ICC WT20 2014 begins tomorrow in Bangladesh

From tomorrow the blue eyed kid of the cricketing fraternity will be out there again to woo spectators from all around the globe again. The slam bang wallop version begins tomorrow. Yes, the WT20 2014 begins tomorrow in Bangladesh.

It will be a ten team event this time around with the top eight teams get direct entries. Two teams will be chosen from a qualifying round (it comprises eight teams).

The two Qualifying Groups are as under

• Qualifying Group A – Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Nepal.

• Qualifying Group B – Ireland, Netherlands, UAE, Zimbabwe.

The top team from each group will have earned its right to play against the top boys.

The Qualifying Group A seems to me to be the group of death. Afghanistan is a team that has shown tremendous potential and they can usurp any team on their day. Hong Kong has won both their warm up games and hence must be high on confidence. They will also be excited as this will be their first showing on the global arena. Bangladesh will have the boisterous home support, no doubt, but then we all know that playing at home is a double edged sword. There will be enormous pressure on them to at least qualify for the main draw.

Qualifying Group B seems a bit easier as Netherlands is looking rusty. The Ireland and Zimbabwe match will in all probability decide this group’s topper but then it’s easy to slip against any team in this shorter format and they will do well to not get complacent.

The Complete Schedule for the ICC WT20 2014 Qualifying Round is given below:

Group	Date	Match
A	16.03.2014	Bangladesh v Afghanistan
A	16.03.2014	Hong Kong v Nepal
B	17.03.2014	Ireland v Zimbabwe
B	17.03.2014	Netherlands v UAE
A	18.03.2014	Afghanistan v Hong Kong
A	18.03.2014	Bangladesh v Nepal
B	19.03.2014	Netherlands v Zimbabwe
B	19.03.2014	Ireland v UAE
A	20.03.2014	Afghanistan v Nepal
A	20.03.2014	Bangladesh v Hong Kong
B	21.03.2014	Zimbabwe v UAE
B	21.03.2014	Ireland v Netherlands

The main draw starts from the 21st of March when arch rivals India take on Pakistan.

The teams in the main groups are divided as follows:

• Group 1 – England, New Zealand, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Winner from Qualifying Group B.
• Group 2 – Australia, India, Pakistan, West Indies, Winner from Qualifying Group A.

Both the groups seem well balanced but the Group 2 seems just that tad much tougher. The top 2 teams from each group will advance through to the Semi Finals.

The Schedule for the ICC WT20 2014 Group Stages is as given under:

Group	Date	Match
2	21.03.2014	India v Pakistan
1	22.03.2014	Sri Lanka v South Africa
1	22.03.2014	England v New Zealand
2	23.03.2014	Australia v Pakistan
2	23.03.2014	India v West Indies
1	24.03.2014	New Zealand v South Africa
1	24.03.2014	Sri Lanka v (Qualifier B1)
2	25.03.2014	West Indies v (Qualifier A1)
1	27.03.2014	South Africa v (Qualifier B1)
1	27.03.2014	England v Sri Lanka
2	28.03.2014	Australia v West Indies
2	28.03.2014	India v (Qualifier A1)
1	29.03.2014	New Zealand v (Qualifier B1)
1	29.03.2014	England v South Africa
2	30.03.2014	Pakistan v (Qualifier A1)
2	30.03.2014	Australia v India
1	31.03.2014	England v (Qualifier B1)
1	31.03.2014	New Zealand v Sri Lanka
2	01.04.2014	Australia v (Qualifier A1)
2	01.04.2014	Pakistan v West Indies
Semi-Finals	03.04.2014	Group 1 (1) v Group 2 (2)
Semi-Finals	04.04.2014	Group 2 (1) v Group 1 (2)
Finals	06.04.2014	Winner of Semi-Finals 1 v Winner of Semi Finals 2
Reserved Day	07.04.2014

Note:

• On days all days when 2 matches are scheduled the first match will start at 3 PM IST and the second match begins at 7 PM IST.

• On the 21st of March there are 3 matches scheduled with the first one starting at 11 AM IST. The timing of the remaining two matches remains the same as given above.

• There is only one match scheduled on the 25th of March which will start at 7 PM IST.

• Both the Semi Finals and the Finals will begin at 6.30 PM IST.

• All the Group 1 matches will be held at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong while all the Group 2 matches will take place at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur. Both the Semi Finals and the Final will also be held at the same venue.

I hope I will be able to cover the WT20 2014 with the same vigor that I covered the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. Stay Tuned, there is a lot more coming up here on the Cricket Wise!!

The Late Mid-Night Fiasco

‘Aarghh!!! What was that??’ Jiten screeched in the dead of the night, flicking on the lights at the same time.

He lay on his cot just near the door, a half tattered blanket barely covering him. He scrambled for his spectacles which lay somewhere near his pillow and adjusted them furiously on his now-wide open eyes! In the meantime, Amish who slept on the ground besides Jiten’s cot and myself were also half-sitting, half-slouching on our bedding’s, shooting curious glances at each other.

‘It was surely a crab’ Jiten spoke again, his eyes shuttling between the toe of his leg and all around his cot, under the blanket as also under his flimsy pillow.

‘It can’t be a crab!! It must be a frog! There are so many out here!’ I said, to which Amish just nodded halfheartedly, letting out a disgusting yawn at the same time. ‘Does a frog bite so hard? See my toe; the skin has been peeled off!! There is a small puncture too!’ Jiten retorted.

‘Whatever it was, let us sleep now! We can search for it tomorrow morning!’ Ajit bellowed, the frustration quite palpable in his quivering voice. Ajit was a giant, who got angry easily and someone who was very serious most of the times. Even we, his room-mates, rarely messed with him! He laid at an angle of 90 degrees, in the space between the cupboard and us, his head starting at my bedding and his legs splaying near Amish’s head!!

But Jiten had already decided that he was not going to let whatever it was, to stay in our room any longer. He had already launched the search operation in the room and as if on cue, I and Amish too looked under our sheets and shot glances here and there trying to spot the mischief monger. Ajit had already resumed his snoring after giving his verdict which he must have considered was set in stone!! After a futile search lasting few minutes, Jiten mustered some courage and began to ruffle around Ajit but was given such a terrorizing look that he immediately abandoned any further search in his perimeter!

Finding nothing, we all went to sleep again as Jiten finally switched the lights off.

10-15 minutes later

A shrill cry broke the momentary calm and Jiten put the lights on again.

Jiten looked surprised by what he saw, but at the same time had an I-told-you-so look writ large on his face. I and Amish were almost on the verge of having peals of laughter but we somehow managed to rein ourselves in. We saw a bewildered Ajit crouching on the arm-rest of the solitary plastic chair which lay next to the computer table and near the cupboard. I saw fear in his blood shot eyes. His bald head shone with thick beads of sweat giving him the look of a treacherous fugitive. Never before had I seen Ajit like that, he looked meek and petrified.

I, for a fleeting moment, imagined what would happen if the fragile arm-rest (it had already bent dangerously) gave in under his weight, a slight smile beginning to form around my mouth at the thought! Amish gave me a questioning look as he must have caught my smile and he whispered in my ears, ‘Ajit will bury you alive if you have any hand in this!!’ I sobered up quickly, put on a straight face and replied, ‘No yaar, I am not that mad to put my hand in a lion's lair!’ Amish did not seem entirely satisfied by my answer and stated in no uncertain words, ‘That if I had anything to do with this, then that was certain to cause further mayhem and certainly elongate the late mid night drama that was playing out at 2.45 am in our hostel room!!’

‘S… S… Some... Something just crawled right over my legs. I… I think it’s a snake!’ Ajit managed to croak, looking more and more like a hapless frog that might have sensed the presence of a dangerous black cobra in its vicinity.

At the very mention of a snake, both I and Amish got up with a start and jumped on Jiten’s cot as that was the only high ground available in our room, apart from the chair which was already occupied!!

‘I told you there is something in this room but you would have none of it’ Jiten almost shouted at Ajit, even as he came down from his cot and walked over towards Ajit’s bedding. Jiten was quite a fearless character and he had obviously decided to put an end to this nonsense as early as possible.

On higher ground and feeling relatively safe, I and Amish were almost choking on our laughter looking at how Ajit was perched up precariously on the arm rest of the chair!! I told him, perhaps a bit too loudly, ‘Ever seen a lion scared by a snake?’ ‘Witnessing it live, right now’ pat came the reply from Amish! If Ajit heard the comment, he ignored it.

Suddenly, Ajit shouted, ‘There is something under the cupboard!! I think I saw a shadow move!’ 

All the eight eyes were now transfixed under the cupboard. But it was so dark underneath that we failed to spot anything there. The solitary tube-light in our room flickered for a moment, adding to the tension and perhaps enjoying the bird’s eye view it commanded from the high ceiling.

Jiten picked up Ajit’s pillow which was lying nearby and swept the space under the cupboard. On any other day Ajit would have eaten him raw for such a horrific crime but today he was silent, watching intently!!

We heard a squeak and a small rat bolt out from under the cupboard and before we could make head or tail of it, scuttled out of our room from the narrow opening near the base of our wooden door.

Jiten tried giving a chase and locate its hideout but by the time we opened the door, it had already disappeared into the darkness of our hostel corridor. We immediately sealed the slit in the door with thick cardboard and reinforced it with cello-tape.

Discussing the event, we all had a nice laugh about it. Even Ajit, the Mr Serious, managed a wry grin and laughed at his own behavior!! Even though Ajit always accuses us of exaggeration, but to this day he drops his guard, loses his seriousness, and laughs unconditionally whenever we reminisce that night again, knowing fully well that what we say is the truth!!

PS – This is a true story which happened during my engineering days and all the characters are real. The names have been changed.

PPS – If you like the post and are on Indiblogger, then vote for it on Indivine here - http://www.indiblogger.in/indipost.php?post=329385

Indians. Abroad. Woeful.

When I was a little kid, my mother would be very skeptical to send me out to the market to buy bread, ketch-up or ice-cream. I was an extremely naughty child who could hold the best to ransom within the confines of my home. But I would get cheated more often than not at the hands of some street smart shopkeepers who would either hand me a torn note or an item nearing its expiration date (or worse sometimes, items already expired). Thus venturing out of my house would make me doubt my own abilities as I remembered the scars of my previous scolding by my parents after returning home duped.

The Indian Cricket team must experience the exact same torrent of feelings that I used to go through whilst I was still a child. While the team can blank the very best on its own grounds the same group gets blanked out collectively when they venture outside of India. The scars of 0-4 losses to Australia and England in tests are something that even the Indian cricket team fans carry till date. Recently the Indian side lost 0-2 in the 3 match ODI series in South Africa and 0-1 in the 2 match test series. We have now lost 0-4 in the 5 match ODI series to New Zealand.

The opening pair of Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma, both of whom look a million dollars while playing in India, look more like out of circulation currency whilst taking guard abroad. They plant their front foot forward and play through the line of the ball which hardly bounces above the knee in India but are left groping and hopping overseas where the ball swings both ways and rears up at their face. They were so slow with their opening partnerships in New Zealand, it was almost like watching a terminally ill patient die a slow painful death.

Virat Kohli and Mahendra Singh Dhoni along with Ajinkya Rahane seem to me to be the only batsmen in this current lineup who can stand up to the fast bowlers in a foreign country. They have reasonably sound technique against the short ball and they all play the ball late which is always a pre-requisite whilst batting in testing conditions. There is the classy Cheteshwar Pujara, off course, who must be a regular considering our woeful batting order but he has been left out to accommodate Suresh Raina, another slogger who is unable to handle even an iota of pace and bounce let alone seam and swing.

The bowlers tell a story which is eerily similar to that which our batsmen seem to narrate. While pacers like Mohd. Shami, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Varun Aaron all have the pace and the skill to deliver testing spells they are all still very much a work in progress as they are all in the nascent stages of their career. They have all shown us glimpses, both in South Africa as well as in New Zealand that they have pace and can move the ball too. They must be persisted with and given maximum chances so that they can flower into useful resources in the near future.

Ashwin, so successful on the Indian dustbowls is regularly grinded into the dust himself when bowling abroad. He is neither able to keep the run scoring in check nor does he seem capable of picking up wickets. Why is he being persisted with, so regularly, does not make any real sense to me? Is it because he plays for the same IPL team as Dhoni is anyone’s guess!! Ishant is another bowler who seems to have more bad days than good and is still being played while we have better options warming the bench. While I can am all for giving players a long enough rope as chopping and changing can do no good to the team but the player in question must show the willingness to learn from his past mistakes and make efforts to overcome his shortcomings. Some players in this current team lack that zeal and seem oblivious to the fact that they must get better or else risk losing their place.

MSD has to take a call on players like Raina, Ishant and Ashwin and must be ready to drop them if they do not perform. We have better replacements for all these players in Pujara, Aaron/Yadav and Ojha/Mishra who must also be given time to prove themselves. He must be a little positive with his field placing during the middle over’s of an ODI with an intent on picking up wickets. India seem too happy to spread out the field in this phase and give the opposition easy singles and twos only to see the opposition blast in the last 10-15 overs and post a mammoth score. The opening batsmen must score briskly and whence they have consumed overs with a low scoring rate they must try to bat out till the end and make up for the slow score. Rotating the strike is very important so that a bowler is not able to work on a single batsman and plan him out. The bowlers must keep things simple and must keep attacking even in the middle overs by looking to get the opposition batsmen out. Containing does not work as with wickets in hand our bowlers are sitting duck.

As I grew up my fear of going to the markets, alone, subsided. I learnt how to deal with people who were keen to get the better of me. Yes, I am still duped sometimes but such incidents are now far and few in between. It’s high time that India gave a better account of them while playing away from home. They are no longer kids. Yes, they will not win every match, but they must try not to lose every match. That, in itself, will be a big achievement for starters!!

I am looking forward to the upcoming test series between India and New Zealand to see if they have learnt their lessons. What are your predictions? I am holding mine close to my hearts this time around!!

My First Guest Post - A Tribute to Sachin, the God of Cricket

Well as Sachin is all geared up and set to play his final, his 200^th Test Match for India against the visiting West Indies team at his home ground, the Wankhede Stadium, I wish him all the luck. I am also getting nostalgic remembering all those days from the 1990’s and 2000’s where Sachin would, more often than not play a lone hand for India.

I was delighted when Arti of My Yatra Diary fame, well she is no less then Sachin when it comes to the world of blogging, invited me to do a guest post on the Little Master on her famous blog!! I have written a heartfelt account of my association with the God of Cricket, Sachin, over at My Yatra Diary.

Cricket is our Religion... Tendulkar is our God

Here is a small excerpt from my post

I once experienced what it must be like to be in the stands, when the ground is full, when Sachin is out there in the middle. Surprisingly, that match did not even involve India! Sri Lanka was playing New Zealand at Wankhede during the 2011 ICC World Cup and suddenly, during the second innings when New Zealand was batting the entire ground erupted with chants of Saaachin-Sachiiiiin, Saaachin-Sachiiiiin. The roar was defeaning, the crowd delirious in its chanting. I saw cricket fans dancing and shouting their throats hoarse when Sachin was not even at the ground!! I too joined them, the maddening hymn reaching a feverish pitch. This continued for a good 10-15 minutes. The Mumbai crowd had probably got its money’s worth in those few moments when they showered their lad with unabashed love and remembrance.

Do read the whole article here

Please share your Sachin memories in the comments section, either over there or here in this post!!

A Whiff of Nostalgia - My Smelly to Smiley Contest Post

The sense of smell has to be the most complex and indeed the most powerful of all human senses. While a particular smell can be pleasant to some, the same smell can be utterly disgusting to others and yet at the same time it might not even be detected by a third person!

Our brain remembers every smell we encounter, storing them all in some unrecognizable dark corner of its vast expanses, and we are instantly reminded of our experiences associated with the particular smell as soon as we bump into it again, sometimes after many long years. Nearly everyone has had experiences wherein a faint smell somewhere has triggered a wave of nostalgic memories hitting them like a tsunami.

So when I read about this particular contest on ‘Indiblogger’ which is sponsored by ‘Ambi Pur - a brand dealing with air freshners’, I was instantly transported to my childhood days. All those fragrances came rushing back, the good and bad memories allied with them, making me all nostalgic about the good old days.

A Normal Day

The mornings would be full of that flowery fragrance as Grandma would bring an assortment of flowers from the nearby garden which would be offered to the Gods. No sooner did the golden dust began its dance in the first rays of the sun, the gentle early morning breeze would fill up my nostrils with the aroma of hot ginger-basil tea brewing headily in our kitchen. The balmy scent of shoe polish on my black leather shoes often reminds me of my daily drudgery while I was in school. Today, when I apply my latest aftershave, I instantly remember that whiff of Old Spice Cologne that my Father would use when I was a kid.

Interestingly and perhaps a bit surprisingly, my memory fails to serve up any special recollections relating to odour during the 6 odd hours that I spent in the school. Perhaps I was too busy enjoying with my friends to take any notice of smells around me because one thing that I am sure about, is that I was not busy studying!! But luckily for me the contest asks for ‘nostalgic memories you associate with different smells or fragrances in your home’. Anyways I do remember one particular smell from my school days which I will share later on.

Afternoons were spent watching TV or doing homework or catching up on some sleep. Evenings were reserved for playing cricket and I remember how sweaty everyone would smell after running around for 2-3 hours continuously. After returning home, I would take a bath and get fresh and have my dinner. Then was the time for some more TV or homework depending on various multiple factors which I do not desire to dwell into in any great detail. There was this rule where we had to have a glass of hot milk just before retiring for the day and I remember that smell of milk very well. Just like every other kid, I used to hate it! I still detest it but now I have turmeric milk every night which, well, does not smell bad and at the same time is very good for health!!

Summers

The nearly 2 month long summer vacation was like a boon from heaven for kids from my generation. This was our little window where we were free from books and school and homework (there were no tuition classes during the vacations nor were we enrolled in various other classes like the kids of today and schools would not give homework to complete during the vacations) and were free to spend our time as we wished. How well I remember that giddy concoction of bodily stinks when 10 sweaty, sticky kids would simultaneously hug one another affectionately after winning a game of gully cricket from a seemingly hopeless position!!!

Summer vacations would also mean trips to places where we had never been before. I remember the smell of the cool mountainous breeze with lofty peaks and gently flowing rivers completing our surroundings as also the smell of the salty sea air by the sea-side with the growling ocean and the palm trees providing the perfect setting for the most riveting sunset!

One aroma which I absolutely worship is what ensues when cold curd is poured on hot steaming rice! I used to have curd-rice almost daily during the summer season and this was one smell which I eagerly awaited each day.

Rains

That earthy smell when the first rain drops gently kiss the earth. Who does not have memories associated with that moment, memories where, the first rain drop of the year would cause a commotion in the building with kids scampering out in the open to get drenched, later playing a game of cricket in the rain!! But unfortunately that pleasant scent of ‘parched-mud-soaking-in-water’ would be short lived as the stench from the garbage dump nearby was enough to make one nauseous. Now there is ‘Ambi Pur - Meadow and Rain’ to make sure that the wet mud smell remains with you long after the first rains have arrived!!

Winters

I do not remember any particular scent from the winters, but, in general, the air smelt much better in winter then what it did in the summers! The crisp and the cool morning air was something that I loved taking in, it was so stimulating!

Festivals/ Special Occasions

India is known as the land of festivals and the sights and smells are undeniably something that lingers on with you for a long time. The memories of these festivals, the different unique smells associated with each of them are enough to send my mind into a spiral.

I fondly remember Diwali for the mélange of odours that it presented – from the sickly sweet aroma of the kheer topped with pistachios and saffron, to the fumy, suffocating air from all the burnt fireworks, to the aromatic fragrance of the various flowers used for decorating the house, to the earthly smell of the mud diyas, to the smell of love and affection that was showered on kids. Everyone seemed happy, everyone had a smile on the face, everyone would welcome you warmly… that world was not such a bad place to live in after all!!

I get all nostalgic during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival each year reminiscing about the smell of Modaks which would fill the atmosphere in Mumbai.

The aroma of the sugary sweet Jalebis and the savory Fafdas served along with the raw pineapple and besan chutney would make me impatient while standing in the queue of the sweetmeat shop as I awaited my turn on the Dusshera day!!

Remember I talked about that one lingering fragrance from my school days? The aroma of the black fruitcake filled with raisins and fruits and nuts still hangs around in the air - one that I savored on the Christmas Day for 12 straight years, making me remember my school days warmheartedly.

My birthday meant that I could ask for my favorite dish to be prepared and my Mother would happily oblige. That particular dish was, more often than not, almost always – Pav Bhaji! My mind easily transports me to those days when the house would be filled with the smell of that aromatic, pungent and spicy bhaji… that huge dollop of butter melting away happily on top of it making it smell all the more addictive!! Nothing beats that remarkable whiff of home-made Pav Bhaji, yes; my mother is the best cook in the world!!

Miscellaneous

There are so many more smells dawdling around in my home today that make me nostalgic about my childhood days – the smell of the tadka as the cumin seeds would crackle in the hot ghee filling the air with a nutty flavor and then the addition of asafoetida would make the air turn heady and finally the addition of curry leaves would complete what would be a pretty intricate odour, the fragrance of incense, the minty aroma of fresh pudinah chutney which my Grandmother would grind with a small cylindrical stone on a larger flat stone (the entire apparatus known as Shil Lodi), the delicate scent of the Jasmine gajra which my mother would sometimes wear, the fragrance of mehndi during festivals, etc

Writing for this contest made me realize how much the smells around us influence us. They have the power to make us happy and to make us sad. Every smell has stories waiting to be told and memories waiting to be kindled. So what is your story and what are your memories? Share them!!

This post is my entry for the Smelly to Smiley! Contest held on Indiblogger and sponsored by Ambi Pur. If you like my post please do vote for it here.

Nostalgia - India vs Sri Lanka, 1996 World Cup Semi Finals at Eden Gardens, Calcutta

India vs Sri Lanka, 1996 Cricket World Cup Semi Final Match at Eden Gardens, Calcutta

The 1996 World Cup which was hosted jointly by India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka was the first ever Cricket World Cup that I feverishly followed.

Many moments are still etched in my mind from that tournament – West Indies losing to Kenya, India beating Pakistan in an electrically charged Bangalore, Chris Harris making a wonderful century against the Aussie’s but still ending on the losing side, West Indies committing hara-kiri against Australia chasing only 208 but ending up losing after being 2/165 at one stage, Australia and West Indies forfeiting their games against Sri Lanka due to security concerns, etc.

But in this post I will describe a game which I remember like it took place only yesterday. India was to play against Sri Lanka in the Semi Finals at Eden Gardens, Calcutta.

Mohammad Azharuddin won the toss and elected to bowl first, perhaps influenced by the fact that the Lankans loved chasing and the ease with which they had won in the league game against India chasing a huge score.

With 100,000 people egging on their team wildly, Javagal Srinath removed the dangerous opening Lankan pair of Sanath Jayasuriya and Romesh Kaluwitharana with just a solitary run on the board. Out walked Aravinda, their star batsman, under massive pressure. Pressure, what pressure? I was just 11 but I still vividly remember that savage assault of his on the Indian bowling. He cut, drove and punched like a man possessed. Nothing mattered to him at that moment, he played some delightful strokes, and he was in the zone. He reached his 50 off just 32 deliveries and yet not a single stroke was played in anger. You would find it difficult to hear your own voice in that mad Eden Gardens crowd when those two early wickets fell and still a passerby could be forgiven if he mistook it for a mortuary at mid-night while Aravinda was out there bisecting fields as if batting with set-squares, protractors and compass!!

He was finally castled for 66 which came of just 47 balls but such was the ferocity of his mauling that it left India shell shocked. Arjuna Ranatunga, Roshan Mahanama and Hashan Tillekeratne all contributed to the score and build on from where Aravinda De Silva had left to take the Lankan score to 252. It was certainly not a frightening total and the strong Indian batting line up would have been pretty confident of chasing this down.

India lost Sidhu early but the Mumbai lads Sachin Tendulkar and Sanjay Manjrekar steadied the Indian ship and the fans nerves by taking the score to 98 without any real difficulty. It all seemed easy out there for the Indians. And then, disaster struck. Sachin lost his balance to a full leg side delivery from Jayasuriya and little Kalu whipped the bails off in a flash. India 98/2 and perhaps a little panic set about in that Indian dressing room right at that moment, a little moment of self doubt perhaps crept into the minds of the incoming batsmen.

The Moment when it all started to go downhill for the Indians, 

Sachin stranded down the pitch

Azharuddin joined Manjrekar but for a fleeting moment as he spooned a simple return catch to Dharmasena and India slipped to 99/3. The Sri Lankan spinners then began to extract vicious turn and zip from the Eden pitch. Nearly every ball started turning square and not losing a wicket seemed a no less than a miracle. It was dramatic as it seemed that the pitch had crumbled in a matter of a few overs. Batting almost became impossible as the batsmen struggled to even get the ball off the square. Sanath bowled Manjrekar and Jadeja behind their legs leaving stunned faces in the crowd. The spin quartet of Sanath, Murli, Aravinda and Dharmasena could have easily passed as the fearsome pace quartet of West Indies of the 80’s in that moment. As India lost Ashish Kapoor to a fine running catch by De Silva, the crowd had had enough.

India had slipped from 98/1 to 120/8 and it could take no more. Water bottles were thrown on the field and seats burned. The ugly side of fanatic Indian crowds had made an appearance in the wake of a truly disastrous Indian performance. The match was temporarily stopped and just when it was about to resume the riots in the stands started again. Clive Llyod awarded the match to Sri Lanka and rightly so as India hardly looked like it could scrape a run let alone score 130 odd runs in just under 16 overs! The image of a crying Vinod Kambli making his way off the field was a distressing sight even as a placard in the crowd read – “Congratulations Sri Lanka, We Are Sorry”