World Cup: How India’s bowlers turned match against Pakistan into one-sided affair in half-an-hour

The script of the India-Pakistan game at Ahmedabad saw a small, but significant, tweak. The first-half of Saturday’s game was dominated by a pair of new-ball pacers bowling at breakneck speed, with the ability to make the ball talk, and a wily wrist-spinner – it was a throwback to the ’90s when the Pakistan bowling department had such deadly variety. They would join hands to dismiss Pakistan for 191, a modest target by the tournament’s standards.

 

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Rohit Sharma with his majestic 86 from 63 balls would do the needful. India would win by seven wickets in just 30.3 overs.

Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammad Siraj and Kuldeep Yadav brought back memories of the weapons that Imran Khan proudly flaunted all through the 1992 World Cup. Ravindra Jadeja and Hardik Pandya too were among the five bowlers who took a couple of Pakistan wickets, but they were not part of the late afternoon 30-minute frenzy that turned the World Cup’s most-anticipated game into a one-sided game of unequals.

Around 4 pm, the game seemed to be drifting into a slumber. “Nothing in the track,” the pundits could be heard saying as Pakistan had crossed 150 and lost just 2 wickets. The Pakistan innings had reached the halfway mark.

This was the period of play what the T20 generation calls “the boring middle over”. Ahmedabad was getting restless, many would drift to the food-terrace for that local brew known to kill sleep — the hot, strong, sweet cup of tea.

They would go rushing to their seats at exactly 4.15 pm when a roar from the stadium bowels would emerge. Siraj had struck, Pakistan’s Babar Azam couldn’t get a grip of his quick skidder. The partnership was broken just after Babar had reached 50. The siesta was over, the game was alive, the fans were wide awake.

 

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Siraj was running around the turf, chased by his teammates as if he was playing catch in the street outside his Tolichowki home in old Hyderabad. They would eventually get him and give him a hug. The crowd, if not for the strict khakhi presence, would have jumped over the fence to be part of that happy huddle. “Chak de India” would explode on the public address system and the “Siraj, Siraj” chant would bring the roof down.

At 4.30 pm, Saud Shakeel would misjudge Kuldeep’s length, stay on the back foot and was out lbw. This was followed by the rub of green going India’s way. Big hitter Iftikar Ahmed’s glove would make a regular Kuldeep googly seem like a “ball of the century”. The seemingly harmless ball that seemed to be going down the leg would hit the stump because of Iftikar’s touch. “Chak de India” would explode on the public address system again, accompanied by the “Kuldeep, Kuldeep” chant.

 

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Despite Siraj and Kuldeep’s incisive stabs, Mohammad Rizwan, the man who sees himself as a warrior of lost causes, who digs into faith-inspired will to rouse himself, was still there. It would take a ball of wondrous imagination and exquisite skill to take him down. Bumrah has bowled many slower ones in his career, of varying parabolas to dipping loopys, and this one wasn’t as dramatic visually, but an illusionary trick worth multiple viewings.

A well-settled Rizwan was shaping into his drive, upper body had swayed forward, when panic kicked in as he realised the trick played on him. Too late, though, as the finger-spun slower off-cutter had not only taken pace off the ball, but also broke back in to break Pakistan’s spirit.

Bumrah would leave one final imprint on Pakistan’s psyche with a vicious leg cutter that opened up Shadab Khan and blew out the off bail, and Pakistan’s hope. “Chak de India” would explode on the public address system, accompanied by the “Boom boom Bumrah” chant. It was around 4.45 pm. The final blow had been delivered. Now the formalities were left.

 

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This was the period of play when the stadium turned into a rock concert and for those in the stands, their every effort to get to their prized seat seemed worth it. From availing the elusive tickets, booking expensive accomodation, braving the rush on the long approach to get into the stadium — all that pain was forgotten.

With the stadium in the background, selfies were being clicked. These would go on social media, with “I was there” captions. No one could resist the temptation, it seemed. A young constable on duty would fish out his mobile. “Mom” would flash on the screen, followed by the appearance of a woman at her home. “Ba, joi le, India Pakistan ne harave chee (Mother, watch… India is beating Pakistan)”.

Like in the morning, the game would end with the chants of ‘Rohit, Rohit’ but it was the bowlers who had delivered in the game that mattered so much to so many. They had finished a one-day game in those 30 magical minutes.