The fiery Wanderers in Johannesburg- my current home.
The Cricket World Cup starts in less than a week. The format is one-day, a bit boring for most. But I am a bit of an old school guy- so the meandering format works well for me. This is the 13th edition of the World Cup, and as I sit back, my mind goes back to some iconic moments through the years… Moments that defined the game, changed history.
So, here are my top picks from the ODI World Cups over the years. The moments I enjoyed the most as a cricket fan- my ‘Return to Innocence’
It all started way back in 1975. The game was so different then. Gavaskar batted through an entire innings (which was 60 overs back then) and managed to stay not out for 36. In T20, a few have scored as many in an over! The sight of Roy Fredericks hooking Dennis Lillee for a six in the final, only to realize that he has stepped on to the wicket, also flash up, right before my eyes.
1979 was all about the nonchalance of Viv Richards- King Viv was arguably the most intimidating batsman of all times. The iconic image of him was hitting a six against Mike Hendrick- an off-stump ball dismissed over the mid-wicket boundary while chewing gum. Job done! Opponent deflated! Windies won the cup easily. How predictable!
1983 was not so predictable! First the match which had no video capture- that blinder from Kapil at Tunbridge Wells- a 175 not out when the team was struggling at 17/5.. To script one of the biggest come-back wins vs Zimbabwe. From that deep abyss, India went from strength to strength to triumph against the mighty Windies in the finals. Kapil’s catch of Viv Richards and the dibbly-dobbly military medium pace of Mohinder Amarnath getting the better of Holding- and then Kaps lifting the Prudential cup- will forever be etched in every Indian cricket fan’s memory.
1987 was the first World Cup in the subcontinent. I was a small kid then and I remember how my hometown stadium, Eden Gardens, was fully decked up for a potential India vs Pakistan final. The first memory, or rather a nightmare- was of Graham Gooch ‘sweep’ing away that dream- GG was on a mission that day, he kept sweeping every spinner on his way to a ton, knocking India out of the World Cup. The final had a story of another sweep- an unsuccessful reverse sweep this time- England were going great guns when Gatting tried to be too cute- giving Border an unlikely wicket which ultimately gave the Aussies the cup.
1992 was the first time the cup moved to ‘Down Under’- I still remember waking up at 3 AM India time, for the first match toss in New Zealand. The Kiwis under Martin Crowe were revolutionary that year- they went on an unbeaten streak driven by Mark Greatbatch’s amazing pinch hitting and Dipak Patel’s stingy overs in the power play. Signs of T20 thinking twenty years ahead of time. The other iconic moment was the final itself- when Pakistan lifted the cup and Imran gave the famous speech dedicating the win to his mother and declared the noble cause of building a cancer hospital. The cricketing moment which stayed with me was Wasim Akram’s brilliance- two wickets in two balls– Lamb and Lewis- which broke England’s back.
1996 was the year of my 10th board examination- the study preparation and the revisions were planned keeping India’s World Cup schedule in mind. Who can forget that quarterfinal vs Pakistan in Bangalore- Jadeja’s late assault and then Venkatesh Prasad’s revenge on Aamir Sohail after taking his off-stump? The expectations were so high. Eden Gardens hosted the semi-final, but it was all about ‘Mad Max’ Aravinda De Silva- who played one of the most glorious counter-attacking innings ever to script a turnaround for Sri Lanka. Even as an Indian supporter, I could not but applaud his sheer brilliance. The match did not finish due to crowd trouble- a very sad way for India’s campaign to end- with Kambli in tears and the innings ending in a damp squib.
1999 was about the catch that could have been- Herschelle Gibbs taking the catch and then starting to celebrate a bit too prematurely- and Steve Waugh’s iconic ‘you dropped the cup’ statement. South Africa had a roaring cup and Klusener was magnificent. The run out last wicket with Klusener and Donald both on one end as Australia qualified for the finals after a tied match will still possibly be the biggest regret for every Proteas fan.
2003 is when the cup moved to the Rainbow nation- South Africa. Sachin’s six off Caddick is still etched in my memory- the ball still rising as it left the ground. And that upper cut six off Shoaib Akhtar. Ufffff! I was doing my MBA then and the hostel TV room was the hub- people parked themselves there and did not get up the full innings- lest they jinx the result! India had a dream run and progressed to the final. I remember doing a DOCC project and being in Adilabad, upcountry Andhra Pradesh on final day- we got the municipality office opened on the Sunday as an exception just to watch the final- the eager anticipation turned into full-fledged disappointment- Zaheer Khan’s nervy first over and Ponting’s brutal domination ensured that it was an easy win for Australia again.
2007 was the year of the heartbreak for the bitter rivals. India and Pakistan crashing out in the first round itself- the sombre Indian dressing room with all stalwarts with glum faces broke a billion hearts but the Pakis losing to the unheralded Irish was even more shocking- more tragedy followed when Bob Woolmer tragically and suspiciously passed away in his hotel room after the match. The other remarkable feat was Lasith ‘Slinga’ Malinga taking four wickets in four deliveries- a feat scarcely believable but South Africa still scraped through in that match. Aussies were rolling on and got, by now, their inevitable win.
2011 was the year when the ‘cup came home’. Yuvraj Singh was ‘God Level’ for India right through the cup- taking crucial wickets in almost every match, apart from giving us useful middle order runs- that passionate win celebration vs Australia in the quarterfinal still etched in my mind. And to think that he did all of this while fighting the early stages of the ‘most dreaded’ disease- hats off! The other everlasting memory for every Indian fan was obviously that signature six finish from Dhoni to win us the cup and then the youngsters including Kohli lifting Sachin on their shoulders and taking a victory lap. The statement – ‘He carried the team on his shoulders for so many years. It’s time we carried him’- was one for the ages!
2015 is when the cup went back to the ANZ. I remember the quite extra-ordinary 162 by Mr.360 AB De Villiers in 66 balls- he toyed with the bowling that day. ABD- what a player! The other highlight was Starc getting McCullum in that first over of the final- the full MCG roared. The Kiwis couldn’t quite recover from there and Australia added another cup to their already well-stocked trophy cabinet.
2019 was the year when many an Indian heart was broken as MS Dhoni got run out and the writing was on the wall- the ‘Finisher was finished’! The final was one for the ages. It went to the Super over and a lucky four deflection off Stokes’s bat helped England win on count-back. It was the most memorable day for sports fan with Djokovic beating Federer in a 5-set humdinger finale at Wimbledon and a close finish in the British GP in Formula 1 all happening at the same time.
So, the 13th World Cup is almost upon us. What trends will we see? A first 300 for a batsman? 350 scores being chased easily? The comeback of the strike bowler to push the opponent into a defensive mode? Who is your money on for the cup win? Whatever happens, may the best team win. Let’s play!
Silly Point 