It now seems strange that Eden Gardens allowed the match to be completed. With South Africa needing just 13 runs of the last two overs, the night was proceeding to an end, going by some recent evidences, that the scum of Eden Gardens would have cut short by setting fire to their own seats. But those were days when the last over was bowled in that ground. India batting first had made a paltry score with captain Azharuddin alone making it all look a bit easy. His wrists as usual made the cricket bat seem lighter than the law will permit. By the end of the Indian innings, it was obvious that only sheer drama will secure a host victory. And South Africa did everything to provide that. Three of its batsmen were run out by a side that perhaps for the first time in its long life fielded like sportsmen and not middle-class daddies. Stranger still, Indian fielding was actually working to a plan as manager Ajit Wadekar remembers: "I wanted the bowlers to bowl an off-stump line so that we can contain them with a heavy off-side field. The idea was to frustrate the South Africans." It seemed to work as they made a mess of an easy target. To let the supernatural make matters worse for South Africa, a mongoose, of all things, entered the field. "That was a good omen," remembers Wadekar. After the streaker was removed, the proceedings continued to slowly swing India’s way. But Brian McMillan punished Srinath for 14 runs as he deserved to be in the 46th over. After more of such treatment, matters came down to 6 runs to win in the last six balls. That’s where the legend actually begins. There was a conference in the field. Azharuddin didn’t know who to throw the ball to. Wadekar sent twelfth man Raju with water and a message, "bowl Kapil".
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Wadekar was counting on Kapil’s experience but he asked Azhar to make the final choice after talking to Kapil and Sachin. "As I remember it," Wadekar says, "Kapil was a bit, just a bit mind you, reluctant to bowl. Sachin grabbed the ball". Eden Gardens was stunned when it saw Sachin come to bowl but the general population was so used to leaning on him that it really didn’t matter if he carried a bat or a ball, he was just safe to lean on.
McMillan scored a run of Sachin’s first ball but a brave attempt at a second cost De Villiers his wicket. Alan Donald came to the crease. The Last wicket. If Donald could make a single, McMillan will face Sachin and do the needful. All that South Africa wanted was a single. Sachin’s second third and fourth balls were dots.
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Five to win off two balls. Donald made a single off the fifth ball. Four to win in the last ball but McMillan managed only one. It was the magical victory and not Doordarshan coverage which drove the entire nation crazy that night. The Cricket Association of Bengal sent champagne bottles to the Indian dressing room. (They were sent back with reasoning that this was just the semi-final).
It still is a mystery what exactly made Sachin Tendulkar believe when someone like Kapil Dev was standing next to him that he was the best man to bowl. Perhaps Sachin then was in an age-group that general Norman Schwarzkopf once said doesn’t believe it can die.
This That
- It was the first floodlit match to be played at Eden Gardens. And play was stopped when a mongoose invaded the field.
- Vinod Kambli became the first victim of television replay
