No matter how dominant your team has been over the recent years, with due passage of time, the supremacy gets incorporated in your regular fabric and it gets monotonous for the fans. Timely thrillers where almost impossible games are won from the jaws of defeat showcases your character and nerves of steel under staggering circumstances.
We will have a look at five of India’s close thrillers where India stole away the match from the jaws of defeat glaring wide.
1. India versus Australia, Vidharbha, 2019
This was the second game of the series and India after coming out to bat first, stuttered early as Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan and Ambati Rayudu were removed quickly with minimal resistance.
The Indian skipper alongside Vijay Shankar started the initial repairs. They played out the Australian attack for a considerable period of time before Adam Zampa ran out Shankar for 46.
Kohli’s next partner for offering further resistance was Ravindra Jadeja. The partnership helped India battle it out to 238 before Jadeja was finally gobbled up by Khwaja and Cummins scalped him.
Much to India’s disappointment, India’s fight shortly fizzled out as Kohli departed for 116 and India was bundled out for 250.
Pat Cummins was the pick of the slew as he managed 4 wickets.
India couldn’t come to grips with the game early as Usman Khawaja and Aaron Finch got off to a flying start.
Kedhar Jadhav and Kuldeep Yadav made the first breakthroughs for India.
Australia was well-settled for victory as they were poised at 218 for 5. This is when Kuldeep Yadav initiated a landslide in the Australian tail-end.
With some phenomenal bowling, Australia was reduced to 240 for 8 from 49 overs. They needed 11 to win with a set Marcus Stoinis in the middle.
It was a very tricky decision for Kohli to choose the bowler for that important final over. This is when Vijay Shankar came to bowl. After being smashed for 13 in his first over, this came as shock to everyone.
The drama unfolded shortly as Shankar trapped Stoinis on the very first delivery before the stumps and Australia was reduced to 9 wickets.
Zampa stole a quick couple in the following delivery reducing the margin to 9 runs.
However, whatever ambition Zampa had up his sleeve was snuffed out in the very next delivery as Shankar castled him out with a beautiful yorker, thereby winning India the thriller which was supposed to be Stoinis’ epic tale.
2. India versus England, Vidarbha, 2016
Once again Vidarbha played host to a fabled victory by India where newcomer Bumrah bowled two magical overs in the end to steal away England’s sure victory.
After batting first, India could only manage 144 from 20 overs. KL Rahul was the main contributor as he plundered 71 runs before falling prey to Chris Jordan.
Ashish Nehra gave India early breakthrough as he got rid of the two English openers. However, Joe Root and Eoin Morgan hung around in the middle to complete England’s comeback.
England needed 27 off the last 3 overs that saw a set Joe Root and a nascent Jos Butler in the middle. People who are aware of T-20 equations, must have clearly anticipated India’s defeat by now.
Bumrah was brought to the attack and he started the over exactly to the field offered to him. The first delivery was drifting outside the off stump for Butler to drive and it rolled into the arms of Virat Kohli.
Bumrah beat Butler with sheer pace in the next delivery as the batsman failed to connect. Bumrah mixed his pace so sublimely that the following delivery foxed Butler again and he somehow managed to steal a quick single.
Following this with a couple of dot balls that flew past Joe Root, the final ball was smacked for a couple. India cut down the equation to 24 from 12 deliveries.
The ensuing over by Asish Nehra went for 16 runs as Butler found his footing and Root carried on with his signature onslaught.
England needed 8 to win off the final over and Bumrah had the ball in his hand.
He had a cracker of a start with a brutal delivery that caught Joe Root plumb before the stumps.
After Moin Ali exchanged a quick single to bring back Butler on strike, Bumrah wreaked further havoc with his swift mix up of pace that deracinated Butler’s stumps in the fourth delivery.
With two new batsmen at the crease, Bumrah had the exact situation that he wanted before the start of the over.
He ended the last two deliveries with some sublime bowling as England could only manage 2 runs off the final over.
Bumrah was correctly adjudged as the man of the match.
3. India versus Pakistan, Karachi, 2004
It was a battle of cricket’s greatest arch-rivals as India toured Pakistan. It was the first ODI and India went off to a flying start, thanks to some early pyrotechnics from Sehwag, Tendulkar and Ganguly before Rahul Dravid and Mohammad Kaif played out a cracker of an innings to take India to 349 for 7.
Pakistan was not willing to sit back and defend as they went for the kill early in the game.
Mohammad Yusuf, Inzamam Ul Haq and Younis Khan took Pakistan within inching distance of a remarkable victory.
A late storm from Abdul Razzaq and Moin Khan saw Pakistan cruising to victory before Zaheer Khan got rid of both.
It was the final over and Pakistan needed 9 to win. The most important speculation that raged wild was whom would Saurav hand over the ball to.
Surprising everyone, Ashish Nehra was given the astronomical task of ushering India beyond the line.
Nehra started the over with a dot followed by a quick single in the following delivery.
Nehra choked Moin Khan with another peach of a delivery as the next ball was another dot. With two singles taken in the last two deliveries, Pakistan needed 6 off the last ball.
Nehra mixed up his pace to leave Moin Khan startled as the Pakistani wicket keeper holed out to Zaheer Khan to give India a thrilling victory in a remarkable game.
4. India versus Bangladesh, T20 World Cup 2016, M. Chinnaswamy stadium:
Indians will never forget this game as Bangladesh’s early celebration cost them dearly.
India could only manage 146 for 7 from their quota of 20 overs.
Bangladesh went off to a flyer and was perfectly poised for a victory to knock India out of the tournament only had it not been for some incredulous theatrics in the final over.
With 11 needed from the final over, Pandya was chosen to bowl. After Mahmudullah stole away a quick single in the first ball, Mushfiqur Rahim pulled off the incredible. He smacked two back to back boundaries, thumping his fist in the air, knowing that he has won it for Bangladesh. This is where everything unfolded like a climax in a Hollywood thriller.
Pandya’s next delivery was short and Rahim couldn’t connect properly, smashing it straight down the throat of Dhawan in the deep.
More surprise was waiting at the other end, as almost a similar delivery in the following ball removed Mahmudullah, with Jadeja pulling off a stunner in the deep.
Bangladesh required 2 off the last ball and Dhoni removed one of his gloves. Who would have known then that it would actually turn out to be this dramatic?
Pandya bowled a cracker that fizzled past Shuvagata Hom and in a desperate attempt to tie the match both the batsmen ran for their lives. However, Dhoni proved to be the quicker of the two as he dislodged the bails before Mustafizur could make it to the crease, pulling off what seemed like a lost match for India.
5. India versus Pakistan, Johannesburg, 2007 T20 World Cup Final
Whenever we are talking about thrillers, this game can never be omitted from India’s list.
It was the T-20 World Cup final and India snatched a thrilling victory in the dying embers of the game.
After choosing to bat first, India could only put up a modest total of 157 for 5 from 20 overs. Gautam Gambhir led the charge as he scored a fabulous 75 while Rohit Sharma’s late heroics gave India something to fight for.
With 158 to win, Pakistan started off wobbling early. Indian bowlers and fielders were quick to strike as they realised the magnitude of the target that they have set.
After Irfan Pathan and RP Singh razed through the cream of their batting, Misbah Ul Haq was the lone warrior for Pakistan who actually did a fabulous job to steer his nation to inching distance of victory.
With 13 required off the final over, Joginder Sharma was handed over the ball.
He started off with a wide, not able to keep his nerve under pressure.
He bowled the exact same delivery in the following ball but this time beyond Misbah’s reach and within the line.
The next ball was a full toss and Misbah dispatched it to the stands in classic fashion bringing down the equation to 6 from 4.
With all eyes on Joginder Sharma for the next ball as Pakistan was only a strike away from victory, he bowled the slower one outside off and Misbah attempted a scoop.
The ball got the elevation but not the coveted distance and ended up straight in the arms of Sreesanth as the Indian fans erupted into delirious ecstasy.
A thriller in the most thrilling stages of all!
