World Cup moments: A four, later signalled six, and India lose to Australia by a run

With the 2019 edition of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup set to begin in May, we look back at the most memorable moments from the tournament’s four-decade long history. You can read the entire series here.

Moment No 28

On a predictably balmy day in Chennai, India and Australia were entangled in another nail-biter. There was a sense of deja vu this time. Exactly a year earlier, at the same venue, the two teams played out only the second Tied test in the game’s history.

A different format, a different tournament but almost the same result. “Fine margins” is a term often used in sport by captains, coaches and pundits alike to explain the difference between a team winning and losing. The “fine” part of it may have well be chopped, chiseled and shaped into something millimeter-sized.

The similarities with the tied Test didn’t there. Spinner Maninder Singh and all-rounder Ravi Shastri were once again key protagonists. Australia batsman Dean Jones, whose gutsy double hundred set his team up for victory in 1986, yet again had a telling say despite missing out on a big score on this occasion.

The expectations, naturally, were huge. India were hosting (co-hosting in this case) a World Cup for the first time. They were reigning champions, after Kapil Dev’s devils had pulled off a monumental upset against the mighty West Indies at Lord’s in 1983.

There was pressure in the Indian camp ahead of their tournament opener. And they were up against Allan Border’s tough-as-nails outfit. “The 1983 World Cup win was unexpected, where nobody gave us a chance, but in 1987 there were a lot of expectations, and due to that there was pressure,” India team manager PR Mansingh told ESPNCricinfo.

Where Australia lacked in experience, they made it up with their will to snatch games at any given point, a quality that served them well as the tournament progressed. India, meanwhile, had six players from that 1983 World Cup-winning squad playing this encounter.

Four or a six?

Australia landed in Chennai nine days before the match to acclimatise to the playing conditions.

“It was the first match of a very, very important and vital series for Australia. We had planned well, we had trained well, probably better than the other teams,” Australia coach Bob Simpson said.

“I knew that Madras (Chennai) would be the best ground, the toughest ground, the toughest conditions one could possibly get, and that’s what we wanted.”

Kapil Dev decided to field first and David Boon and Goeff Marsh got off to a solid start, building a 110-run opening stand. After Shastri removed Boon, Jones wasted no time in cutting loose. Stepping out against Maninder, the Victorian smashed the ball to the long-off boundary. Shastri, stationed there, couldn’t get to it and the ball rolled over.

This, again, was before the introduction of a TV umpire, who has to his advantage multiple camera angles before making a decision. Umpire Dickie Bird signalled four after consulting Shastri. The adventurous Jones would eventually be caught in the long-off region. Marsh completed a hundred but India had applied the brakes on the scoring rate. Despite that, the Aussies reached 270/6 – a total steep but not impossible.

During the innings break, the Australian team management had a talk with umpires over Bird’s decision, convincing them that Jones’s shot had crossed over the line. With skipper Kapil Dev’s approval, two more runs were added to the total. India would later find out that generosity is a virtue that is not exactly rewarding in a sporting arena with high stakes in place.

India choke and Australia seize opportunity

A couple of runs being added to the target hardly deterred the Indian batsmen, who put the Australian bowling attack to the sword. Navjot Sidhu, in his trademark style, was severe on the spinners and had as many as five sixes. Local lad K Srikkanth was also his fluent self and the co-hosts were on their way to chase it down – they needed 63 with eight wickets in hand with a little under 15 overs left.

Batsmen these days could have taken their teams across the line at walking pace but this was the India of old. Failing to close down games when they had their noses in front haunted the side for another decade or two. Pacer Craig McDermott, in his return spell, broke the Indian middle-order in half.

“All of a sudden he started showing his ‘gorilla teeth’, especially when he got a wicket. And those teeth were starting to show some bite,” Jones remarked later.

Kapil Dev, Roger Binny and Manoj Prabhakar fell in quick succession and the equation came down to India needing six from the final over. Steve Waugh, one of the younger players in his side, was given the onus of seeing his team to victory. The ‘Iceman’ failed to get his angles right and India No 11 Maninder managed to squeeze out two twos in the first four balls. The packed house at the MA Chidambaram Stadium were on their feet.

With two needed from the last two deliveries, Waugh, with a dead-straight one knocked over the stumps. Australia had pulled off an extraordinary heist and India had to leave Chennai once again with a feeling of what-might-have-been.

The Australian attitude of leaving no quarter on the pitch won them the match, and provided them the impetus of being crowned champions for the first time.