Cricket Defiled

The 1999 First Test Match between India and Pakistan in Chennai will remain etched in the memories of millions of cricket lovers for the Chennai crowd’s display of a rare spectacle of ‘sports playing unifying role’ between people and nations. Close on the heels of the then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s historic visit to Pakistan, the Pakistan Cricket Team toured India for Test series and One Day Internationals. Chepauk in Chennai hosted the first test between the two countries between January 28 – 31, least realizing the Test would go into the annals of Cricket history for sporting brotherhood. In the nail biting finish, Pakistan emerged victorious with a slender margin of 12 runs but still earned a standing ovation from the sporting Chennai crowd.

In the second Test in Delhi, India defeated Pakistan by a huge margin of 212 runs and levelled the two Test series but not before some anxious moments. The Test series was almost sabotaged when Shiv Sena members dug up the Feroz Shah Kotla pitch in the capital. The security forces, however, prevented further untoward incidents and the series went ahead as planned. A little over two decades, all those pleasant memories in the India-Pakistan encounters have  D J Walter Scott The 1999 First Test Match between India and Pakistan in Chennai will remain etched in the memories of millions of cricket lovers for the Chennai crowd’s display of a rare spectacle of ‘sports playing unifying role’ between people and nations. Close on the heels of the then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s historic visit to Pakistan, the Pakistan Cricket Team toured India for Test series and One Day Internationals. Chepauk in Chennai hosted the first test between the two countries between January 28 – 31, least realizing the Test would go into the annals of Cricket history for sporting brotherhood. Emotions ran high whenever India and Pakistan played cricket. The story is one up on highs and lows - heartwarming and disappointing at different venues – whether it was Test Cricket or One Day Internationals and the Chepauk Test was no exception. Ahead of the Test, political tensions brewed up with Indian fundamentalist groups attempting to disrupt the series but cricket ultimately triumphed. In the nail biting finish, Pakistan emerged victorious with a slender margin of 12 runs but still earned a standing ovation from the sporting Chennai crowd. India was chasing a modest 271 to win on a deteriorating pitch. India already lost two wickets for 40 runs and Master batsman Sachin Tendulkar resumed the fourth day along with Rahul Dravid. The crowd pinned hope on Sachin who looked promising after getting out for a duck in the first innings. But things went wrong as India stood precariously at 82 for 5. But what followed was the high quality cricket from the ‘Master Blaster’ in the November 1-15, 2021 ●THE RISING SUN CRICKET DEFILED been dwarfed. When the two teams, placed in the same pool, upped their sleeves for the opening match for the ICC T20 World Cup on October 24, the atmosphere was different and cricketing spirit took a nosedive...