The transition from the sun-drenched vineyards of Madrid to the humid, electrifying atmosphere of India was instantaneous. The "Tourist Mode" was deactivated the moment Siddanth Deva stepped onto the tarmac in Vadodara.
The Indian squad had undergone a significant surgery. The selectors, finally losing patience with Gautam Gambhir's string of low scores in the Champions Trophy, had dropped the southpaw. In his place, the "Nawab of Najafgarh," Virender Sehwag, returned from his shoulder injury, looking leaner and hungrier. Yuvraj Singh was also back, his finger healed, adding lethal power to the middle order.
The stage was set. India vs. Australia. Seven ODIs. The battle for the World No. 1 ranking.
1st ODI: The Battle of Vadodara
Date: October 25, 2009
Venue: IPCL Sports Complex, Vadodara
Conditions: Hot, dry, flat track. A batting paradise.
Pre-Match Studio Analysis (Star Cricket)
Ravi Shastri: "Namaskar and welcome to the start of the massive series! The Aussies are hurting from the Champions Trophy final loss to India, and they are here for revenge. But look at this Indian side. Sehwag is back. Yuvraj is back. And the man of the moment, Siddanth Deva, is slated to bat at Number 3."
Sunil Gavaskar: "It's a huge statement by Dhoni, Ravi. Batting Deva at 3 tells Australia, 'We are attacking you.' Ponting will come hard at the youngster. He will test him with short balls. But Deva has the technique. The question is, can he shift gears from the slow pitches of South Africa to this belter in Vadodara?"
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MS Dhoni and Ricky Ponting stood in the middle. The noise was deafening.
Ponting flipped the coin. Heads.
Ponting: "We'll have a bat, mate. Looks like a good strip. We want to put runs on the board and squeeze them under lights."
Dhoni: "We would have batted too, but we back our chasing. With Viru paaji back, we have firepower at the top."
1st Innings
Shane Watson and Tim Paine walked out. Australia started cautiously against Ashish Nehra and Praveen Kumar.
Score: 35/0 in 7 overs.
Dhoni threw the ball to Siddanth in the 8th Over.
"Sid. Need a wicket. Heavy ball."
Over 9
Bowler: Siddanth Deva
Batsman: Shane Watson (18*)
8.1: Deva starts with a bang. 146kph. Good length, outside off. Watson shoulders arms. The ball carries through to Dhoni with a solid thud. Dot.
8.2: Deva goes fuller. Watson drives on the up. Not timed perfectly. It clears mid-off and they run two. 2 Runs.
8.3: WICKET! Deva uses the crease. He goes wide and angles it back in. The Nip-Backer.
Watson tries to flick it through mid-wicket, playing across the line.
He misses the ball completely. It crashes into the knee roll.
Huge appeal. The umpire's finger shoots up.
S. Watson lbw b Deva 20.
Shastri: "The Golden Arm strikes immediately! Deva removes the dangerous Watson! He angled it in, and Watson was caught on the crease!"
The Middle Overs Grind:
Ricky Ponting walked in. He was in a mood. He and Tim Paine stabilized the ship.
Paine fell for 50 to Harbhajan Singh.
Then Mike Hussey joined Ponting.
This was the partnership that threatened to take the game away. Ponting was pulling, Hussey was driving.
They added 130 runs. Australia reached 240/3 in 40 overs. 320 looked possible.
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Dhoni brought Siddanth back in the 42nd Over.
Ball-by-Ball Commentary: Over 43
Bowler: Siddanth Deva
Batsman: Ricky Ponting (74*)
42.1: Deva bowls a slower bouncer. 128kph. Ponting is through the shot early. He misses. Dot.
42.2: 148kph Yorker. Ponting digs it out to long-on. 1 Run.
42.3: Hussey on strike. Low full toss. Slog swept to deep square leg. 1 Run.
42.4: WICKET! Ponting on strike. He steps out to force the pace.
Deva sees him coming. He bowls the wide yorker outside off.
Ponting reaches for it, slicing it.
Ravindra Jadeja at point dives forward and takes a blinder inches from the grass.
R. Ponting c Jadeja b Deva 75.
Gavaskar: "The big fish is gone! Deva outsmarted the master! He saw the charge and went wide. Brilliant bowling!"
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In the 48th Over, Siddanth cleaned up Cameron White with a 150kph thunderbolt that uprooted the off-stump.
C. White b Deva 12.
Deva Bowling Figures: 10-0-45-3.
Australia finished on 292/8. A competitive total, but India pulled it back in the last 10 overs.
2nd Innings
Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar walked out.
Sehwag smashed Brett Lee for three boundaries in the first over. The crowd went berserk.
But in the 5th Over, trying to uppercut Mitchell Johnson, Sehwag found the third man fielder.
V. Sehwag c Hauritz b Johnson 17.
India: 25/1.
Siddanth Deva walked out at Number 3.
The crowd chanted "Deva! Deva!"
He fist-bumped Sachin.
"We have to take it deep", Sachin said.
The Partnership
Siddanth and Sachin built a fortress. Siddanth was watchful initially, respecting the good balls from Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus.
He reached his 30 off 40 balls.
Then, he shifted gears.
Over 27
Bowler: Nathan Hauritz
Batsman: Siddanth Deva (40*)
26.1: Flighted delivery. Deva steps out. He hits it inside-out over extra cover. The timing is sublime. FOUR.
26.2: Hauritz fires it in flat. Deva rocks back and cuts it past point. FOUR.
Chappell: "He is toying with the field now. That back-foot punch is remarkably similar to Jacques Kallis."
26.3: Single to long-off. 1 Run.
26.4: Sachin pushes for a single. 1 Run.
26.5: Deva on strike. 49 runs.
He taps it to mid-wicket and scampers through.
53 for Siddanth Deva! (Off 54 balls).
He raises his bat calmly.
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India reached 160/1. The partnership was worth 135 runs.
In the 33rd Over, Siddanth looked to accelerate.
Bowler: Shane Watson.
32.3: Short ball. Siddanth went for the pull. He connected well, but Mike Hussey at deep mid-wicket ran around and took a brilliant diving catch.
S. Deva c Hussey b Watson 67 (70 balls).
He walked off to applause. He had set the platform.
MS Dhoni (70*) and Yuvraj Singh (40*) finished the chase clinically.
India Won by 6 wickets.
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2nd ODI
Date: October 28, 2009
Venue: VCA Stadium, Nagpur
Conditions: A concrete road. Nightmare for bowlers.
Tony Greig: "If you are a bowler, look away now! This pitch at Jamtha is a beauty. Hard, true bounce, and lightning outfield. 300 is par here. 350 is winning."
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Dhoni flipped the coin. Heads.
Dhoni: "We will bat. It's a batting paradise. We want to put scoreboard pressure."
1st Innings: India (354/7)
Sehwag and Sachin gave a flying start. Sehwag scored 40 off 20 balls before getting out in the 6th Over.
India: 55/1.
Enter Deva
Siddanth walked in at No. 3.
He saw the flat pitch. He saw the medium pacers.
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Over 13
Bowler: Ben Hilfenhaus
Batsman: Siddanth Deva (15*)
12.1: Length ball. Deva walks down the track. Lofted straight drive. One bounce FOUR.
12.2: Short ball. Deva swivels. Pull shot into the second tier. SIX.
Shastri: "That has gone into orbit! He picked the length so early!"
12.3: Full toss. Deva flicks it effortlessly over square leg. FOUR.
12.4: Good yorker. Dug out. Dot.
12.5: Deva shuffles across. He plays the scoop shot! Over fine leg! FOUR.
Gavaskar: "Audacious! That is the T20 influence. He is dismantling Hilfenhaus."
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Sachin fell for 38.
MS Dhoni promoted himself to No. 4.
Deva and Dhoni destroyed the Australian bowling.
They added 119 runs in 14 overs.
Deva reached his 50 off 36 balls.
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In the 35th Over, Siddanth was on 82. He was eyeing a century.
Bowler: Mitchell Johnson.
34.4: Johnson bowled a clever slower ball, dipping yorker.
Deva tried to jam it out but was beaten by the change of pace. The ball crashed into the off-stump.
S. Deva b Johnson 82 (68 balls).
Dhoni went on to score a majestic 124, taking India to 354/7.
2nd Innings
Target: 355.
Praveen Kumar and Siddanth Deva opened the bowling.
Over 5
Bowler: Siddanth Deva
Batsman: Tim Paine
4.1: 148kph. Outswinger. Paine leaves.
4.2: 149kph. Inswinger. Paine plays inside the line. Inside edge onto pads.
4.3: WICKET! Deva goes wide of the crease. Angles it in.
Paine tries to drive through covers. The movement beats him.
The ball kisses the outside edge.
Virender Sehwag at first slip takes a sharp catch.
T. Paine c Sehwag b Deva 8.
The Collapse
Australia tried to keep up with the rate, but the pressure was too high.
Ravindra Jadeja spun a web, taking 3 wickets in the middle overs.
Australia was reduced to 180/6.
The Death Wicket
In the 45th Over, Australia was 220/8.
Deva returned to finish the tail.
Bowler: Siddanth Deva.
Batsman: Peter Siddle.
44.2: 152kph Yorker. Siddle had no chance. The stumps were shattered.
P. Siddle b Deva 10.
Australia was all out for 255.
India Won by 99 runs.
Deva Figures: 8-0-38-2.
3rd ODI
Date: October 31, 2009
Venue: Feroz Shah Kotla, Delhi
Conditions: Misty, cold, low bounce. A tricky surface.
Pre-Match Studio Analysis
Ian Chappell: "This is a test of character. Delhi is not Nagpur. The ball will stop on the batsman. The bounce will be low. India leads 2-0. If they win today, the series is effectively over."
The Toss
Dhoni flipped the coin. Heads.
Dhoni: "We will field first. The dew will come later. The pitch looks tacky, we want our spinners to use it early."
1st Innings
The Struggle
Australia never got going. Shane Watson struggled for timing, scoring 41 off 70 balls.
Dhoni used spin early.
Siddanth came on as first change in the 12th Over.
He realized immediately that pace was not the weapon.
Over 12
Bowler: Siddanth Deva
Batsman: Ricky Ponting
12.1: 132kph. Cutter. Ponting checks his drive. The ball stops. Dot.
12.2: 135kph. Seam up. Keeps very low. Ponting adjusts late. Dot.
Shastri: "Deva has read the pitch instantly. He has taken the pace off."
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Mike Hussey was trying to rebuild.
Over 39: Siddanth Deva.
38.4: Deva bowled the Knuckle Ball.
Hussey tried to run it down to third man. He was deceived by the lack of pace.
He chopped it onto his stumps.
M. Hussey b Deva 25.
The Death Wicket
Over 49: Siddanth Deva.
Cameron White was on strike.
48.2: Deva bowled a slower bouncer.
White tried to pull. On this pitch, the ball didn't rise. It hit the toe end of the bat.
It lobbed gently to MS Dhoni.
C. White c Dhoni b Deva 15.
Australia finished on 229/5. A sub-par score.
Deva Figures: 10-0-38-2. (Economy 3.8).
2nd Innings: India (Chase 230)
The Stumble
Target: 230.
Sehwag tried to blast his way out of trouble on his home ground.
He hit two fours, then was bowled by a shooter from Doug Bollinger in the 4th Over.
V. Sehwag b Bollinger 10.
India: 15/1.
Enter Deva
Siddanth walked in. The crowd roared, but the situation was tricky.
He met Sachin Tendulkar.
"Ball is staying low," Sachin warned. "Don't play on the backfoot."
Over 16
Bowler: Peter Siddle.
Batsman: Siddanth Deva (18*)
15.1: Good length. Deva strides forward to negate the bounce. Defensive push. Dot.
15.2: Short ball. Deva ducks. It barely clears his shoulder. Dot.
15.3: Overpitched. Deva leans into the drive. Through mid-off. FOUR.
Gavaskar: "That is the way to play here. Get to the pitch of the ball."
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Sachin and Siddanth added 80 runs in 20 overs. It was slow, grinding cricket.
Sachin fell for 32 in the 24th Over.
India: 95/2.
Yuvraj Singh joined Siddanth.
Siddanth decided to take the lead. He targeted Nathan Hauritz.
Over 31:
30.1: Deva steps out. Hits with the spin over mid-wicket. FOUR.
30.4: Sweeps hard. FOUR.
Deva reached his 50 off 68 balls. A gritty, mature innings.
India: 150/2.
In the 37th Over, with India needing 70 runs.
Bowler: Shane Watson.
36.3: Watson bowled a bouncer.
Siddanth went for the pull. He connected well, but the ball didn't travel as far in the heavy evening air.
Ricky Ponting at mid-wicket took a sharp catch.
S. Deva c Ponting b Watson 55.
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Yuvraj Singh (78*) and MS Dhoni (25*) finished the game comfortably.
Yuvraj hit the winning runs in the 48th Over.
India Won by 6 wickets.
Post-Match Presentation
Ravi Shastri: "India leads the series 3-0! A dominant performance. Man of the Match is Yuvraj Singh for his brilliant 78 not out and 1 wicket. But let's talk about the consistency of this team."
Studio Analysis:
Harsha Bhogle: "Sunny, 3-0 up. And Siddanth Deva has scores of 67, 82, and 55. And 7 wickets. Is he the difference between the two sides?"
Sunil Gavaskar: "He is certainly the X-factor, Harsha. Australia has Watson, but India has Deva. In every match, he has either taken a key wicket or scored a fifty. And look at his adaptability. He played T20 mode in Nagpur and Test mode in Delhi. That maturity is scary for the opposition."
Sanjay Manjrekar: "And Ponting looks clueless against him. Deva has got him out twice already. He is winning the mental battle."
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The dressing room was buzzing.
Siddanth sat with an ice pack on his shoulder. Bowling fast on dead wickets took a toll.
Virat Kohli, who hadn't batted much this series yet, sat next to him.
"3-0," Virat grinned. "We are bulldozing them."
"Job's not done," Siddanth said, staring at the whiteboard. "Ponting is angry. The next one is Mohali. Pace and bounce. They will come hard."
"Let them come," Yuvraj Singh shouted from across the room. "We are ready!"