India against Australia 2001 the greatest series – 3, Part 1 and Part 2 can be read here and here.
The Australian chase
Hayden and Slater started off briskly. This could be risky for India. Do the Australians know only one way to play? Do they always win? Just the day earlier, we witnessed couple of miracles. Are we going to experience one or few more miracles? I could feel my body getting cold out of anxiety. Then the first wicket fell but Langer came in and was extremely aggressive. Surely, Australians have decided to win the game. If they have decided nothing can stop them. Then Langer fell and in a few overs, Mark Waugh too.
Now, the Australians will play for a draw but they didn’t because Hayden and Steve Waugh scored a further 50 runs in 15 overs. Enough to keep up with the asking rate. Then the sardar and Tendulkar imposed themselves on the game. 5 quick wickets and that put paid to any hopes of an miraculous Australian win.
Nervous last few overs
Will the last pair be able to save the game? McGrath who was a mug with the bat survived 8 overs. Time was ticking by and so were the overs. All my finger nails were chewed. I was sweating in the Saudi heat despite the AC running in full blast. I did not speak to any of my friends for more than 5 hours and I even missed bathroom breaks. The anxiety grew with every passing delivery. Then, Harbhajan turned one delivery that McGrath padded and the vociferous appeal was upheld.
It was a famous and improbable win. Against the odds. Final frontier is still not breached. I was filled with joy but I remained calm. As the Bhagavad Gita says, treat both victory and defeat equally. This test will remains in the memory of everyone who had the privilege of watching it. Easily among the top 3 greatest tests ever. Years later, when a DVD was released, I purchased one of the earliest copy.
Off to Chennai
India was back in the series. Now I was certain that India will win the series. Confidence is high. Momentum is with India. One of the Australian batsman was nullified by Harbhajan. Australia does not seem to have an answer for Harbhajan. Tendulkar’s pride has been piqued. Ganguly, the combative skipper sensed blood. He kept Steve Waugh waiting for the toss throughout the series.
Start of the final test
The game was being played in my home town. Madras. Chennai as now it is called. I am few miles away. It cannot get any worse. I really wished I could be in Chennai watching the game from the stadium rather than shuttling between work and hotel in a faraway land. However, it wasn’t to be.
The Australians were sitting pretty at 340 / 4 when Harbhajan ran through the lower order. This time, the Indian batsmen were confidence personified. The entire top and middle order contributed to a thumping first innings score. Here we have a real chance of winning a series against the world’s best team though in our backyard. The Indians were sitting pretty with a lead of over 100 but Hayden and Slater threatened to wipe out the lead. Suddenly there were a flurry of wickets with the Australians 4 down with just over 30 ahead. Then a partnership endured.
Mini revival
Steve and Mark Waugh. The brothers in arms. The lead slowly increased. 40….50…60…70. Things started to look ominous for India.
And then Mark Waugh fell.
Ricky Ponting came, sent the ball into the orbit and exited.
But the lead is over 100. The rest added another 50 runs and the innings was over. 153 to win.
The Indian response
The Indians didn’t start well but Laxman and Ramesh played well enough to get the score upto 73 when Ramesh fell. Nonetheless, just over 70 required and it will be a cakewalk.
The score crossed hundred with a well set Laxman and Tendulkar in the middle. Gillespie induced a mini collapse with 2 quick wickets.
That is alright. Hardly another 38 required. The champions from the previous test have joined one more time. At that precise moment, a little known bowler, Colin Miller decided to announce himself and Mark Waugh took a blinder that will easily rank among the top 10 catches. India were staring at a defeat. My mind went back to the game against Pakistan a couple of years ago. The venue was the same. The setting was similar. India lost 4 wickets in that game with 16 required. Now the required runs is 20. Will it be déjà vu allover again? With no batsman left, will any of the bowler be able to produce a miracle? My hopes slowly and surely dwindled.
Sameer Dighe the little known Bombay wicket keeper
Sameer Dighe who until then was never heard of outside of Mumbai was nervous but to his credit he didn’t show that. He will have to play a match winning innings that he will remember for the rest of his life. An innings that he can proudly talk about to his grandchildren. Tendulkar once told Dighe that playing Test cricket was not simply about talent or ability. It was heart and the courage to fight that shaped success said Tendulkar.
Does he have the temperament to see the team home? Will Harbhajan and Zaheer Khan be able to give him support?
Every run scored from that point on was loudly cheered. Zaheer Khan gave him company but he didn’t score.
Runs came in tickle when suddenly Dighe will unfurl a ferocious cut to the boundary. The score now stood at 151 when Zaheer Khan departed. 4 more to win. It is now or never. Nilesh Kulkarni the number 11 batsman was a walking wicket. It is upto Dighe and Harbhajan. McGrath came steaming in. He knew one wicket and the match and the series could be theirs.
and the winning delivery
It was a nice swinging delivery that came homing into the offstump. If the batsman misses, he was either bowled or LBW. Harbhajan was equal to the task. As fitting as it could have been, Harbhajan placed his bat horizontal to the ball
The ball stuck the lower part of the bat.
It went between gully and slip. Will the ball defeat the fielders? There was no third man.
Yes it did. The ball went past gully and the slip right to the boundary. Harbhajan was elated. Dighe had played a series winning knock on his debut.
The entire Indian team had come out of the dugout. They were all hugging, cheering and laughing. They have pulled off the greatest series victory of their career. I have witnessed the greatest series victory. It all felt surreal. To this day, the entire series and especially the last 2 tests has stood in my mind forever.
It was an experience that I will never ever forget and as will the players. A lot of series were played after that but none with the exception of the 2005 Ashes could even come close.
The confidence the entire Indian team and the nation took from that series was enormous. The team went onto achieve some great wins after that.
Also read a youngster’s dream fulfilled here, here and here.