India's Y and Z axes
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan revisits 2000 and recounts a quarter-final in which a much younger Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khan knocked out Australia in Nairobi
George Binoy
25-Feb-2013
Siddhartha Vaidyanathan revisits 2000 and recounts a quarter-final in which a much younger Yuvraj Singh and Zaheer Khan knocked out Australia in Nairobi. And after last night's victory, he says "Tendulkar is no doubt Indian cricket’s Alpha but he needs the Omegas – Y and Z – by his side for the last two legs of this glorious 11-year journey."
In walks Yuvraj. 18-year-old Yuvraj. Boyish yet not without a swagger. A lamb to the slaughter. Or so we thought. Until he unleashes a straight-drive so powerful that Lee simply stops in his tracks. And smiles. That angelic smile. A commentator captures the mood: “The boy is pumped. Pumped big time.”
In ran 22-year-old Zaheer, in just his second ODI, and splintered the stumps. Steve Waugh castled with a ball that swung. Kaboom. Almost a yorker. More than a corker.
Writing in DNA, Suresh Menon hails Ricky Ponting, the great Australian hero who made a point.
Gone was the uncertainty of the earlier matches; the hesitant footwork, the unsure strokeplay. The feet moved, the bat became an extension of the hand, and with every stroke the confidence grew. When he danced down the track to hit Yuvraj Singh inside out over extra cover, the years fell away, and the 36-year-old looked like he was at the peak of his powers. With that one shot he reduced all speculation about his ability to a huge joke.
James Lawton, writing in the Independent, says it was good that at the end of arguably the greatest of cricket dynasties, Ricky Ponting provided an irrefutable statement of his status.
"Punter" has been a harshly abrasive character at times, he has rarely dazzled us with his charm, but always there has been a rough humour and a relish for the battle which has set him apart from so many of his rivals.
George Binoy is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo