Some friends make you feel ‘younger’ than what you are and some make you feel ‘elderly’. When you are struck thinking where ‘actually’ you are, memories tell you almost the right place where you are. There is a saying that 'Some memories are unforgettable, remaining ever vivid and heart warming'. One such memory is still etched in my mind. Exactly 20 years back, on this date, I happened to witness one of the most thrilling matches at the Chinnaswamy stadium, Bangalore.
It was the 3rd match of Titan Cup between India and Australia. Both the teams having wonderful players and India’s team balanced with experience and youth. It was a cracker of an experience. Chinnaswamy was getting packed. There was reason to it. As many as 6 players from Karnataka were in the team for that match. Those were the times when Ranaji matches and state wise devotion was at its peak and if you have your 6 players playing in a International match at your venue, imagine the crowd madness. It was unbelievable.
I still remember everything about the match, atmosphere, the frency, clearly to this day. Well, not everything of the match, at least the Second Innings, yes. Then you would ask why not the First Innings. Will tell you.
Looking at the huge crowd and the publicity potential, one company decided to market its product and it gave free samples to all sitting in the gallery. Did they give it to everyone in the crowd? I am not sure but I surely got one. It was a Gutka sachet, one fully sumptuously packed Gutka sachet. Among all the ‘habits’ I had, gutka was a ‘No-No’.
Match started, Australia batted, Srinath bowled, Prasad fielded, Sachin waved, crowd went berserk, all was going fine. As if that was not intoxicating enough, during the drinks break, I opened this Gutka pack and emptied the whole thing into my mouth. What followed next one hour was sheer poetry. The dizziness converted the crowd whistles to music. The green outfield looked like paddy fields and umpires in the ground looked like those scare crows in the fields. There was something happening between the players in yellows and blue, I was not sure what it was. When crowd clapped, I did not know when to start or stop clapping. When they cheered, I was wondering why?
Mark Taylor scored his first one day century on that day in his 98th match and I had eaten a first full pack of Gutka in my 20th year. I did not bother to look at the score card as it had too many details in it. All my favorite Karnakata bowlers had done well and that was all that mattered.
After an hour or so Gutka effect was coming down. Thanks to the guy who gave me only ‘one’ packet. First innings went by with Australia being in trouble. They recovered, so did I. They managed 215 and I managed to go wash my face.
Sachin and Somsunder were ready to face the Australian bowlers. With the face wash, I was ready for the second innings. Then, it was the most stunning experiences of watching a cricket match. Everything happened. Sachin Tendulkar of those days unfolded his amazing shots. Dravid, probably playing his first one day game on his home ground got an overwhelming reception to the batting crease. He did not stay for long though. Azhar thought he got a bad decision. I think that Gutka was distributed in one of the galleries during the break and it showed its effect. Everybody is not as ‘subdued’ as I am you see. The bad decision Azhar got resulted in ‘Gutka’ trouble sorry crowd trouble.
Match was stopped for some 20 minutes trying to clear the water bottles on the ground. Super Sopper machines work when water is on the ground, not when water is in the ground inside a bottle. Azhar pacified the crowd. We waited. Match resumed. India struggled despite another valiant innings by Sachin.
At 164, chasing 215, Sachin got out and this time crowd did not take the trouble of troubling the match. They started to leave. It was Srinath and Kumble at the crease with more than 50 to get and with just Venkatesh Prasad to bat. Only staunch cricket lovers like me stayed rooted to the seat. Gutka effect had fully receded.
Srinath & Kumable had had their moments with bat earlier, but nobody gave them a chance chasing down the required 50 odd runs. People were lining up towards the exit gate. Some had already left not knowing what they were going to miss in the next half an hour. At that moment, Javagal Srinath hit a straight six off I think, Steve Waugh. Suddenly the atmosphere in the stadium changed, those lining up to the exit gates slowly went and sat on the chairs nearby, those sitting already, came to the edge of their seats.
What unfolded later was unbelievable, every run was cheered like a ‘Tendulkar century’, the chanting ‘Srinath Srinath’ was deafening. Australia as usual tried their best with cricket and sledging. The required runs were reduced to 40s, then 30s and when it came to 20s, the real tension began. Losing when 50 or 40 was required was ok, but not after coming so near. Every beaten ball increased the heart beats. TV viewers may have had to listen to 2 or 3 commentators, at the ground each and every one was one. Everybody became Coaches telling Srinath & Kumble what to do.
The normally tensed batsman in Srinath had vanished and he looked totally in control that day. Kumble was at his usual calm self. Both brought the target to single digit and not one in the stadium was sitting on the chair, not even the ‘Gutka affected’. India won the match by 2 wickets and the applause both Kumble & Srinath got on their way back to the pavilion is historical. Sachin got the Man of the Match of the Award for his 88, but the chanting of ‘Srinath Srinath’ from the 30k odd crowd defined who the man of the moment was.
When I came home, my mother & sister told me how the live coverage of the match was so exciting with camera panning between every ball and the reactions of Kumble’s mother and grandmother. They said I missed the TV coverage. I smiled and remained silent as what I experienced that day was something unforgettable.
That’s why even to this day I believe that with all the technical brilliance and comfort a TV coverage gives, it is still not a match to the experience of a live match at the stadium.
You can see the score board of the match here - http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/engine/match/66061.html
