The date was November 16, 2009.
The venue: Sardar Patel Stadium, Ahmedabad.
The first Test of the series between India and Sri Lanka.
The atmosphere was different from the frantic energy of the ODIs. This was Test cricket. The "White Flannels." The purest test of a cricketer's soul.
For Siddanth Deva, this was the summit. He had conquered the T20 world, he had dominated the ODI arena, and now, he stood on the brink of his Test debut.
Playing XI (India):
Virender Sehwag, Siddanth Deva, Rahul Dravid, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman, Yuvraj Singh, MS Dhoni (c/wk), Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Amit Mishra, Ishant Sharma.
Pre-Match Commentary
Sunil Gavaskar: "Good morning from Ahmedabad. A historic day for Indian cricket as we see the debut of Siddanth Deva. He has torn up the white-ball record books, but can he handle the red ball moving in the air? Opening the batting in your first Test is a trial by fire."
Ravi Shastri: "He has the temperament, Sunny. We saw that in South Africa. But Test cricket is about patience. It's about leaving the ball. And look at the Sri Lankan lineup—Murali, Herath, and swinging conditions early on. It's going to be a fascinating contest."
---
MS Dhoni and Kumar Sangakkara stood in the middle.
Dhoni flipped the coin.
"Heads," Sangakkara called.
It was Tails.
Dhoni: "We will bat first. The wicket looks dry and hard. Best time to bat is days 1 and 2. We want to put a big score on the board."
Day 1
Session 1
The morning air was crisp. Chanaka Welegedara and Dammika Prasad took the new ball.
Virender Sehwag started in typical fashion, slashing a boundary through point in the first over.
But in the 7th Over (6.1), Welegedara got one to shape back in. Sehwag tried to drive through covers without moving his feet.
Inside edge. Clattered into the stumps.
WICKET: V. Sehwag b Welegedara 16.
India: 25/1.
Rahul Dravid walked out. The Wall.
He met Siddanth in the middle.
"Welcome to Test cricket, son," Dravid said, tapping the pitch. "Leave the ball. Watch it late."
---
What followed was a masterclass in contrasting styles.
Dravid was immovable. He blocked, he left, he nudged.
Siddanth, initially cautious, slowly found his rhythm. He realized the field was attacking—slips, gullies. That meant gaps.
He drove Prasad down the ground. He cut Welegedara past point.
They survived the morning session.
Lunch: India 95/1. (Deva 40*, Dravid 35*).
Session 2
Post-lunch, the pitch eased out.
Siddanth reached his 50 off 86 balls with a flick to square leg.
Dravid reached his 50 off 94 balls.
The Sri Lankans tried to unsettle the debutant.
Tillakaratne Dilshan chirped from point. "T20 player, eh? Getting bored yet? Want to hit a six?"
Angelo Mathews bowled a bouncer. "Too fast for you?"
Siddanth didn't reply.
He continued to bat. 60... 70... 80.
The crowd sensed history.
He moved to 96 with a glorious cover drive off Muralitharan.
Over 58: Muttiah Muralitharan to Deva.
Siddanth stepped out. He didn't slog. He lofted it straight back over the bowler's head.
One bounce. FOUR.
CENTURY.
100 off 175 balls.
Commentary:
Ravi Shastri: "HISTORY IN AHMEDABAD! Siddanth Deva becomes the first Indian cricketer to score a century in T20Is, ODIs, and now on Test Debut! What a moment! The Devil has created a record for himself."
Deva removes the helmet, arms aloft, soaking in the applause. The dressing room is on its feet.
Session 3
Over 72: Welegedara bowled a beauty that straightened. Siddanth defended, but the ball kissed the edge.
Caught at second slip by Mahela.
WICKET: S. Deva c Jayawardene b Welegedara 136.
Then, a wobble.
Sachin Tendulkar drove loosely and was caught for 4.
VVS Laxman was trapped LBW for a Duck.
India: 250/4.
Yuvraj Singh joined Dravid. They navigated the tricky twilight period.
Stumps Day 1: India 260/4.
Day 2
Morning Session:
The pitch had flattened completely. Yuvraj Singh played aggressively, scoring a fluent 68 off 93 balls before holing out to Murali.
MS Dhoni walked in.
Dhoni and Dravid ground the Sri Lankans into the dust.
Dravid reached his 150.
Dhoni reached his Century.
Dravid Out: 177 (Caught behind).
Dhoni Out: 110.
The tail wagged. Harbhajan Singh and Zaheer Khan swung their bats.
India All Out: 559.
Sri Lanka Innings:
Sri Lanka had to bat 20 overs in the evening.
Ishant Sharma struck early, removing Upul Tharanga (35) in the 17th over.
Stumps Day 2: Sri Lanka 70/1. (Dilshan and Sangakkara at the crease).
Day 3
The Sangakkara-Dilshan Stand
Day 3 was a toil for Indian bowlers. The pitch was a "Patta" (flat road).
Kumar Sangakkara looked solid but fell for 31, edging Zaheer Khan to slips.
Then came the partnership that frustrated India.
Mahela Jayawardene joined Tillakaratne Dilshan.
Dilshan was in T20 mode. He smashed the spinners. He reached his Century.
WICKET: Siddanth Deva finally broke through.
He bowled a cutter. Dilshan tried to cut but edged it to Dravid at slip.
T. Dilshan c Dravid b Deva 112.
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Mahela Jayawardene was sublime. He caressed the ball. He reached his 100. Then 150.
He was batting on 182. He looked set for a double, maybe a triple.
India was desperate.
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Over 105: Siddanth Deva to Mahela Jayawardene.
Mahela was reading everything.
Siddanth stood at the top of his run-up.
[ACTIVATE SKILL: CHRONOS PERCEPTION]
Time slowed. Siddanth saw Mahela's trigger movement. He was expecting the outswinger.
Siddanth ran in. He held the ball across the seam.
He bowled an In-dipper at 145kph.
But he released it a fraction of a second later than his action suggested (using the Chrono perception to alter his release point micro-seconds to disrupt the batsman's rhythm).
Mahela planted his foot to drive. The ball jagged back through the gate.
CRASH.
Middle stump uprooted.
WICKET: M. Jayawardene b Deva 182.
Commentary:
Sunil Gavaskar: "He's gone! The Devil does it again! Mahela was batting on a different planet, but Deva produces a magical delivery to breach the defense! That is a huge wicket!"
Amit Mishra cleaned up Thilan Samaraweera (70) late in the day.
Stumps Day 3: Sri Lanka 460/5.
Day 4:
Morning Session:
Angelo Mathews and Prasanna Jayawardene frustrated India further.
Mathews scored 42 before falling to Harbhajan.
But Prasanna (Wicketkeeper) played a gem with the tail.
Sri Lanka surpassed India's total.
Sri Lanka All Out: 572.
Lead: 13 Runs.
India 2nd Innings:
India started their second innings post-lunch on Day 4.
The match was heading for a draw unless something dramatic happened.
Sehwag and Deva walked out.
Sehwag, knowing a win was unlikely, decided to entertain the crowd.
He smashed 50 off 40 balls before getting out.
Stumps Day 4: India 120/1. (Deva 45*, Dravid 18*).
India leads by 107 runs.
Day 5
Session 1
Siddanth Deva and Rahul Dravid resumed.
Siddanth knew a draw was the most likely result.
He reached his 50 early in the morning.
Then he accelerated.
He lofted Rangana Herath for six.
Dravid played the anchor.
WICKET: Deva tried to reverse sweep Murali (audacious!). LBW.
S. Deva lbw b Muralitharan 68.
Sachin Tendulkar came in. He looked in fine touch, scoring a quick 38.
Dravid reached another 50.
India declared at Lunch.
India Declared: 275/4.
Lead: 262 Runs.
Overs Remaining: ~60 Overs.
Target for Sri Lanka: 263 Runs in 60 Overs.
It was a tempting target, but risky on a Day 5 pitch.
Session 2
Sri Lanka came out to bat.
Ishant Sharma bowled a fiery spell.
He removed Tharanga for a duck in the first over!
SL: 0/1.
Sangakkara and Dilshan decided not to chase. They shut up shop.
They blocked. They left.
The crowd got a bit restless.
Siddanth Deva tried everything. Bouncers, yorkers, cutters.
He got Dilshan out using chrono perception to have him caught at short leg for 25.
SL: 60/2.
Session 3
Mahela Jayawardene and Sangakkara—two legends—stood firm.
They batted out 30 overs without taking any risks.
The Indian spinners, Harbhajan and Mishra, wheeled away, close-in fielders chirping, but the pitch was too dead.
At 4:30 PM, with Sri Lanka 130/2, MS Dhoni and Kumar Sangakkara looked at each other.
The light was fading.
They shook hands.
MATCH DRAWN.
Post-Match Presentation
The two teams lined up on the outfield for the presentation ceremony. The mood was relaxed; both sides knew they had played quality cricket on a surface that offered little to the bowlers.
Ravi Shastri stood with the microphone, the cool Ahmedabad breeze fluttering his notes.
Ravi Shastri: "Ladies and gentlemen, a marathon Test match comes to an end. Over 1500 runs scored, centuries galore, and some tired legs out there. It was a batsman's paradise, but we saw some gritty performances. It is time for the presentation."
First, the captains were called up.
Kumar Sangakkara (Sri Lanka Captain): "We are happy with the effort. To come to India and take a first-innings lead is a huge achievement. Mahela was magnificent, Dilshan set the tone, and the lower order fought hard. The pitch was very good for batting, perhaps a bit too good, but we showed character."
MS Dhoni (India Captain): "We put a big score on the board. 560 is usually a winning score, but credit to Sri Lanka. They batted really well. Our bowlers tried everything, but once the ball got soft, it was hard to get wickets. We have some positives—Dravid was fantastic as always, and the debutant Sid played a special knock."
Ravi Shastri: "Now, the Man of the Match. It is a tough decision today. We had Rahul Dravid with 177 and a fifty. We had the debutant Siddanth Deva with a century and crucial wickets. But, in Test cricket, taking the lead away from home is gold dust."
Siddanth stood in the line, arms crossed with a smile on his face.
Ravi Shastri: "For a majestic innings of 182, which anchored the Sri Lankan response and ensured his team took the crucial first-innings lead... the Man of the Match is Mahela Jayawardene."
The Sri Lankan team erupted in applause.
Siddanth clapped enthusiastically. He looked at Mahela—the elegant veteran—walking up to the podium. It made sense. Mahela's innings had neutralized India's massive 559. Without that 182, India would have had a 100-run lead and could have pushed for a win today. Mahela had saved the game for them.
Mahela Jayawardene: "Thank you, Ravi. It was important to bat long. After India put up 550, we knew we had to bat for two days. The partnership with Dilshan was key. I just tried to play straight and not take risks. It's always satisfying to score runs in India against a good attack."
Ravi Shastri: "You faced the new kid, Deva. He got you out eventually."
Mahela (smiling): "Yes, he bowled a beauty to get me. He has a lot of talent. Scored a hundred and broke our partnership. He will be a handful in the future."
The Dressing Room
The team returned to the dressing room.
Siddanth sat down and Rahul Dravid sat next to him, wiping sweat from his forehead with a towel.
"Disappointed?" Dravid asked quietly.
"A little," Siddanth admitted. "I thought 200 runs and 2 wickets might be enough."
Dravid smiled, the wise smile of a man who had saved India countless times without accolades.
"Stats aren't everything in Test cricket, Sid. Look at the context. We scored 559. If Mahela hadn't scored that 182, they would have been all out for 450. We would have had a lead of 110. We could have enforced a result today."
Dravid pointed at the TV screen showing Mahela's highlights.
"His innings killed the game. He took the result out of the equation. That's why he got it. He neutralized us. That is the value of a Test match innings—impact over volume."
Siddanth nodded slowly.
It was a lesson. In ODIs, strike rates and wickets won awards. In Tests, it was about Time and Control. Mahela had controlled the game for 10 hours.
"Next time," Siddanth whispered to himself. "Next time, I don't just score. I win the game."
MS Dhoni clapped his hands for attention.
"Okay boys, pack up. Kanpur is next. It's going to turn. It's going to be a dustbowl. Sid, get ready to bowl a lot of overs."
Siddanth stood up.
The draw was done. The debut was historic. But the hunger was growing.
The "Devil" was ready for the dust of Kanpur.