The debut

I could see the captain, vice-captain and few senior members of the team have an animated discussion. I knew what their concern was - ‘Who should bowl the penultimate over?’
Sachin was as keen as ever. Munaf had four overs pending, Zak had one and Yuvi and Sehwag had plenty.

Munaf had gone for thrashing that day. His first spell read 3 overs, 48 runs, no wicket.
He had fared marginally in his second spell of 3 overs where he yielded just 43 runs - not bad considering the way Yuvi’s mediocre left arm spin was treated.

The Lankans scored 27 runs in the sole over sent down by him. He would have definitely thanked his stars that the Mascarenas episode had not repeated itself.

The Lankans were brutal, but it did not hurt the way it did when Mascarenas had tonked him repeatedly out of the park.

After posting a huge score of 281 on a difficult track, we were certain to win. But the whole complexion of the match had changed when Sanath decided to switch gears.

2 overs to go. We needed 1 wicket to win. Lankans required 41 more runs to win. Difficult equation but not impossible! One had seen Sanath accomplish even difficult tasks.

I was surprised when the captain beckoned me. 

I sprinted over to the meeting place. Captain Dhoni, known to trust his instincts more than anything else, smiled as he handed over the ball to me.
"You have been our best bowler today! Same waise hi daal!"(Eng translation: Bowl in the same manner)

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing!

I was just a rookie, directly flown in to replace the injured Harbhajan Singh. I agree I had played a handful of Ranji matches. But, nothing did prepare me for what I was going to do.
I was going to bowl the penultimate over of the finals of the Champions Trophy. I felt good that my captain had so much faith in my abilities.

The crowd encouraged me and cheered me on but I felt nervous and fearful, like one of those gladiators, egged on by an anxious crowd, who had been pushed into an arena to fight with lions.
Everybody seemed to agree, I was the right choice. The gentle breeze had started picking up speed.

Placing the field for my last over for the game was excruciatingly slow. I wanted to be sure that I had the field of my choice.

I walk slowly to the umpire and hand him my RayBan sunglasses. I did not ever appreciate the sight of spinners bowling with their sunglasses on. And that is why I disliked the mercurial Mark Waugh.

I practice my run-up once more. My run-up is quite simple. It is a cross-breed of Warne’s and Rajesh Chauhan’s.

The first bowl that I bowl to Sanath, I come around the wicket. I pitch the ball on a good length which enables Sanath to get under the ball and heave it over long on. It’s a massive six.
"Come on! Come on!" Dhoni shouts from behind the stumps.

The ball comes back to me. I say a silent prayer before starting my run up. I decide to bowl a googly. No Sanath would be waiting for that! Let me bowl my stock ball - the leg break again.
I manage to pitch the ball in the same spot as I had done the previous ball.

Did I see Sanath smile as he thumped the ball further in the crowd? Am I losing my mind?

Dhoni rushes to me and pats me on my back. Bowl the googly, he advices me.
I return to my mark. I have a look at the field placing once more. I bowl a beautiful googly. Pitches on the middle stump and spins away sharply from the burly left-hander.
He swings wildly at it. He misses it completely, and so does Dhoni.

I am still in the state of shock as I see the ball race forward to the boundary ropes.

Umpire signals 4 runs. I run over to him trying to explain that it has missed everything. The umpire just smiles. I just stare at him in disbelief as I tug on my locks.

Slowly I walk back. I want the humiliation to be over soon. I am unable to focus. I feel that everything is going against me.

As I run up to bowl the fourth deliver of my over, I see Sanath changing his stance. I now knew what Styris would have felt when he saw Pieterson do that.
I was shocked. So shocked, that instead of pulling up, I bowl him a slow full toss which is disdainfully dispatched over my head for a maximum.

Sanath oozed of belligerence, the quality that made him successful. I am not ashamed to say that I was intimidated.

I can see now that Dhoni is fidgety. Maybe he is ruing his decision to make me bowl.
Sachin, at long off, is chewing his nails.

I wait for a moment before I deliver my fifth ball of the over. I bowl a flipper. I got the line all right but the length is way too short. Sanath rocks on his back foot and pulls it over long on. I stare at the ball as it sails over the newly built stands.

It is a maximum by a big margin. Sanath walks down the pitch as we wait for the fourth umpire to bring the replacement balls. 

Dhoni agrees on the replacement ball.

My sixth ball almost yorks Sanath as he tries to get under it once more. Did I hear right? I turn to see the umpire extend his arm to signal a no ball.

Sanath runs hard. But Murali is a little slow of his blocks. They attempt a third run on the throw. Munaf, not the best fielder in the team, throws the balls toward me. Sanath is easily in. I attempt to run out Murali. Dhoni springs forward to collect my throw. The wind is stronger now and Dhoni’s cap flies off, distracting him for a moment.

The ball bounces off Dhoni’s pads and rolls towards the cap. 

The umpire signals penaly five runs.

My sixth ball is not over yet and I have already conceded 9 runs of it. The equation now reads - 1.1 overs to go and 4 runs to win for the Lankans. Murali is at the strike.
The impatient crowd has begun to throw bottles on the ground. They expect Murali to finish it off in this over itself.

As I walk back for the final time to my mark, all of a sudden the stadium lights blink and die leaving the field in pitch darkness. It’s not even a full moon night.
The umpires consult for some time and walk back.

It seems there has been a major power overload and all the bulbs on the stadium have burnt out. There is no was that the authorities can rectify the problem now.

Duckworth-Lewis results are out. India win by a run.

Dhoni pumps his fist in the air. All the team mates run up to him to congratulate him on the finals win.

As I walk back dejected, I feel a friendly arm on my shoulders. 

"Thanks mate! At last you have relieved me of my burden. Now nobody will remember the Mascarenas Massacre! “, smiled Yuvraj.

I punched him in the face and watched his nose bleed.

We don’t talk anymore.

And yes. I forgot to mention. I have switched over to Golf.

Cheers,
Rosh