Tendulkar took 18 runs from Akhtar's first over, including a carved six over backward point
Some moments in cricket are destined to stay etched in people's memory for ages to come. SuperSport Park in Centurion, South Africa provided one such moment on March 1, 2003, in a World Cup game featuring traditional rivals, Pakistan and India.
The game between the subcontinent giants was earmarked as the marquee fixture of the 2003 World Cup's group stage long before the tournament in the rainbow nation got under way. India-Pakistan clashes generally provide images that find their way into cricketing folklore. Javed Miandad's last-ball exploits against Chetan Sharma, in the final of the Australasia Cup in Sharjah in 1986 had been passed on to the next generation of both the nations. Seventeen years later, Sachin Tendulkar wrote a script for the generation to follow.
The moment in question came in the second over of the chase, after Pakistan, opting to bat, had notched up 273 in their fifty overs, thanks to a Saeed Anwar hundred. A cagey opening over from the legendary Wasim Akram, saw Tendulkar take strike to shield the relatively inexperienced Virender Sehwag. The master batsman gave an early indication of the mood he was in, square-cutting the left-arm pacer off his third ball. Nine runs came off the first over. Captain Waqar Younis threw the new ball to express fast-bowler Shoaib Akhtar.
Nervous energy filled the stadium as Shoaib got into his stride with three quick deliveries. Then, the fuse blew off. Akhtar steamed in and bowled a short delivery outside the off-stump. The speed gun clocked it at 150.9 kmph. Tendulkar, made a trigger-movement towards the delivery and seeing the delivery climb up, threw his hands at it. Leather and wood exchanged pleasantries for a brief moment before the former flew, over the third-man fielder and into the stands.
The next two deliveries were met with a roll of the wrists and a front-foot punch and the ball sped away to the fence. The din reached new levels, causing Ravi Shastri, on commentary, to bellow 'anyone still having lunch may as well throw their plates and get into their seats'. A fast bowler's ego had been hurt. Shoaib had conceded 18, India were 27/0 after 2 overs. The match followed the ebbs and flows of a typical India-Pakistan clash. Incidentally, Shoaib came back to dismiss Tendulkar, two short of his century. But Tendulkar's opening assault on the speedster had the set the tone for a famous India win.
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