Date: June 15, 2013
Location: Edgbaston, Birmingham, England
Event: ICC Champions Trophy – Match 10: India vs. Pakistan
The skies over Birmingham were a sullen, unbroken sheet of grey. A persistent, frustrating drizzle had blanketed Edgbaston since the early hours of the morning, forcing the ground staff into a relentless cycle of dragging the heavy white covers on and off the pitch.
Despite the dreary weather, the stands were packed to absolute capacity. An India versus Pakistan match, regardless of the tournament context, was the most sought-after ticket in world cricket.
Inside the dry, brightly lit broadcasting studios of Star Sports, the pre-match analysis was in full swing. The panel consisted of Harsha Bhogle, former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly, and Pakistani fast-bowling legend Wasim Akram.
"Welcome to our continuous coverage of the ICC Champions Trophy," Harsha Bhogle began, looking at the camera. "We are currently in a rain delay at Edgbaston. The umpires have already announced that due to the lost time, this match has been reduced to a 40-over-per-side contest before a single ball has even been bowled. Sourav, India has already qualified for the semi-finals after beating South Africa and the West Indies. Pakistan has been eliminated after losing their first two games. Technically, this is a dead rubber. But does a dead rubber exist between these two nations?"
Sourav Ganguly smiled slightly, shaking his head. "Never, Harsha. When you wear the Indian or Pakistani jersey and walk out onto the field against each other, the standings do not matter. The pressure from the fans back home is immense. India has been the team of the tournament so far. Their batting has been clinical, and five specialist bowlers has worked perfectly. They will want to win this to carry absolute momentum into the semi-finals."
"Wasim," Harsha turned to the Pakistani legend. "It has been a dismal tournament for Pakistan's batting lineup. They have struggled against the swinging Duke ball. How do they approach today's match, especially with it being reduced to 40 overs?"
Wasim Akram sighed, leaning forward on the desk. "It's been incredibly disappointing, Harsha. The batting has lacked application. In English conditions, you have to play late and respect the moving ball. But today, because it's a 40-over game, the batsmen might feel they have the license to play a bit more freely. However, my concern is the Indian bowling. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Siddanth Deva have been immaculate with the new balls. If Pakistan loses early wickets again, it will be the same old story. Their only hope is if Mohammad Irfan and Junaid Khan can rip through the Indian top order later in the day."
"The ground staff are removing the covers as we speak," Harsha noted, looking at the live feed monitor. "The toss is coming up shortly. Given the overcast conditions and the constant threat of rain, winning the toss will be crucial."
Down on the damp outfield, Ravi Shastri stood near the pitch with the two captains, MS Dhoni and Misbah-ul-Haq.
"Welcome to Edgbaston," Shastri's voice echoed over the stadium PA system. "We have a reduced 40-over match today due to the weather. Misbah has the coin. MS Dhoni will call."
Misbah flipped the coin.
"Heads," Dhoni called.
The coin landed on the pitch. "It is heads," the match referee confirmed. "India wins the toss."
"MS, you've won the toss. What is the decision?" Shastri asked.
"We are going to bowl first, Ravi," Dhoni stated calmly. "The conditions are heavily overcast, the pitch has been under covers all morning, and there is a lot of moisture in the air. Our seamers will get assistance early on. Furthermore, with the weather being so unpredictable, the DLS method might come into play later. It is always better to know exactly what target you are chasing in a rain-affected game."
"Any changes to your playing eleven today, knowing you have already qualified?"
"No, we are fielding the same side," Dhoni confirmed. "We want to maintain our winning combination and keep the rhythm going into the knockouts."
"Thanks, MS. Misbah, batting first in these tough conditions. How do you see it?"
"We would have bowled first as well, Ravi," Misbah admitted. "But we have to bat sensibly now. It's a 40-over game, so the Powerplay is reduced, but we need to ensure we don't lose wickets to the new ball. We are playing for our pride today, and we want to give our fans something to cheer about."
---
As the umpires walked out holding the two new white Duke balls, the Indian team took the field in their blue sweaters to combat the Birmingham chill.
Kamran Akmal and Nasir Jamshed walked out to open the batting for Pakistan.
"Bhuvneshwar Kumar has the first new ball," Nasser Hussain announced from the commentary box. "For those wondering at home, because this is a reduced 40-over match, the mandatory Powerplay is scaled down from ten overs to just eight. Pakistan has a very short window to exploit the fielding restrictions before Dhoni pushes his men back. Kamran Akmal is on strike."
Bhuvneshwar started from over the wicket. He pitched the ball on a perfect, driving length around off-stump. It swung away late, beating Kamran's outside edge by a fraction of an inch.
In his second over, Bhuvneshwar found the breakthrough. He bowled a delivery that angled in towards middle stump, forcing Kamran to play at it, before swinging away sharply off the seam. It took a thick outside edge, and MS Dhoni took a comfortable, diving catch to his right.
Kamran Akmal: c Dhoni b Kumar 21 (24)
"Edged and taken!" Ian Bishop called out. "Classic Bhuvneshwar Kumar! He sets him up beautifully. The ball is doing plenty out there, and Pakistan lose their first wicket."
Mohammad Hafeez joined Nasir Jamshed at the crease. The two batsmen tried to consolidate the innings, playing watchfully against Umesh Yadav and Ishant Sharma. Jamshed managed to hit a few elegant drives through the off-side, but the scoring rate remained sluggish due to the heavy outfield and disciplined Indian fielding.
By the 15th over, Pakistan had crawled to 56 for 1.
MS Dhoni signaled for a bowling change, tossing the ball to Siddanth Deva.
"Siddanth Deva comes into the attack," Sourav Ganguly noted on the broadcast. "Because it's a 40-over match, each bowler has a maximum limit of 8 overs. Deva has been fantastic as the first-change bowler in this tournament, hitting the deck hard and maintaining excellent lines."
Siddanth ran in, his boots pounding against the damp turf. He knew the pitch wasn't offering raw pace, so he focused entirely on seam position and accuracy. He bowled a tight, restrictive line just outside off-stump, not allowing Hafeez any room to free his arms.
In his third over, Siddanth's persistent pressure paid off. He bowled a heavy back-of-a-length delivery that hurried onto Hafeez. The Pakistani batsman tried to pull it away, but he was late on the shot. The ball caught the top edge and ballooned into the air toward mid-wicket, where Ravindra Jadeja safely pouched the catch.
"Got him! Deva strikes!" Nasser Hussain shouted. "The pressure was building with a string of dot balls, and Hafeez finally cracks. He tries to pull a ball that wasn't short enough, and Deva gets the crucial breakthrough."
Mohammad Hafeez: c Jadeja b Deva 27 (31)
Pakistan was 70 for 2. Asad Shafiq walked out to the middle, joining Jamshed who was battling his way into the thirties.
Dhoni decided to introduce spin from both ends to exploit the slowing pitch. Ravindra Jadeja and R Ashwin operated in tandem, rushing through their overs with flat, fast trajectories.
The middle overs became an absolute nightmare for the Pakistani batsmen. Jadeja bowled Nasir Jamshed in the 24th over with a delivery that skidded straight through his defenses.
Nasir Jamshed: b Jadeja 34 (43)
Captain Misbah-ul-Haq came to the crease, attempting to anchor the innings as he had done so many times before. But the Indian spinners gave him absolutely nothing to work with. The run rate stagnated.
In the 29th over, trying to manufacture a boundary to release the pressure, Misbah attempted to sweep Ashwin. He missed the line completely, and the ball crashed into his leg stump.
"Bowled him! Ashwin gets the Pakistani captain!" Bishop exclaimed. "Misbah had to go for a shot, but sweeping Ashwin on a pitch that is keeping slightly low is incredibly dangerous. Pakistan are unravelling here at 110 for 4."
Misbah-ul-Haq: b Ashwin 22 (27)
The lower-middle order tried to launch a desperate counter-attack in the final ten overs, but the Indian bowling unit was ruthless. Shoaib Malik was trapped LBW by Jadeja. Asad Shafiq, after fighting hard for 41, was caught behind off Ishant Sharma trying to upper-cut a bouncer.
Siddanth was brought back to bowl the 38th over. He executed flawless, wide yorkers that restricted Wahab Riaz and Kamran Akmal to mere singles.
In the 40th over, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Umesh Yadav cleaned up the tail with precision. On the fourth ball of the final over, Mohammad Irfan was run out by a direct hit from Virat Kohli, bringing the Pakistani innings to a close just shy of their full quota.
As the Indian team walked back to the dressing room, the sky darkened considerably. Before the ground staff could even bring out the pitch roller for the mid-innings break, the heavens opened up.
A heavy, torrential downpour began to lash the Edgbaston ground. The massive white tarpaulins were rushed out, covering the square and the bowlers' run-ups.
Inside the Indian dressing room, the players sat around, eating light snacks and drinking hot tea while watching the rain beat against the windows.
Virat Kohli was anxiously pacing by the glass windows, furiously punching numbers into his phone calculator to figure out the par scores. He turned around to address his captain.
"It's coming down hard, Mahi bhai," Virat noted, visibly stressed. "If we lose ten overs, the DLS par score is going to heavily punish us for any early wickets."
Siddanth, sitting nearby, just pointed to the corner of the dressing room.
MS Dhoni had pulled a white hotel towel completely over his eyes and was taking a peaceful, quiet nap on the team massage table, completely oblivious to the panic.
"If the skipper is asleep, Cheeku," Siddanth said dryly, "I think we can stop panicking about the math."
The rain persisted for nearly two hours. The frustrated crowd took shelter in the concourses, while the umpires made several inspections with umbrellas in hand.
Finally, the rain stopped, and the stadium super-soppers went to work clearing the outfield.
Up in the commentary box, David Lloyd had the revised calculation sheets in hand.
"Alright, folks, we have the official news from the match referee," Lloyd announced to the broadcast. "The heavy rain delay means we have lost a significant chunk of India's innings. The match has been revised. India will have exactly 22 overs to bat."
"And the DLS target?" Nasser Hussain asked.
"The Duckworth-Lewis-Stern method has calculated the revised target," Lloyd read from the sheet, letting out a self-deprecating chuckle. "The DLS sheet is out, Harsha. And as usual, nobody in this stadium actually understands the complex mathematics behind it except for Mr. Duckworth and Mr. Lewis. But the bottom line for the viewers is simple: India needs 102 runs to win from 22 overs. That translates to a required run rate of roughly 4.6 an over."
---
Shikhar Dhawan and Rohit Sharma walked out to the middle under the floodlights. The outfield was sluggish and damp, but the target was firmly within their grasp.
Mohammad Irfan, the towering 7-foot-1 fast bowler, and Junaid Khan took the new balls for Pakistan.
The Indian openers started aggressively, fully aware that another rain shower could end the match abruptly, in which case they needed to stay ahead of the DLS par score.
Dhawan looked in sublime touch. He capitalized on the width offered by Irfan, slapping him through the covers for consecutive boundaries. Rohit played the elegant anchor, rotating the strike seamlessly.
"Dhawan is batting on a different pitch today," Sourav Ganguly praised as Dhawan hit Junaid Khan for a crisp boundary through point. "He is keeping it simple, hitting through the line. The Pakistani bowlers are struggling to find the right length."
The score raced to 50 for no loss in the 8th over. Then, it moved to 78 for 0 by the 14th over. It looked like India would cruise to a ten-wicket victory.
But Pakistan refused to go down without a fight.
In the 15th over, Wahab Riaz was brought into the attack. He bowled a sharp, rising delivery angling away from the left-hander. Dhawan, attempting to guide it over backward point, slashed hard but failed to keep it down. The ball flew straight to Nasir Jamshed, who took a sharp catch.
"Caught! A breakthrough finally for Pakistan!" Ian Bishop called out. "Shikhar Dhawan departs after a very fine knock of 48. He has done his job, putting India within touching distance, but Wahab Riaz strikes."
Shikhar Dhawan: c Jamshed b Wahab 48 (41)
Virat Kohli walked in at number three. He started confidently, whipping his second ball through mid-wicket for a boundary. But the Pakistani pacers suddenly found their rhythm on the damp surface.
In the 17th over, Junaid Khan bowled a brilliant, late-swinging delivery that pitched on middle and moved away just enough to take the outside edge of Kohli's bat. Kamran Akmal took a safe catch behind the stumps.
"Edged and gone! Junaid gets Kohli!" Wasim Akram cheered from the commentary box. "Junaid Khan has done it again! He had Kohli's number in Chennai and Kolkata earlier this year, and he has found his outside edge once more in Birmingham! It's a fantastic psychological battle, and the Pakistani pacer is winning it."
Virat Kohli: c Kamran b Junaid 7 (9)
The score was 91 for 2. India needed just 11 runs to win from exactly 5 overs, an incredibly comfortable equation. But the Pakistani bowlers were fired up, making every run difficult.
In the stands, the atmospheric war was reaching its peak. The "Bharat Army" was beating their heavy dhols with deafening intensity, trying to completely drown out the blaring horns of the "Stani Army." The tension in Edgbaston was electric.
---
As Virat Kohli walked off the field, Siddanth Deva walked down the pavilion steps at number four.
The Indian fans in the stands let out a massive, reassuring roar. They knew that with Siddanth at the crease, the remaining 11 runs were a mere formality.
Siddanth took his guard against Wahab Riaz. Rohit Sharma was standing at the non-striker's end, having anchored the innings solidly with an unbeaten 25.
Siddanth didn't bother over-thinking the situation. The match was practically won, the target was tiny, and the pitch was harmless. He just needed to execute basic, fundamental batting mechanics.
Wahab Riaz steamed in for the fourth ball of the 18th over. Knowing Siddanth's reputation for power-hitting, Wahab tried to keep the ball away from his arc, bowling a full, wide delivery outside the off-stump.
Siddanth didn't try to muscle it. He took a steady stride forward, leaned his weight into the shot, and drove the ball with textbook perfection through the covers. The timing was exquisite, piercing the gap between cover and point, and the ball raced across the damp outfield to the boundary ropes.
"Beautifully driven!" Ravi Shastri boomed. "Siddanth Deva doesn't wait to settle in. A glorious cover drive for four to get off the mark. The target is now down to single digits. Just 7 runs required."
Wahab Riaz stopped his follow-through and walked halfway down the pitch. Known for his fiery, hyper-aggressive temper, Wahab glared aggressively at the Indian Vice-Captain, trying to intimidate him.
Siddanth didn't flinch. He didn't look away or engage in a shouting match. He simply stood tall, stared back into Wahab's eyes with a completely dead, unbothered expression, and casually blew a pink bubble with his chewing gum until it popped.
Wahab, visibly frustrated by the absolute lack of reaction, grunted and walked back to his mark. He decided to test Deva with a bouncer.
Wahab ran in hard and banged the ball into the pitch, aiming for Siddanth's helmet.
Siddanth watched the ball rise. He quickly transferred his weight to his back foot, swiveled his hips, and brought his heavy bat around in a powerful, horizontal arc. He connected with the absolute sweet spot. The ball flew off the bat, soaring high over the deep square-leg boundary and crashing into the stands for a massive six.
"BOOM! Into the crowd!" Sourav Ganguly yelled enthusiastically on the broadcast. "That is pure arrogance from Deva! Wahab bowls a quick bouncer, and Deva just swats it away like a fly! The scores are level!"
The Indian dressing room was on its feet, clapping and smiling.
With the scores tied at 101, India needed exactly one run to win the match.
Wahab Riaz bowled the final ball of the over. He bowled a safer, good-length delivery angled into the pads.
Siddanth casually rolled his wrists, tucking the ball softly off his hip toward fine leg. He didn't even look where the ball went; he simply jogged down the pitch for a comfortable single, crossing paths with Rohit.
"And he tucks it away for a single, and that is the match!" Ravi Shastri announced as the umpires pulled the stumps out of the ground. "India wins by 8 wickets! A clinical, professional run-chase in a rain-curtailed match. They maintain their unbeaten streak in the tournament!"
INDIA: 102/2 (18 Overs) - Target 102
Rohit Sharma: 25 Not Out (32 balls)
Siddanth Deva: 11 Not Out (3 balls, 1 Four, 1 Six)
Siddanth took off his helmet, offering a polite handshake to Wahab Riaz and Misbah-ul-Haq as they walked off the field. It wasn't a hard-fought century or a five-wicket haul, but his brief, three-ball cameo of 11 runs perfectly summarized the ruthless efficiency of the Indian squad.
---
The post-match presentation took place under the stadium floodlights, with the persistent threat of rain still lingering in the air.
Shikhar Dhawan was awarded the Man of the Match for his aggressive 48 that had essentially killed the chase in the first ten overs.
MS Dhoni walked up to the podium for the winning captain's interview with Nasser Hussain.
"MS, a very solid victory today," Nasser began. "3 wins out of 3 in the group stage. You bowled them out for 165, and despite the rain interruptions, your team looked entirely untroubled during the chase."
Dhoni smiled calmly, adjusting his jacket. "It was a good performance, Nasser. The bowlers did a fantastic job upfront. Bhuvi swung it well, and the spinners restricted them in the middle overs. When you bowl a side out for 165 in 40 overs, half the job is done."
"The rain delay brought the DLS method into play, revising the target to 102. Does that disrupt the dressing room rhythm?"
"Not really," Dhoni replied. "We knew the weather radar looked bad before the toss. That's why we opted to field first. When the target was revised, Dhawan and Rohit gave us the perfect start, ensuring we were always ahead of the par score. It got a bit tricky when we lost a couple of wickets at the end, but Siddanth went out and finished it in three balls to avoid any further rain issues."
"You're heading into the semi-finals completely unbeaten. The team looks incredibly balanced."
"We're playing good cricket," Dhoni nodded modestly. "But the knockouts are a different tournament altogether. You have one bad hour, and you're going home. We'll enjoy this win today, recover, and focus entirely on the semi-final."
As the broadcast signed off, the Indian players gathered on the field for a quick team photo, smiling and waving to the massive contingent of Indian fans who had stayed back in the cold Birmingham weather to celebrate the victory.