Sporting Contests to Remember: The Indian fast bowler who borrowed his run up from a pickpocket

It was all going downhill,The whole campaign was in disarray.Written off by the pundits,angry protests at home were the order of the day.

The stage was all set for another debacle,so palpable was the Men In Blue’s unease.It was Durban after all,graveyard for the flat track bullies.

A famous hooked six off the motor mouth Caddick,the master started off in fine fettle.One shot too many,the brew which promised so much,never came out of the kettle.

A modest total on board,an inexperienced attack at hand,The Indian castles were surely being blown away,not a straw to clutch on to, the ground appeared as quicksand.

The old colonial masters started off well,cautious not to lose too many.That’s when Dada took the gamble,surely his life depended on that last penny.

The ball in his hand, came a wiry young man from Delhi,clearly unfit for the occasion.The British shared a chuckle, at the sight,of an Indian fast bowler, who could barely walk, leave alone run.

Even with that twisted ankle, run he did,through the cream of the English batting.A young tearaway had truly arrived,he had the pace,he had the swing,a man for the big moment, he surely had that extra zing.

As wickets started to tumble,and catches began to stick,not quite the Don-esque ninety nine point six.

Yet for a billion Indians,six for twenty three would never again be just another statistic.

Like the upper cut six by ‘God’ himself,India’s world cup 2003 campaign became synonymous with this game.For once the the spotlight was on Ashish Nehra,he, of ‘the-fast-bowler-who-borrowed-his-run-up-from-a-pick-pocket’ fame!