The PCA Stadium in Mohali was bathed in the warm, hazy sunshine of early November. It was November 2, 2009. The 4th ODI.
The series score read India 3 - Australia 0.
A win today would seal the series for India, an unprecedented dominance against the World Champions.
Ravi Shastri (Pitchside): "Good morning from Mohali! The air is crisp, and the atmosphere is buzzing. We are in the North of India, where the crowds are loud and the cricket is aggressive. India sits on the brink of history. A 4-0 series win against Australia? Unheard of. But this Indian team, led by MS Dhoni, doesn't care for history. They make it."
Sunil Gavaskar: "The pitch here at Mohali is known for its pace and bounce. It's the closest thing you get to an Australian wicket in India. Ricky Ponting will be licking his lips looking at that grass. But he has a problem. His team is demoralized. They have been outplayed in every department. They need to turn up today, or the series is gone."
Ian Chappell: "The focus is on the young man, Siddanth Deva. He has been the thorn in Australia's side. Batting at 3, bowling fast. He has completely neutralized Australia's aggression. If he fires again today, Ponting might as well hand over the trophy now."
---
MS Dhoni and Ricky Ponting stood in the middle.
Ponting flipped the coin.
"Heads," Ponting called.
It was Tails.
Dhoni: "We will bowl first. There is a bit of moisture in the surface early on. We want to utilize that with our seamers. Also, the dew factor later in the evening makes chasing easier here."
Ponting: "We would have batted anyway. We need runs. We need to put pressure on their batting lineup. 250-260 is a fighting total here."
1st Innings
Over 1: Ashish Nehra started proceedings. Shaun Marsh and Shane Watson opened.
The ball was zipping off the surface. Mohali was living up to its reputation.
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Dhoni brought Siddanth Deva on as first change in the 8th Over.
Shaun Marsh was struggling to time the ball.
Over 7.4:
Deva bowled a sharp bouncer. 146kph.
Marsh tried to hook, a shot born out of frustration rather than judgment. He was late. The ball kissed the glove.
MS Dhoni leaped high to his right and plucked it.
WICKET 1: S. Marsh c Dhoni b Deva 5.
Score: 24/1.
Shastri: "Deva strikes in his first over! The extra bounce of Mohali does the trick. Marsh was nowhere near that."
---
Ricky Ponting joined Watson. They tried to rebuild.
Watson looked dangerous, hitting a few boundaries, but the Indian bowling was disciplined.
Over 18.1:
Harbhajan Singh was introduced. Watson tried to drive through the covers but was deceived by the flight. He chipped it straight to Yuvraj Singh.
WICKET 2: S. Watson c Yuvraj b Harbhajan 30.
Score: 88/2.
Ponting battled on. He looked determined to play a captain's knock. He reached his 50.
But tragedy struck in the 27th Over.
Over 26.5:
Ponting called for a sharp single. Mike Hussey hesitated.
Virat Kohli, fielding at backward point, swooped on the ball and threw down the stumps at the striker's end.
Ponting was short.
WICKET 3: R. Ponting run out (Kohli) 59.
Score: 123/3.
Gavaskar: "Disaster for Australia! The captain is run out! Just when they were building a platform. Kohli is electric in the field!"
---
Mike Hussey and Cameron White tried to stitch a partnership.
But India kept chipping away.
Over 38.1:
Hussey tried to sweep Yuvraj Singh and was trapped LBW.
WICKET 4: M. Hussey lbw b Yuvraj 40.
Score: 196/4.
Then the procession started.
Over 42.4: Moises Henriques tried to hit out against Ishant Sharma but was caught in the deep.
WICKET 5: M. Henriques c Raina b Ishant 12.
Score: 217/5.
Deva Returns
Dhoni brought Siddanth back for the death overs.
Over 44.5:
Cameron White was the last recognized batter, batting on 62.
Deva bowled a scorching yorker. White tried to dig it out but got an inside edge onto his pads.
Deva appealed. The umpire said no.
Next ball. 148kph Length ball.
White swung across the line. The ball crashed into the middle stump.
WICKET 6: C. White b Deva 62.
Score: 226/6.
Tony Greig: "Clean bowled! The Devil knocks over the Castle! Cameron White was looking dangerous, but Deva is too quick, too accurate!"
---
The tail didn't wag.
46.1: Mitchell Johnson caught behind off Nehra. 236/7.
47.1: Graham Manou run out. 241/8.
48.4: Peter Siddle bowled by Nehra. 247/9.
49.2: Doug Bollinger bowled by Ishant.
WICKET 10: D. Bollinger b Ishant 1.
Australia All Out: 250 (49.2 Overs).
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Harsha Bhogle: "250 all out. It seems a bit under par on this wicket, doesn't it Sunny?"
Gavaskar: "Definitely under par. The pitch has eased out. 275 was the minimum. India will be very happy. Bowlers were impressive, picking up wickets and keeping the pressure on."
2nd Innings
Target: 251.
Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar walked out.
The lights were on. The dew was starting to settle.
Sehwag didn't waste time. He treated Doug Bollinger with disdain.
Four through covers.
Four over point.
Six over third man.
He raced to 30 off just 18 balls.
Over 6.5:
Bollinger banged it in short. Sehwag went for the pull. He mistimed it to mid-on.
WICKET 1: V. Sehwag c Ponting b Bollinger 30.
India: 40/1.
---
Siddanth Deva walked out at Number 3.
He looked calm. But his eyes showed the Predator's Focus.
Siddanth started positively. He drove Mitchell Johnson down the ground for a glorious boundary.
Sachin was playing the anchor role.
They added 60 runs smoothly.
Over 18.5:
Sachin tried to guide Nathan Hauritz to third man but got a faint edge.
WICKET 2: S. Tendulkar c Manou b Hauritz 40.
India: 105/2.
Virat Kohli walked in.
The two young guns were together again.
India required 146 runs from 31 overs.
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Australia knew this partnership was key. They ramped up the chatter.
Mitchell Johnson walked past Siddanth.
"Enjoying the luck, mate? One short ball and you're gone."
Siddanth didn't look at him. He adjusted his gloves.
Peter Siddle chirped from mid-off. "He's scared of the hook shot, Mitch. Give him the perfume ball."
Over 25:
Johnson bowled a bouncer.
Siddanth didn't duck. He didn't sway.
He swiveled. The sound of the bat was like a gunshot.
The ball flew over deep square leg. SIX.
Siddanth stood there for a second, staring at Johnson, then calmly punched gloves with Kohli.
Over 28:
Siddanth pushed a single to long-on.
50 Runs. (His 5th Fifty in the series/recent times).
He pointed the bat to the dressing room, then to the crowd.
The Mohali crowd roared.
"Deva! Deva!"
Deva and Kohli were ruthless. They ran hard. They put pressure on the fielders.
They added 106 runs.
Siddanth moved into the 90s.
Over 38:
Kohli, on 46, tried to hit Shane Watson over covers to reach his fifty.
He didn't get the elevation. Mike Hussey took a good catch.
WICKET 3: V. Kohli c Hussey b Watson 46.
India: 211/3.
Siddanth was on 93.
Equation: 40 runs needed. Deva needs 8 for a century.
Yuvraj Singh walked in. The local boy (Punjab). The crowd went ballistic.
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Siddanth took a single. 93.
Yuvraj took a single. Siddanth on strike.
Siddanth took a two. 95.
Commentary:
Ravi Shastri: "Hold on to your hats, folks. We have a statistic coming up. Siddanth Deva is currently on 95 runs in this innings. But more importantly, his career aggregate stands at 999 runs in International ODIs."
Gavaskar: "He has played 16 matches. He didn't bat in 2 of them. So this is his 14th innings. If he scores one more run, he will become the Fastest Player to reach 1000 ODI Runs in the history of the game. Breaking the record of Sir Vivian Richards (21 innings) and Kevin Pietersen (21 innings)."
Shastri: "14 innings? That is Bradman-esque! The stage is set."
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Over 41: Peter Siddle to Deva.
Siddanth was on 99.
Siddle ran in. He attempted a yorker to cramp him.
He missed.
It was a Full Toss on the pads.
Siddanth's eyes lit up.
He didn't just flick it. He whipped it.
The ball soared high into the night sky over deep mid-wicket.
The crowd watched it sail.
It landed ten rows back.
SIX.
CENTURY.
1000 ODI RUNS.
Shastri: "HISTORY IN MOHALI! He finishes it with a six! A century for Siddanth Deva, and he is now the fastest man to 1000 ODI runs in the history of cricket! What a player! What a talent!"
The Celebration
He took off his helmet.
He raised both arms to the sky, looking up, closing his eyes.
"Thank you."
He turned to the crowd, raising his bat.
Yuvraj Singh ran over. He didn't just high-five him. He lifted Siddanth off the ground in a bear hug.
Siddanth laughed, patting Yuvi's back.
---
India: 223/3.
28 runs needed.
Siddanth and Yuvraj finished it in style.
Siddanth hit two more boundaries.
Yuvraj finished the match with a classic cover drive for four.
India Won by 7 wickets.
Series Won 4-0.
Siddanth Deva: 121 (Not Out).*
Yuvraj Singh: 15 (Not Out).*
Post-Match Presentation
The Indian team ran onto the field. The Series was theirs. An unassailable 4-0 lead.
Siddanth was surrounded by cameras.
Ravi Shastri: "What a performance! India seals the series in style! A comprehensive victory here in Mohali. And the man of the moment is with me. Man of the Match, Siddanth Deva!"
The crowd chanted his name.
Shastri: "Siddanth, 121 not out. Fastest to 1000 runs. You are making a habit of breaking records."
Siddanth: "I didn't know about the record until I saw the giant screen when I was on 95. It feels good. But winning the series against Australia is the real achievement. The team has played amazing cricket."
Shastri: "That six to bring up the hundred. Did you plan it?"
Siddanth: "Siddle missed the yorker. It was in the slot. I just reacted. I wanted to finish the game."
Shastri: "You took two wickets as well. You are enjoying this responsibility at Permanent Number 3?"
Siddanth: "I love it. Mahi-bhai trusts me. I want to be the guy who wins games for India. Batting, bowling, fielding... whatever it takes."
MS Dhoni Interview:
Shastri: "MS, 4-0. Did you expect this?"
Dhoni: "To be honest, no. Australia is a top side. But the way our boys have played... especially the youngsters. Sid has been exceptional. Virat played a great hand today. It's a very happy dressing room."
Shastri: "You have the series. Will you experiment in the remaining games?"
Dhoni: "We might. Give some guys a rest. But we want to win 7-0. That hunger is there."
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Siddanth walked a lap of honor with Yuvraj and Virat.
He looked at the scoreboard.
India 251/3.
He smiled.
The Australians were beaten. The record books were rewritten.
And the Devil was just getting started.