Pakistan required 4 of the last ball. The audience (both at the stands and at home) on the edge of their seats! Most Indians were confident of an Indian victory (why not? This was 25 years before Twenty-20, and to score a boundary of the last ball of a match was unheard of!).
You know what happened next! Chetan Sharma bowls a lolly full toss, which Javed Miandad tonks over mid-wicket for a six. Javed Miandad dances like a mad-man back to the pavilion. The crowds are ecstatic. Pakistan has won the Sharjah Cup again, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat!
The camera zooms to Chetan Sharma's dejected face! Almost every Indian (me included) cursed Chetan Sharma that day! How idiotic can the bowler be? I mean he could have bowled anything but full toss!! Hell, he could have even rolled the ball over!
Forward to the winter of 1997. KV Minambakkam school grounds. A cricket match between Class XII vs Class X. The seniors' batted first put on a decent score.
The juniors started their innings cautiously. Jaggi took the first wicket. Junior's main batsman Karthik was out cheaply.
The senior team captain handed over the ball to me for my spell. I took two wickets in two balls in the first over, and suddenly the task was uphill for the Juniors, but they fought on doggedly.
Sapta and Ramji rushed through few quick overs and tookfew wickets as well. It was a close contest.
12 required of the last over. I was required to bowl the last over. Manish was on strike.
He swung and missed the first two balls. 12 required of 4.
Manish flicked the next ball to mid-on and snatched a 2. 10 required of 3.
A single denied of the next ball, 10 required of 2. We were confident of victory now.
Manish edged past the third man to score a four off the penultimate ball of the match. 6 required of 1.
As I ran in to deliver the final ball of the match, I told myself, whatever I do, I won't bowl a full toss!
However the moment I release the ball, I know it was done for. The ball was full and Manish tonked it over long on for six!!!
17 years have passed since then. But to this day, whenever there is a close encounter (in a life or a game), I see the image of Manish Biswas carting my ball over long-on!!
It's after-all a game you say! Well someone please tell that to my heart!!!
Dear Chetan Sharma,
Never did I realize, that one day, I would empathize with you. I understand that you never meant it to be a full toss. Things just happen and you don't have control over them! And it takes an eternity to make peace with such mistakes!
Could you please help me, how did you get over it (if you really did)??
You know what happened next! Chetan Sharma bowls a lolly full toss, which Javed Miandad tonks over mid-wicket for a six. Javed Miandad dances like a mad-man back to the pavilion. The crowds are ecstatic. Pakistan has won the Sharjah Cup again, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat!
The camera zooms to Chetan Sharma's dejected face! Almost every Indian (me included) cursed Chetan Sharma that day! How idiotic can the bowler be? I mean he could have bowled anything but full toss!! Hell, he could have even rolled the ball over!
Forward to the winter of 1997. KV Minambakkam school grounds. A cricket match between Class XII vs Class X. The seniors' batted first put on a decent score.
The juniors started their innings cautiously. Jaggi took the first wicket. Junior's main batsman Karthik was out cheaply.
The senior team captain handed over the ball to me for my spell. I took two wickets in two balls in the first over, and suddenly the task was uphill for the Juniors, but they fought on doggedly.
Sapta and Ramji rushed through few quick overs and tookfew wickets as well. It was a close contest.
12 required of the last over. I was required to bowl the last over. Manish was on strike.
He swung and missed the first two balls. 12 required of 4.
Manish flicked the next ball to mid-on and snatched a 2. 10 required of 3.
A single denied of the next ball, 10 required of 2. We were confident of victory now.
Manish edged past the third man to score a four off the penultimate ball of the match. 6 required of 1.
As I ran in to deliver the final ball of the match, I told myself, whatever I do, I won't bowl a full toss!
However the moment I release the ball, I know it was done for. The ball was full and Manish tonked it over long on for six!!!
17 years have passed since then. But to this day, whenever there is a close encounter (in a life or a game), I see the image of Manish Biswas carting my ball over long-on!!
It's after-all a game you say! Well someone please tell that to my heart!!!
Dear Chetan Sharma,
Never did I realize, that one day, I would empathize with you. I understand that you never meant it to be a full toss. Things just happen and you don't have control over them! And it takes an eternity to make peace with such mistakes!
Could you please help me, how did you get over it (if you really did)??
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