In 2007, I was in Kolkata for my nephew’s annaprashan. Now, first of all, I was not prepared for this being a Marwari. So, when they did the ullu, I was terrified for my nephew. To add to the drama, Kolkata was going through an insane monsoon, where we had to be rescued from the hotel in a tonga only to arrive at the house and discover that the final India-Pakistan T20 match was being disrupted in the rain by Tata Sky. Isko laga daala toh match jhingalala is kind of what happened. So we missed crucial parts of India’s batting in the first innings.
But perhaps, the real drama was to unfold in the second by which time the Tata Sky box had finally creaked to life like Air India’s balance sheet. To give some context to the final, India and Pakistan had already clashed once in a league match that had gone all the way down to the wire with a tie. And was eventually won by India in a bowl out. The Pakistani bowlers inexplicably struggled to hit the stumps, a lot like Pakistan’s current account deficit.
Cut to the final, and India managed 157 for 5, definitely short of what they would have hoped to get. But the Pakistanis continued to tumble like the Pakistani rupee till Misbah-ul-Haq stemmed the tide. Pakistan now needed 13 runs off the last over with the last wicket in hand, and this is when our hero makes his entrance.
At a crucial moment in the match, the final and the India-Pakistan rivalry, MS Dhoni was to earn the moniker of Captain Cool with his crucial bowling choice. He tossed the ball to the hitherto unheard of Joginder Sharma. The stadium and millions of fans worldwide held their breath, unsure of this gamble. He started with a wide — eliciting groans — then cancelled it with a dot ball. But disaster struck as Misbah-ul-Haq smashed one straight down the ground for six. This was a moment that was as much to define MS Dhoni’s career and pretty much that entire squad from 2007. What Joginder Sharma did next is etched in the minds of every Indian cricket fan, especially ones not on Tata Sky. He got the last man standing metaphorically and literally to scoop one straight down to Sreesanth at fine leg.
And history was created, a moment no less than the 1983 50-over World Cup victory. India had arrived on its own on the Global Cricket landscape and suddenly everyone realised the goldmine that T20 cricket would turn out to be. The victory in many ways also set a positive tone for the eventual success of the IPL. And all this because one man had the nerves of steel to take the game home, a lot like Virat Kohli and Ashwin did in the T20 World Cup this year.
Joginder Sharma now works as an officer of Haryana Police TT archives
So, as we look back at Joginder Sharma’s epic feat and wish him well for a post-retirement life, I am reminded of a poem I had heard at Hindi Kavi Sammelan at the Garware Club House. I’d like to end with some lines (as recalled)...
Zindagi ek cricket hai
Wicket ke peeche wicket keeper Yamraj hai
Woh teen stumps tumhari zindagi hai
Zindagi ek cricket hai
Kuch log kai lambi paariyan khelte hai
Lekin kuch chhoti si paariyon mein bhi bahut
Kuch khel jaatein hai
Apna apna run rate hai
Zindagi ek cricket hai
(Life is a game of cricket/ The god of death Yamraj is the wicketkeeper, lying in wait behind the wickets/ Those three stumps are life/ Some people play a long game/ Others play long even in a short game/ Everyone’s run rate is different/ Life is a game of cricket)
The author is a Marwari investment banker turned corporate comedian. The views expressed in this article are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of the website.
