Pakistan pace legend Wasim Akram on Saturday (February 25) recalled the historic Chennai Test against India during a discussion on his autobiography Sultan.
It was a great contest between the arch-rivals. Pakistan managed to win the game by just 12 runs despite a valiant century from Sachin Tendulkar, who battled back spasms. The game is not only remembered for the thrilling battle, but it also gets appreciated for the way Chennai crowd reacted to the result.
In spite of the heartbreak, the fans at the MA Chidambaram Stadium stood up and clapped for the Wasim Akram-led Pakistan side.
“The Chennai Test is very special to me... It was very hot and the pitch was bare, which suited us because we relied on reverse-swing. We also had one of the best spinners at the time in Saqlain Mushtaq. Nobody could pick the doosra delivery that he had invented at the time.
“Sachin [Tendulkar] played him well after the first innings. Every time he bowled the doosra, Sachin went for the lap shot just behind the ‘keeper. A very odd shot to play against the off-spinners doosra but he mastered it and that’s why Sachin was one of the greatest of all time,” Akram quoted as saying by Sportstar.
Chasing 271 for victory, India were reduced to 82/5 when Tendulkar and Nayan Mongia forged a 136-run stand to take the hosts closer to the target.
However, Pakistan had the final laugh as Tendulkar’s dismissal to Saqlain Mushtaq on 136 with India 17 away, allowed the visitors to close out the game.
“I remember how close the game was. They [India] needed 20-odd to win, the great man [Tendulkar] was batting on 136 and I remember talking to Saqlain just one ball earlier. Every fielder was on the boundary, Sachin was facing and I told Saqlain to bowl his doosra outside off-stump and give it some air as Sachin would probably try to hit it through midwicket. That’s exactly what happened. He went for a six through midwicket, top-edged it and I kept repeating to myself ‘balance, eye on the ball, balance’ as I got under the ball.
“Forty-thousand people were screaming while I was talking to myself in the split-second just before the catch... Winning in India was a massive deal, but what struck all of us was the standing ovation we got from the Chennai crowd. That Test will be special forever because of the drama, the standing ovation, the tour and the circumstances – one of the best Test matches I have played. So, thank you to the people of Chennai,” he added.
Akram also recollected an incident related to Chennai involving his late wife Huma, who passed away at a hospital in the city back in October 2009.
“I was flying to Singapore with my late wife and there was a stop in Chennai for refuelling. When he landed, she was unconscious, I was crying and people recognized me at the airport. We didn’t have an Indian visa. We both had Pakistani passports. The people at the Chennai airport, the security forces, and the customs and immigration officials told me not to worry about the visa and take my wife to the hospital while they sort the visa out. That is something I will never forget, as a cricketer and as a human being.”
