Saturday, July 1st 2006, was a day to remember. On this day in the world of cricket, India defiantly skittled out a skittish West Indies team for a mere 103 in 33.3 overs as they replied to the tourists’ meager 200, and by day’s end, the home team struck back to claim six Indian wickets while they mustered 128, to lead by a whopping 225 runs. And as in the 1st innings, captain Rahul Dravid is the Wall that stands between West Indies and victory with a typically stoic and cultured 62 not out.
At Headingley, Leeds, I presided over a match that will be recorded in the annals of cricket history as one of the greatest One-Day Internationals that saw 645 runs scored in 87.3 overs, as Sri Lanka slammed a phenomenal 324 for 7 in 37.3 overs to overhaul England’s not too shabby 321. Also in England, as this eventful day unfolded, we learnt that the international cricket fraternity lost a legend as Yorkshire and England pacer Fiery Fred Trueman at age 75 lost his battle with lung cancer.
At Wimbledon, tennis great Andre Agassi, soundly defeated by the hot new kid on the block, Spaniard Rafael Nadal, bid a final farewell to the All England Club on a day that also saw Andy Roddick and Venus Williams bowing out of the prestigious tournament. Meanwhile, at the FIFA World Cup, tournament favorites and defending champions Brazil were upset by France by a score of zero to one. An absolute stunner indeed.
But as advertised, it is all happening in the fourth and final Test match in Kingston, Jamaica between West Indies and India at Sabina Park with the majestic Blue Mountains rising like a crescendo in the backdrop. No fewer than 16 wickets have fallen today at this famed venue. We have learnt in the current series that when these two teams are joined in battle - we must expect the unexpected. Indeed, on a pitch that would still yield runs to the patient and the persistent, the disciplined and the determined, 26 wickets have fallen in 2 days. Needless to say, standing tall above the carnage is skipper Dravid with a face-saving 81 in the 1st innings and an undefeated 62 in the second innings.
If India’s batting on Day One after winning the toss lacked application, the West Indies appeared doubly worse, adding a touch of ignominy to the apparent schizophrenia that has characterized the proceedings at Sabina thus far. Day One belonged to the inspired son-of-the-soil, pacer Jerome Taylor, whose sheer speed and accuracy earned him an impressive 5 for 50 before his sparse if noisy home crowd. Then, on this fateful Saturday, on a pitch that is known to become faster on the second day, Harbhajan Singh, who has duly reclaimed the position of India’s leading off spinner from Virender Sehwag, captured an embarrassingly easy 5 for 13 from just 4.3 overs as the Windies collapsed in a heap at his feet. It is small wonder that even highly skilled and usually knowledgeable pundits have found it difficult to predict the outcome of these matches of intrigue and inscrutability. Would there be a decision in this vitally important match to both teams? Barring abandonment by inclement weather, absolutely. Could this match end on Day 3? Possibly.
Although the match as it stands is wide open, India, with what appears to be a good lead, is in control. For the West Indies to win and deny the Indians a most coveted victory, Taylor & Company must emit venom and affect an early Sunday morning breakthrough. Brian Lara and his charges must hold on for dear life to every chance that comes remotely close to hand. Then they must bat with Dravid-like technique and single-mindedness, as they say in the Caribbean — until the cows come home.
