India's whitewash of Australia
in the recently concluded T20 series was built on some strikingly
brilliant individual performances.The victory obviously left me elated
but also took me down the memory lane of some singularly awe inspiring
performances in Cricket. Now a lot of these performances may not be not well
known but inspiration in life comes from quality and not popularity. So
without any further delay lets look at three 'stand and deliver' performances from the 90s, a decade that revolutionized Cricket.
WV Raman anchors: WV Raman's stay at the top was very brief but no body could deny his talent and ice cool temperament. Both of these skills were on display when India took on South Africa in the 3rd ODI of a series which was rapidly going down hill. South Africa batted first and set a target of 215 for India. The modest target looked unattainable considering the fact that India hadn't crossed 200 even once in the first two one day internationals. Jadeja and Raman started off slowly putting on a half-century stand before Jadeja departed. Amre followed soon and here is where all hell should have broken loose with the asking rate rapidly climbing up. But Raman stepped up to ensure that the asking rate was within reach with his prolific timing. He set up important partnerships with Azharuddin, Tendulkar and Shastri and never backed down to Donald, de Villiers or Matthews. By the time he was dismissed in the 47th over for a well made century (114 runs of 148 deliveries) India had only 20 more runs to get and Shastri saw the team over the winning line. WV Raman's century which was heads and shoulders above everyone else (no one in the team even crossed 30) ensured that India had won a match on the South African soil for the first time. Its unfortunate for Indian Cricket that Raman's performance didn't translate into bigger things. He was soon replaced in the team with Kambli but anyone who saw this performance on that day in 1992 would know what the lanky left handed opener was capable of.
Kapil to the rescue: The year was 1993 and 15 years after he made his debut Kapil Dev was still doing what he had done well all through out his career 1) pick important wickets and 2) score vital runs. Both of these skills would come to fore in the final of the Hero Cup when India put into bat on a wearing pitch found itself in rough weather (after losing Kambli, Azharuddin and Amre on the same score). Kapil who had come in to bat at the fall of Amre's wicket had to first calm down a young Sachin (who was going through a lean patch) and then had to contend with Ambrose and Cummins who were breathing fire. Only eight runs were scored between the 37th and 43rd overs but Kapil was only warming up. Once he found his range, Kapil struck boundaries with ease and upped the rate with some intelligent running between the wickets. Kapil was finally dismissed in the 47th over for a superbly compiled 24(28) but more importantly boosted the confidence of Sachin who held fort after Kapil's wicket to take India to a competitive total of 225 runs. Kapil's day at the office was far from over though. He came back to bowl a tight spell (only 18 runs came off his 10 overs) and took the crucial wickets of Richie Richardson and Keith Arthurton. Kapil's spell laid the foundation for Anil Kumble to run through the West Indies tail and claim the Hero Cup for India. Today cricketing fans all over the world might remember the match for Kumble's spell of 6/12 but I chose to remember it for the all round contribution of an icon. Without him there wouldn't have been a total to defend. In the twilight of his career Kapil was still the man who could turn matches and win championships. My salute to the legend!
Dravid builds the wall: The 1997 Independence Cup was India's chance to redeem themselves on home soil after the debacle of the 1996 World Cup. India started with a thumping win over New Zealand and then were completely blown away by Jayasuriya. The stakes were at an all time high when India took on Pakistan in a must win match at Chennai. People were expecting a humdinger of a contest before Saeed Anwar unleashed himself on the Indian bowling attack with a world record score of 194. Anwar's knock obliterated everything in sight and set up India with a mammoth target of 328 runs. No body gave India a chance considering the fact that we were poor chasers and were heavily dependent on Sachin. Once Sachin fell early, all hopes evaporated into thin air but little did we know at that time that the man they called 'The Wall' was going to step up big time. Rahul Dravid walked in at the fall of Tendulkar's wicket and teamed up with Saurav Ganguly to introduce us (Indian Cricket Fans) to a new brand of cricket. Indian fans who were used to seeing batting lineups crumble under pressure were pleasantly surprised by two young players taking on the Pakistani bowling with a mix of assurance and aggression. While Ganguly got going Dravid held one end secure. Once Ganguly fell Dravid took on the mantle of scoring runs and built a 134 run partnership with Kambli. The amazing thing about Dravid's innings was that he paced himself without getting bogged down like Kambli did or go for expensive shots the way Ganguly did. He continuously looked for singles and pushed for a boundary when it was there for the taking. With wickets falling all round him and the heat cramping him up, Dravid required a partner who could launch himself from the platform he built. Alas! it was not to be, Dravid finally fell with India needing another 80 runs to get. His maiden century helped India reach 292 runs and make a match of it. The casual Indian fan who was used to seeing his side wilt under pressure saw a fight built on the performance of "The Wall". Little did we know then that this knock would galvanize India into a supreme chasing machine (a few months down the line India chased down a world record of 315 against the same opposition in Dhaka) which could challenge any target. Today if a score of 330 runs is chased down with panache that self belief was probably built on that day with this knock. Even though this performance doesn't get as much credit as it deserves its still a classic. I salute "The Wall" for his back to the wall knock (pun intended).
There
you go folks some awe-inspiring performances from the past which will set your pulse racing. If you too have some performances which
inspired you please leave a comment.
Until Next Time,
Yours Inspiringly,
J.J. Chaitanya
WV Raman anchors: WV Raman's stay at the top was very brief but no body could deny his talent and ice cool temperament. Both of these skills were on display when India took on South Africa in the 3rd ODI of a series which was rapidly going down hill. South Africa batted first and set a target of 215 for India. The modest target looked unattainable considering the fact that India hadn't crossed 200 even once in the first two one day internationals. Jadeja and Raman started off slowly putting on a half-century stand before Jadeja departed. Amre followed soon and here is where all hell should have broken loose with the asking rate rapidly climbing up. But Raman stepped up to ensure that the asking rate was within reach with his prolific timing. He set up important partnerships with Azharuddin, Tendulkar and Shastri and never backed down to Donald, de Villiers or Matthews. By the time he was dismissed in the 47th over for a well made century (114 runs of 148 deliveries) India had only 20 more runs to get and Shastri saw the team over the winning line. WV Raman's century which was heads and shoulders above everyone else (no one in the team even crossed 30) ensured that India had won a match on the South African soil for the first time. Its unfortunate for Indian Cricket that Raman's performance didn't translate into bigger things. He was soon replaced in the team with Kambli but anyone who saw this performance on that day in 1992 would know what the lanky left handed opener was capable of.
| W.V. Raman measured aggression <Courtesy: Cricket Gold Vintage> |
Kapil to the rescue: The year was 1993 and 15 years after he made his debut Kapil Dev was still doing what he had done well all through out his career 1) pick important wickets and 2) score vital runs. Both of these skills would come to fore in the final of the Hero Cup when India put into bat on a wearing pitch found itself in rough weather (after losing Kambli, Azharuddin and Amre on the same score). Kapil who had come in to bat at the fall of Amre's wicket had to first calm down a young Sachin (who was going through a lean patch) and then had to contend with Ambrose and Cummins who were breathing fire. Only eight runs were scored between the 37th and 43rd overs but Kapil was only warming up. Once he found his range, Kapil struck boundaries with ease and upped the rate with some intelligent running between the wickets. Kapil was finally dismissed in the 47th over for a superbly compiled 24(28) but more importantly boosted the confidence of Sachin who held fort after Kapil's wicket to take India to a competitive total of 225 runs. Kapil's day at the office was far from over though. He came back to bowl a tight spell (only 18 runs came off his 10 overs) and took the crucial wickets of Richie Richardson and Keith Arthurton. Kapil's spell laid the foundation for Anil Kumble to run through the West Indies tail and claim the Hero Cup for India. Today cricketing fans all over the world might remember the match for Kumble's spell of 6/12 but I chose to remember it for the all round contribution of an icon. Without him there wouldn't have been a total to defend. In the twilight of his career Kapil was still the man who could turn matches and win championships. My salute to the legend!
 |
| A champion for all seasons! |
Dravid builds the wall: The 1997 Independence Cup was India's chance to redeem themselves on home soil after the debacle of the 1996 World Cup. India started with a thumping win over New Zealand and then were completely blown away by Jayasuriya. The stakes were at an all time high when India took on Pakistan in a must win match at Chennai. People were expecting a humdinger of a contest before Saeed Anwar unleashed himself on the Indian bowling attack with a world record score of 194. Anwar's knock obliterated everything in sight and set up India with a mammoth target of 328 runs. No body gave India a chance considering the fact that we were poor chasers and were heavily dependent on Sachin. Once Sachin fell early, all hopes evaporated into thin air but little did we know at that time that the man they called 'The Wall' was going to step up big time. Rahul Dravid walked in at the fall of Tendulkar's wicket and teamed up with Saurav Ganguly to introduce us (Indian Cricket Fans) to a new brand of cricket. Indian fans who were used to seeing batting lineups crumble under pressure were pleasantly surprised by two young players taking on the Pakistani bowling with a mix of assurance and aggression. While Ganguly got going Dravid held one end secure. Once Ganguly fell Dravid took on the mantle of scoring runs and built a 134 run partnership with Kambli. The amazing thing about Dravid's innings was that he paced himself without getting bogged down like Kambli did or go for expensive shots the way Ganguly did. He continuously looked for singles and pushed for a boundary when it was there for the taking. With wickets falling all round him and the heat cramping him up, Dravid required a partner who could launch himself from the platform he built. Alas! it was not to be, Dravid finally fell with India needing another 80 runs to get. His maiden century helped India reach 292 runs and make a match of it. The casual Indian fan who was used to seeing his side wilt under pressure saw a fight built on the performance of "The Wall". Little did we know then that this knock would galvanize India into a supreme chasing machine (a few months down the line India chased down a world record of 315 against the same opposition in Dhaka) which could challenge any target. Today if a score of 330 runs is chased down with panache that self belief was probably built on that day with this knock. Even though this performance doesn't get as much credit as it deserves its still a classic. I salute "The Wall" for his back to the wall knock (pun intended).
Until Next Time,
Yours Inspiringly,
J.J. Chaitanya
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