The humid winds of Dambulla swept across the Rangiri International Stadium. The Asia Cup 2010 had begun, and the island nation of Sri Lanka was buzzing.
Match 1: India vs. Bangladesh
Date: June 16, 2010.
Venue: Dambulla.
The opener was a statement. With Gautam Gambhirout of form and Sachin Tendulkar rested, Siddanth Deva was pushed up the order to open with Virender Sehwag.
Bangladesh, playing at a neutral venue, hoped to catch India off guard. They were mistaken.
Deva was everywhere. With the ball, he dismantled the Bangladeshi middle order, his deceptive cutters on the slow pitch earning him 3 wickets for 22 runs.
Chasing a modest 168, Deva anchored the innings with a fluid 60 not out, allowing Sehwag to explode at the other end.
India Won by 6 Wickets.
But that was the appetiser. The main course was waiting.
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India vs. Pakistan
Date: June 19, 2010.
Venue: Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium.
The tension in the air was palpable. It wasn't just a cricket match; it was a border skirmish fought with bat and ball. The stadium was packed to capacity—flags of saffron, white, and green waving furiously against the sea of Pakistani green crescents.
Ravi Shastri (Pitchside): "It doesn't get bigger than this. India versus Pakistan. The heat is stifling, the lights are on, and the noise is deafening. Pakistan is desperate to prove a point. India looks like a well-oiled machine. The toss will be crucial on this slow Dambulla track."
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Shahid Afridi and MS Dhoni stood in the middle.
Afridi flipped the coin.
Afridi: "Heads."
It was heads.
Afridi: "We will bat first. It looks like a good track, might slow down later. We want to put runs on the board and pressure India."
Dhoni: "We would have batted too, but we back our chasers."
1st Innings:
Pakistan started aggressively. Salman Butt and Imran Farhat looked to attack the new ball.
But the Indian bowlers were disciplined. Zaheer Khan swung it. Praveen Kumar nagged the off-stump.
Pakistan reached 70/1 in 15 overs. They were setting a base.
Dhoni threw the ball to Deva in the 20th over.
"Sid, break the rhythm. Do whatever you feel like."
Over 22:
Shoaib Malik was on strike. He was looking dangerous, using his feet against the spinners.
Deva ran in. He bowled a scramble-seam delivery. It looked like an off-cutter but skidded straight on.
Malik played for the turn. The ball thudded into his pads.
LBW!
WICKET: Shoaib Malik lbw b Deva 39.
Over 34:
Umar Akmal was trying to accelerate.
Deva bowled a wide yorker. Akmal tried to squeeze it past point.
He sliced it. Ravindra Jadeja at point took a sharp catch.
WICKET: Umar Akmal c Jadeja b Deva 18.
Deva's spell choked the middle overs. He finished with figures of 2/38 in 10 overs.
Despite a late flourish from Kamran Akmal, Pakistan was bowled out for 254 on the last ball of the innings.
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Sunil Gavaskar: "255 to win. It's a tricky total. The ball is stopping a bit. If Pakistan takes early wickets, their bowlers—Aamer, Asif, Akhtar—will come hard. Shoaib Akhtar is playing today, and he looks fired up."
2nd Innings
Virender Sehwag and Siddanth Deva walked out under the floodlights.
Mohammad Aamer (Amir) took the new ball. He was swinging it prodigiously.
Over 3:
Sehwag tried to slash a wide ball from Abdul Razzaq. No footwork.
Edged to the keeper, Kamran Akmal.
WICKET: V. Sehwag c Kamran b Razzaq 10.
India: 18/1.
Virat Kohli walked in. He looked good, hitting two crisp boundaries.
But at 26, he tried to pull a short ball from Shoaib Akhtar. The raw pace hurried him.
Top edge. Bowled.
WICKET: V. Kohli b Akhtar 26.
India: 75/2.
The stadium fell silent. Two big wickets gone.
MS Dhoni promoted himself up the order to Number 4.
He joined Deva in the middle.
Shoaib Akhtar was steaming in. He was 34, perhaps past his absolute peak, but he was still terrifyingly fast and incredibly vocal.
He saw Deva and decided to test his mettle.
Over 18:
Akhtar ran in from the long run-up. His hair flying.
Ball 1: 148kph Bouncer.
It whizzed past Deva's nose. Deva swayed out of the way calmly.
Akhtar walked down the pitch, staring at Deva.
"Oye, Bachche! IPL nahi hai yeh. International cricket hai. Darr lag raha hai?" (Hey kid! This isn't the IPL. It's international cricket. Are you scared?)
Deva didn't look at him. He just tapped the pitch, adjusting his gloves.
Ball 2: Another bouncer. Faster. 150kph.
Deva ducked.
Akhtar glared. "Hook maar na! Himmat hai toh hook maar!" (Hook it! If you have guts, hook it!)
Deva looked at Dhoni at the other end. Dhoni just chewed his gum and nodded slightly. Stay calm.
Ball 3: Akhtar tried the yorker.
Deva was ready. [System: Chronos Perception - Micro-Trigger]
He saw the length early. He opened the face of the bat at the last millisecond.
The ball raced through the vacant gully region.
FOUR.
Deva walked past Akhtar to tap the pitch.
"Keep bowling fast, Shoaib bhai. The faster it comes, the faster it goes."
Akhtar's eyes widened. The kid had a tongue.
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Deva and Dhoni settled down. They stopped taking risks against the pacers and targeted the spinners, Saeed Ajmal and Shahid Afridi.
They rotated the strike beautifully. The "1-2-1-2" rhythm frustrated Pakistan.
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In the 20th over, Deva pushed a single to long-on.
50 Runs.
He raised his bat towards the dressing room. No smile. Just business.
Partnership: 50 runs.
The sledging continued. Kamran Akmal from behind the stumps was chirping constantly.
"He's tired! He's tired! One wicket and we win!"
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India reached 180/2. The partnership crossed 100.
Dhoni reached his own 50.
But in the 35th Over, Dhoni tried to clear long-off against Saeed Ajmal.
Mistimed. Caught at the boundary.
WICKET: MS Dhoni c sub b Ajmal 56.
India: 185/3.
Rohit Sharma walked in.
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Deva was on 75. He was tired. The humidity was draining him.
But he saw Shoaib Akhtar coming back for his final spell.
"One last burst," Deva thought.
Over 38 (Shoaib Akhtar):
Akhtar ran in. He was exhausted too, but he poured everything into a short ball.
Deva didn't sway this time.
He rocked back. He rolled his wrists.
The Pull Shot.
It connected with a crack that sounded like a gunshot.
The ball sailed over deep square leg. SIX.
It landed in the stands where the Indian fans were going wild.
Akhtar stood hands on hips, breathing heavy.
Deva stared at him. The bat had answered.
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Over 41 (Mohammad Aamer):
India needed 20 runs.
Deva was on 96.
Aamer bowled a full toss (looking for a yorker).
Deva drove it straight down the ground.
Mid-off chased it, but couldn't cut it off.
FOUR.
CENTURY.
100 off 110 balls.
The emotion poured out.
Deva ripped off his helmet. His hair was matted with sweat.
He raised his bat high, then pointed it directly at the crowd—specifically the section waving the Indian flags.
He hugged Rohit Sharma.
"Finish it now," Deva yelled.
With Deva set, the game was over.
Rohit Sharma hit a glorious cover drive for four.
Deva finished it in the 45th Over with a flick off his pads for a double.
India Won by 6 Wickets.
Scores: Pakistan 254 | India 255/4 (42.3 Overs).
Siddanth Deva: 105 (115 balls).*
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The Indian team ran onto the field. Harbhajan Singh lifted Deva into the air.
The Pakistan players looked dejected. Shoaib Akhtar walked past Deva. He didn't smile, but he gave a small, grudging nod. A warrior acknowledging a warrior.
Ravi Shastri: "A high-voltage clash ends with India holding their nerve! A clinical chase led by the young sensation. Let's have the presentation."
Ravi Shastri: "For a match-winning spell of 2 wickets and a magnificent, unbeaten century under pressure... the Man of the Match is Siddanth Deva."
Deva walked up to the podium. The cheers were deafening.
He accepted the trophy and the cheque.
Ravi Shastri: "Sid, A century against Pakistan in a chase. You seem to love the big stage. Was there a lot of pressure when Dhoni got out?"
Siddanth Deva: "Huge pressure, Ravi. Mahi-bhai and I had a good partnership, and when he got out, I knew I had to stay till the end. The ball was reversing a bit, and Shoaib bhai was bowling some good overs. I just told myself to watch the ball, not the bowler."
Ravi Shastri: "There were a few words exchanged with Shoaib Akhtar. What was that about?"
Siddanth Deva (smiling): "Just some friendly advice. He was telling me to hook the ball, so I decided to listen to him eventually. It's all part of the game. Pakistan is a tough side, and winning this feels special."
Shastri: "Well played, young man. Good luck for the final."
As Deva walked back to his team, holding the MoM trophy, he looked at the scoreboard one last time.
IND 255/4.
He had silenced the Rawalpindi Express. He had anchored the chase.
The Asia Cup wasn't over.