Date: July 15th - 17th, 2011.
Location: Taunton.
The three-day practice match against Somerset was less of a contest and more of a calibration exercise. The pitch was flat, the sun made a rare appearance, and the mood was relaxed.
The match ended in a Draw.
For Siddanth Deva, it was a quiet affair. He bowled 15 overs, taking 1 wicket, focusing on finding the right length for the Duke ball rather than chasing pace. With the bat, he spent an hour at the crease, scoring a patient 30, testing out a newfound defensive resilience. He left balls he would have smashed in the IPL. He blocked deliveries he would have driven in Mumbai. He channeled the grit of the Test greats he had studied, softening his hands and playing the ball right under his eyes.
"Good," Dravid had nodded from the balcony. "Boring is good."
But Taunton was just the dress rehearsal. The opera was about to begin.
---
Date: July 21st, 2011.
Location: Lord's Cricket Ground, London.
Event: 1st Test Match, India vs England. Pataudi Trophy.
Match Number: 2000th Test in History.
History hung heavy in the air at St John's Wood. It was the 2000th Test match ever played. The Indian team, ranked Number 1 in the world, was facing England, the challenger to the throne.
The morning was overcast. Typical London gloom. The clouds were low, heavy with moisture, promising swing.
The Toss:
MS Dhoni called correctly.
"We will field first," Dhoni said. "Overcast conditions. There might be something in it for the bowlers early on."
The Long Room of the Lord's is a place of reverence. As Deva walked through it, flanked by legends like Sachin and Dravid, the members stood and applauded politely. It was a surreal transition from the deafening whistles of Chepauk to the polite clapping of gentlemen in ties.
Deva stepped onto the turf. He looked at the famous slope—a drop of 2.5 meters from North to South. He felt the cold wind on his face.
"Right," Zaheer Khan said, tossing the cherry-red Duke ball to Deva. "Let's make it talk."
Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook walked out. Two of the most technically sound openers in the world.
Zaheer Khan started from the Pavilion End. He was magnificent. He beat the edge three times in the first over, but the English openers were resolute. They left well, played late, and survived the initial burst.
Deva took the Nursery End. He bowled a disciplined line, troubling Cook with the angle, but the breakthrough remained elusive. Ten overs passed. The score crawled to 15/0. The Duke ball was swinging, and the English wall was holding firm, but barely.
Over 11: Siddanth Deva to Alastair Cook
Dhoni decided to change Deva's end. He brought him on from the Pavilion End to use the slope differently.
10.1: Good length. Cook defended solidly.
10.2: Fuller. Cook drove to mid-off. No run.
10.3: Deva went wide of the crease. He angled it in. Cook shuffled across and tucked it to square leg. No run.
10.4: Deva to Cook
Deva ran in. 138 kmph.
He landed it on the fourth stump line. The seam hit the deck perfectly upright. The slope took over.
The ball moved away late. Just a fraction. Not enough to leave, but enough to find the edge.
Cook, who had been so patient, was drawn into the push. He played with hard hands.
The Edge: A thick outside edge.
The ball flew low to the right of the second slip.
Sachin Tendulkar, standing at second slip, dived low. His buckets for hands scooped it up inches from the grass.
Commentary (Nasser Hussain): "EDGED AND GONE! The breakthrough finally comes! Siddanth Deva gets Alastair Cook in the 11th over! He changed ends, used the slope, and found the edge! The Little Master makes no mistake in the slips! England 19 for 1!"
WICKET (Cook 12).
Deva roared, punching the air. It had taken time, but the persistence paid off. Getting a wicket at Lord's against Alastair Cook? It was the stuff of dreams. Sachin ran up and hugged him. "Perfect length, Sid. Patience pays."
Drinks Break (11 Overs):
England was 19/1. Jonathan Trott walked out to join Strauss. The pitch was easing out slightly, but the Indian bowlers were disciplined.
After the drinks break, Dhoni rotated his bowlers. Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, and Praveen Kumar operated in tandem.
Jonathan Trott was a wall. He didn't play shots; he accumulated runs. Strauss looked solid.
Lunch Score: England 70/1.
The lunch at Lord's was famous, but Deva ate lightly—chicken and salad. He needed to stay light on his feet.
Post-Lunch Session:
The sun peeked out. The ball stopped swinging as much. Trott and Strauss were building a partnership. It looked like a long day in the field.
Over 24.4: Harbhajan Singh to Andrew Strauss
Harbhajan came round the wicket. He bowled a loopier delivery, inviting the sweep.
Strauss, usually good against spin, top-edged the sweep.
It was a simple catch for Zaheer Khan at short fine leg.
WICKET (Strauss 22).
Commentary (Michael Atherton): "Soft dismissal. England was looking comfortable, but Harbhajan breaks the door down. 2 down for 75."
Kevin Pietersen walked out. The showman. He chewed gum aggressively, looking around the field with disdain.
Pietersen and Trott stabilized the innings. They didn't let the bowlers settle. KP drove Ishant through the covers with arrogance. Trott nudged singles.
Drinks Break (Afternoon):
Overs: 37.
Score: England 92/2.
Deva stretched his back. 37 overs in the field. The cold was seeping into his bones.
"One more wicket," Dhoni told the team. "One more before Tea, and we win the day."
England reached 100 in 39.6 overs. KP was starting to look dangerous.
MS Dhoni threw the ball back to his spearhead. Zaheer Khan.
Zak was in rhythm. He had been the pick of the bowlers, troubling everyone.
41.1: Zaheer to KP. Beaten.
41.2: Zaheer to KP. Defended.
41.3: Zaheer ran in. He gathered momentum. He leaped.
As he landed his front foot, his face contorted in agony.
He pulled up sharply, clutching his right hamstring. He hopped on one leg, almost collapsing.
The stadium went silent.
Deva, fielding at mid-off, ran to him. "Zak bhai?"
Zaheer was grimacing, holding the back of his thigh. He shook his head. "Gone. It's gone."
Commentary (Ravi Shastri): "Oh no. Oh dear. This looks bad. Zaheer Khan is down. He is clutching his hamstring. This is the last thing India needed. He is their leader of the attack."
The physio ran out. After a brief check, Zaheer limped off the field, unable to put weight on his leg.
Dhoni looked at Deva. The worry in the Captain's eyes was visible. Losing Zaheer wasn't just losing a bowler; it was losing the general of the bowling unit.
"Finish the over, Sid," Dhoni said quietly.
Deva took the ball. He bowled the remaining three balls of the over. But his mind was racing.
Zak is out. That means I am the spearhead now.
The injury cast a pall over the Indian team. The energy dipped.
To make matters worse, the English weather decided to intervene. The clouds darkened significantly. The light meter was brought out.
The umpires conferred. It was getting dangerous to face pace in this light.
49.2 Overs: The umpires offered the light to the batsmen. Trott and KP accepted immediately.
Stumps, Day 1.
Score: England 127/2.
Jonathan Trott: 58*.
Kevin Pietersen: 22*.
As Deva walked off the field, he looked at the balcony. Zaheer wasn't there.
He walked into the dressing room. Zaheer was on the massage table, ice strapped to his leg. The mood was somber.
"Grade 2 tear," the physio whispered to Dhoni. "He's out of the series."
Deva sat down in his corner. He looked at his hands.
The 2000th Test. Lord's. And now, he was the lead pacer for the Number 1 team in the world. The difficulty had just spiked to nightmare levels. His objective was clear: fill the void left by Zaheer Khan.
Deva untied his laces. The easy days of the IPL were gone. This was Test cricket. And it had just claimed its first victim.
---
Date: July 22nd, 2011. Session: Morning & Afternoon.
If Day 1 was about the gloom, Day 2 was a battlefield. Without Zaheer Khan, Dhoni had to rotate his resources carefully. Kevin Pietersen was in a punishing mood, but India kept chipping away at the other end.
The 3rd Wicket: Just before lunch, Praveen Kumar found a beautiful line. He swung the ball away from Jonathan Trott, inducing a rare loose drive. Caught behind by Dhoni.
WICKET (Trott 70). Score: 190/3.
Post-Lunch Session:Ian Bell walked out. He looked elegant, hitting two boundaries off Ishant Sharma. But Ishant, tall and aggressive, banged one in short. Bell couldn't resist the hook. He top-edged it to fine leg, where Deva took a simple catch.
WICKET (Bell 18). Score: 235/4.
The 5th Wicket:Eoin Morgan joined Pietersen. But the left-hander struggled against the spin of Harbhajan Singh.
Bhajji drifted one across him, trapping him on the crease.
LBW.WICKET (Morgan 5). Score: 260/5.
At the other end, however, Kevin Pietersen was imperious. He reached his century with a flick through mid-wicket, raising his bat to the Members' Stand. He was single-handedly holding the innings together, scoring at a rate that demoralized the bowlers.
Tea, Day 2.England: 315/5.Kevin Pietersen: 125*. Matt Prior: 4*.
The evening session began under grey skies. KP was on 125. He looked set for a double hundred. The Indian shoulders were drooping.
Dhoni threw the ball to Deva. "He is the key, Sid. If he stays, they get 500. Get him."
Deva nodded. He ran in with renewed energy.
Over 96: Deva to Pietersen
95.1: Bouncer. KP ducked.
95.2: Length ball. KP drove for four through covers. He moved to 129.
95.3: Deva smiled. He went round the wicket. He aimed for the rough outside leg stump.
95.4: KP tried to whip it to the leg. He missed. The ball hit the pads. Appeal? No, pitched outside leg.
95.5: Deva went back over the wicket. He bowled the heavy ball. The one that hit the deck hard and nipped back. KP, overconfident, tried to drive on the up through mid-on. He left a gap between bat and pad. The ball jagged back. It kissed the inside edge. It crashed into the middle stump.
The Roar: Deva screamed. He ran towards the slip cordon, veins popping.
Commentary (David Lloyd): "TIMBER! The young man has done it! He has knocked over the centurion! Kevin Pietersen plays a loose shot and pays the price! A magnificent 132 comes to an end. That is the wicket India needed! England 327 for 6!" WICKET (Pietersen 132).
With the giant removed, the English resistance crumbled. The tail couldn't handle the swinging old ball and the energized Indian attack.
Over 97:Matt Prior (22) tried to attack Siddanth Deva. He slashed at a wide one. Caught by Dravid at slip.
WICKET (Prior 22). England 335/7.
Over 98:Graeme Swann swung wildly at Praveen Kumar. Clean bowled.
WICKET (Swann 4). England 340/8.
Over 99:Stuart Broad edged Ishant Sharma to the keeper.
WICKET (Broad 2). England 342/9.
Over 99.4:Chris Tremlett was run out by a direct hit from Deva at mid-off, trying to steal a single.
WICKET (Tremlett 0).
England All Out: 342.
Commentary (Ravi Shastri): "What a collapse! From 315 for 5 to 342 all out! The last 5 wickets falling for just 27 runs! Siddanth Deva triggered it with that massive wicket of KP. India has fought back brilliantly!"
The English players ran off the field, shell-shocked by the collapse. The Indian players trudged off, exhausted but relieved.
Siddanth Deva had bowled 25 overs. He had sprinted around the boundary. His body was aching.
But he didn't stop at the boundary rope. He didn't sit down.
He walked straight to his kit bag. He took off his bowling spikes and put on his batting spikes. He strapped on his pads.
With Virender Sehwag injured and Gautam Gambhir dropped from the squad, the team sheet had a radical look.
Openers: Abhinav Mukund and Siddanth Deva.
"You okay, Sid?" Dhoni asked drinking water. "Opening the batting after opening the bowling... that's Kapil Dev territory."
Deva adjusted his thigh guard. "I'm fine, Skipper. Just need to switch chips. Bowler mode off. Batter mode on."
He picked up his bat. He looked at the mirror. His eyes were red with fatigue, but his internal clock was resetting, pushing through the wall of exhaustion.
"13 overs to survive," Deva whispered. "Let's go."
Commentary (Nasser Hussain): "This is remarkable. Siddanth Deva, who has been on the field for nearly 100 overs, who has taken 3 wickets and triggered a collapse, is now walking out to open the batting against the new ball at Lord's. That is a colossal physical effort. Can the young man handle the swing of Anderson after bowling all day?"
The light was fading. The floodlights were on. The red Duke ball was new, hard, and shiny.
James Anderson stood at the top of his run-up. The King of Swing at his home ground.
Over 1: Anderson to Mukund Mukund looked nervous. He played and missed twice.
Over 2: Chris Tremlett to Deva Tremlett was tall. He extracted bounce. Deva took his stance. He widened it slightly, opening his chest just a fraction to get a better view of the release point. He softened his grip on the handle.
1.3: Tremlett banged it in short. Deva didn't duck. He rose on his toes and dropped his wrists, letting the ball pass his nose.
Commentary (Sourav Ganguly): "Good leave. He knows where his off-stump is."
1.4: Tremlett over-pitched. Deva leaned into the drive. He didn't hit it hard. He just timed it past mid-off. FOUR.
For the next hour, it was a battle of survival. Anderson swung it bananas. Broad hit the deck hard.
Mukund survived a dropped catch at slip. Deva took a blow to the ribs from Tremlett but didn't rub it. He gritted his teeth and took guard again, recalling every defensive drill Dravid had put him through.
They played 13 overs. They scored 35 runs.
Stumps, Day 2.India: 35/0 (13 Overs).Abhinav Mukund: 18.* Siddanth Deva: 15.*
As they walked off, the English crowd applauded. They respected the fight. To bowl all day and then bat out the evening session against the new ball was a Herculean effort.
Deva walked into the dressing room, unstrapping his pads. His body was screaming now.
He sat next to the injured Zaheer Khan.
"You did good, kid," Zaheer said, icing his leg. "3 wickets and seeing off the new ball? That's a day's work."
"Tomorrow is the real work," Deva murmured, drinking a protein shake. "Tomorrow we have to bat all day."
He closed his eyes. 342 was a decent score, but India was 35 without loss. The game was in the balance.