Tendulkar lands a KO against Pakistan
He lived the match a year in advance, and when he walked out to bat, he produced a classic
India-Pakistan clashes have always been the biggest draws of the World Cup, and the hype surrounding the contest was no different in 2003 in Centurion. Even before the first ball was bowled, the scene was one of raucous din and frenzied flag-waving. India's batting, built around Sachin Tendulkar, pitted against a Pakistan attack featuring Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar was but one aspect of the plot.
It was a match Tendulkar said he was compelled to live a year in advance. Everywhere he went, people reminded him about the 1st of March, the fixture against Pakistan. He did not sleep well for 12 nights leading up, he revealed later.
Pakistan raked up 273 for 7, riding on Saeed Anwar's classy century, and with the bowling arsenal at their disposal, had the upper hand going into the second half of the game. Yet Tendulkar's audacity upfront changed everything.
After three fairly uneventful deliveries in the first over, he made his move: Shoaib banged one in short and wide, so wide that he would have had to bowl it again had it been allowed to pass. Tendulkar, though, was in no mood to play it safe - a slight shuffle of the feet was followed by quick and decisive handwork as he lashed at the ball with an open-faced bat. Even as the ball soared over backward point, the greater impact of the stroke - and the momentum shift it caused - was palpable. As a statement of intent, that was as emphatic as it could get. Tipping very high over the square third-man boundary it would become an icon; its sheer thrill, and nationalist symbolism, was a sort of belated rebuff to the Miandad six in Sharjah in 1986.
The second stroke was his lovely trademark - back in the crease and with swirling wrists diverting a reasonable delivery to square leg. But the third shot was the stunner. A little trot across to off stump, block, down the ground to the on, four. No backlift, no follow-through: none needed. He simply met the ball and the execution began there and finished there, magically frozen in time.
The over leaked 18. Shoaib had been neutralised in stunning style. The crowd, easily the most vivid of the tournament, had gone quite wild.
"We wanted this World Cup to be the most successful World Cup ever and your innings against Pakistan at Centurion has helped us achieve that." Thus read a telegram from Ali Bacher, the chief of the World Cup organising committee. Shaharyar Khan, the chief of the Pakistan Cricket Board, had this to say about the blitz: "India had overshadowed us mainly through the genius of Tendulkar but there was no disgrace in losing the match." The protagonist himself put it very succinctly: "I told myself, if I see it I will hit it."
Shoaib was taken out of the attack after that one eventful over, and though he finally dismissed Tendulkar, the damage had already been done. Despite being hampered by cramps in the leg, Tendulkar blasted an exhilarating 75-ball 98, leaving India with just 97 to get in more than 22 overs after he was dismissed. Rahul Dravid and Yuvraj Singh ensured that his outstanding work at the top of the order wasn't wasted; they completed the formalities with no further hiccups. India romped home with six wickets and 26 balls to spare, thus maintaining their 100% win record at the time against Pakistan in World Cup matches. Shoaib finished with unflattering figures of 1 for 72 from 10 overs, which remains his most expensive ten-over spell in ODIs.