THE LONE-WARRIOR

 

Image Credit – ESPN CricInfo.

Venue- Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne [December 26-30, 1999].

In the Australian summer of 1999, the Indian cricket team toured Australia to play 3 Test matches. The Aussies won the first test at Adelaide by a massive 285 runs, and the action now shifts to Melbourne. It was a do-or-die test for the Indians. Fortunate enough, it was Sachin Tendulkar who won the toss and decided to field first on what looked like a gloomy day in Melbourne. There were black clouds all around, with instance of shower in between. So, bowling first seemed a wonderful decision.

However, Michael Slater scored a gritty 91-run knock and got his team to a solid start. Apart from Slater, Ponting and Gilchrist too scored valuable 50s as the hosts posted a formidable 407 in the first innings. In response, the Indian batting line-up fell like a pack of cards. Apart from the great Sachin Tendulkar, every other batsman looked helpless in front of the Aussie attack led by debutant Brett Lee. Brett Lee, who was playing his maiden test match in front of a packed MCG crowd, picked up 5 wickets as the Indians bundled out for just 238 in their first innings.

But even in this moment of despair and defeat, Sachin Tendulkar played a magnificent knock of 116 and led the fight alone for his country. In an innings which lasted for around 5 hours, Sachin hit a total of 9 boundaries and one six. It was literally a captain's knock wherein he replied to the Aussies in style. But it was his duel with Warne which grabbed the headlines. Both Warnie and Sachin were at the peak of their powers, and the way Sachin batted in front of him made everyone stand on their feet. The innings was truly as classic as even the opponent players congratulated the great man when he got to his hundred. 

However, cricket is a team game, and one man cannot do it all alone. The Aussies in the second innings declared at a score of 209/5 and set Indians a difficult target of 376 runs. The run chase was not going to be an easy one, and the lethal bowling lineup of the Aussies made the task close to impossible.

The Indians crumbled in no time, and the hosts won the match comfortably by 180 runs. Team India, in their second innings, managed to score just 195 runs, with their captain being the lone performer. Tendulkar scored a fighting 52 as the Aussies ran rampant over the remaining team. The match was lost, and so was the series.

However, despite ending up on the losing cause, Sachin Tendulkar was awarded the man of the match award for his magnificent performance. After all, the captain gave it his all. Interestingly, after 26 years the match is remembered for the duel between Warnie and Sachin. It was indeed a clash of the titans on the most hallowed ground of cricket. 

To watch the Highlights of the Test Match, Click Here. 

THE RUN-CHASE

 

Image Credit – ESPN Cricinfo.

Venue – Bellerive Oval, Hobart [November 18-22, 1999].

In the Australian summer of 1999, the Pakistan cricket team toured Australia to play 3 Test matches. The Hosts won the first test at Brisbane by 10 wickets, and action for the series now shifted to Hobart. It was a must-win game for the visitors to stay alive in the series. However, it was the Australian captain who won the crucial toss and sent the Pakistanis to bat first.

The decision turned out to be a good one as the visitors bundled out for just 222 runs in their first innings. Mohammad Wasim was the leading run-getter for the men in green as he scored a solid 91 against the lethal Australian bowling attack. However, apart from him, no other Pakistani batsman was able to cross the 50-run mark. For Hosts, it was Warnie and Muller who picked up 3 wickets each.

In response, the Aussies started strongly and steadily. Michael Slater scored a gritty 97 as he took his team closer to the visitors' total. However, we witnessed a collapse after Slater's dismissal. From 1/191, the Aussies ended up getting bowled out for just 246 runs. Saqlain Mushtaq played a key role in this collapse as he picked up 6 crucial wickets and brought his team back into the game.

In the second innings, however, the visitors came out strongly and posted a formidable total of 392 runs. Inzamam-ul-Haq scored a magnificent 118 as the hosts struggled to take wickets. Apart from Shane Warne (5), every bowler struggled to get a breakthrough.

The Aussies now needed 369 runs to win the test and series. However, this was not going to be an easy task. Moreover, the chase became even more difficult as the visitors dismissed the top order in no time. The Aussie scorecard read 5/126 when Gilchrist joined Langer in the middle. The game was on a knife-edge. One more wicket and the Pakistanis would have steam-rolled the Aussies' tailenders.

But this is when we witnessed one of the finest cricketing partnerships. The duo of Langer and Gilchrist stitched a massive partnership of 238 runs and won the game for their team. It was truly a delight to watch. Langer played a gritty knock of 127 off 195 deliveries and took the sting out of the attack. But the real havoc was wreaked by Gilchrist, who scored a quickfire 149* off just 163 deliveries and demolished the opponent by his explosive brand of cricket. It was 'BazBall' before 'Bazball'. It was explosive cricket of the highest order.

The Aussies won the match by 4 wickets and took a 2-0 lead in the series. Justin Langer was awarded the man of the match award for his remarkable batting performance; however, it was the innings of Gilchrist which grabbed the headlines. The flamboyant wicketkeeper batsman has made his mark in the red ball game. Moreover, the defeat in Hobart also shattered the morale of the visitors as they ended up getting whitewashed at the WACA.

To watch the Highlights of the Test Match, Click Here.