Cricket's greatest comebacks: India vs Sri Lanka, Asia Cup 2004

Sourav Ganguly

In a battle of equals, the winner is often one who is more desperate to win. This desperation often fuels self-belief which leads one to carry out remarkable feats.

Sourav Ganguly had this desperation. He wasn’t the most calculating of captains and there have been better strategists than him in the game. What he had though was the little bit of quicksilver which transcends good to great – the ability to trust your guts more often than not.

On July 27, 2004 India played Sri Lanka in what turned out to be a virtual semi-final for the Asia Cup in Colombo. The equation was simple: if India won, they went through to the semi-final. Else if they lost and Pakistan won against Bangladesh in the next match, the arch-rivals were through. Not many would bet on Pakistan losing that match especially if it came down to a place in the final.

India’s tournament had not gone to plan. Virender Sehwag was hopelessly out of form and his inability to give a quick start or set up a platform had caused repercussions in the middle order. On the bowling front, Zaheer Khan was equally ineffective and India had come so far only on the back of a few good individual performances.

The match started with a blooper – Ganguly had included Nehra’s name on his team sheet in place of Harbhajan’s. The Sri Lankan captain was kind enough to bypass this indiscretion although he might have reconsidered his decision when the toss went against him.

After Sachin Tendulkar went early in the 7^th over, the onus was on Sehwag and Ganguly. Both responded to the challenge in his own way – Ganguly with a measured innings minus all his usual big shots and Sehwag with a scratchy innings comprised of ugly hoicks and a few good shots as he tried to work himself back into form. The duo ran hard between the wickets and took India to 168 by the 33^rd over before Sehwag was dismissed heaving the ball into the wicketkeeper’s gloves. India should have pushed on to 300 but, despite a powerful 50 by Yuvraj Singh, the upper and lower middle orders ran out of gas in the slog overs. Nevertheless a score of 272 was always going to be not so easy a target on a pitch which was getting lower and slower by the ball.

What India might have not accounted for was Sanath Jayasuriya’s return to form. He had a century against Bangladesh to show for but, in 2004, Bangladesh had done little to justify their elevation to Test match status. Jayasuriya had struggled throughout and many had started questioning whether, at 35, his reflexes had finally given in.

He started circumspectly with Avishka Gunawardene but the tempo began to change once the latter sliced Zaheer Khan down to third man. He had survived a very confident shout for lbw against Zaheer not long before and he was determined not to give the man an opportunity again. The floodgates opened in Zaheer’s fourth over. With his customary flicks, laps and jabs, Jayasuriya looted five boundaries off that over to wrest back the initiative for Sri Lanka after Pathan had accounted for Saman Jayantha the over before.

Atapattu and Sangakkara started well but, in an inexplicable haste to increase the scoring rate when Jayasuriya was already going great guns, both holed out off the bowling of the off-spinners Harbhajan and Sehwag. Harbhajan would go on to justify his reappearance on the team sheet with 10 tight overs for only 41 runs but it was his partner who would eventually steal the day.

Mahela Jayawardene tried to steady the ship but he was unfortunate enough to face the occasional brilliance of Sachin Tendulkar’s bowling genius. At 134 for 5, Sri Lanka were in the dumps but they had Jayasuriya and Dilshan at the crease with a couple of bowling all-rounders in Chandana and Maharoof to follow and quite a few balls to spare.

And they combined brilliantly – Jayasuriya with his raw power and timing and Dilshan with his ability to nurdle the ball into the gaps. Together they added 103 in 105 balls to take the equation down to 37 off 42.

Game over. Or so it seemed. In one last throw of the dice, Ganguly tossed the ball to Sehwag who bowled a looping off-break which dipped slightly and crashed into the stumps after going past Dilshan’s defence. A small battle has been won but the war was still raging.

Emboldened by Jayasuriya’s presence, Chandana dug in to provide support and the two brought the equation down to a run-a-ball 18. Enter Sehwag again.

On the first ball of the 48^th over, Jayasuriya played a tired heave which went up into the heavens and swirled down in Sehwag’s palms. The game was now definitely in the balance and Sehwag and India’s man of the year, Irfan Pathan, tightened the noose around Sri Lanka’s inexperienced tail-end by conceding only 7 off the next 11 deliveries leaving 11 required off the last over.

Not a difficult task by today’s standard and Farveez Maharoof could use the long handle to hit the roof. Ganguly still had an over by Sehwag to bowl who had been the bowling her of the day with 3 for 37 from his 9 overs. Instead he decided to go for the beleaguered Zaheer Khan who had already been carted for 57 from his 8 overs. It was not just a decision; it was a statement to the senior most pacer in the team that we believe in you.

Six calm deliveries for six runs later, the Indian players were celebrating. On a day where Sehwag’s daredevilry matched Jayasuriya’s mastery of his art, it was Ganguly’s guts which got India across the line.