needed from eight balls came another defining moment in a matchthat was full of them. Malik¹s mighty heave had both Hemang Badani andMohammad Kaif running for it, and it required stunning concentration andspectacular agility from Kaif to prevent a sickening collision and hold onto a catch that gave the Indians fresh spring in weary stride.Nine were needed when Ganguly tossed the ball to Ashish Nehra, the mostinfuriatingly inconsistent element of India¹s pace attack. But Naved wasnervous, and Moin not quite the batsmen he was, as Nehra managed five ballsfor just three runs. After close to eight hours of compelling action, it hadcome to this a six off the last ball.Up on the players¹ balcony, Javed Miandad played out the stroke which woulddo it, desperately wishing to transmit the thought and action to Moin.Almost 18 years earlier, Miandad had picked up a legside full-toss fromChetan Sharma and slammed it over midwicket to stab a gaping hole in India¹scricket psyche, and he must have watched in amazement as Nehra came up witha waist-high offering.Moin, though, was no Miandad, and this full toss hastened on to his batbefore he could complete the cleaving motion that would send the ball intoorbit. As the ball looped up to Zaheer at midwicket, there were yells oftriumph from the Indian fielders. After a moment of stunned resignation, thecrowd responded with a chorus that no Indian present there will ever forget.In a rivalry characterised by mindless posturing and hatred on both sides,it was an epochal moment, that once-in-a-lifetime occasion when a tiredcliché about triumph and defeat being irrelevant made perfect sense.