Date: March 12, 2011
Venue: Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur
Match: Group B, ICC Cricket World Cup
Opponent: South Africa
The heat in Nagpur was not merely a temperature; it was a physical weight. It pressed down on the orange seats of the VCA Stadium, shimmered off the neatly manicured outfield, and baked the pitch into a flat, hard road. This was the cauldron where the biggest clash of Group B was about to unfold.
India vs. South Africa. The hosts against the perennial contenders. The batting might of the sub-continent against the pace battery of the Rainbow Nation.
Outside the stadium, the noise was deafening. Drums, trumpets, and the roar of forty-five thousand throats created a sonic boom that could be felt in the chest. Inside the commentary box, the air conditioning hummed, fighting a losing battle against the collective body heat of the experts.
"This is the big one," Nasser Hussain said into the microphone, his voice cutting through the static. "Forget the knockouts for a moment. This is a litmus test. Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel, and Jacques Kallis against Sehwag, Tendulkar, and Siddanth Deva. If you're a cricket fan, cancel your plans. You aren't going anywhere."
Down in the middle, the two captains stood ready. MS Dhoni, cool behind his sunglasses, and Graeme Smith, the burly South African skipper looking to silence the crowd.
"Heads," Smith called.
The coin landed. Tails.
"We'll bat first," Dhoni said, a faint smile playing on his lips. "It looks like a good wicket. It might slow down later under lights, so we want to put runs on the board. The atmosphere is fantastic, and the boys are ready."
---
The crowd roared as Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar walked out. It was a partnership that defined a generation—Sehwag the bludgeon, Sachin the scalpel.
Dale Steyn took the new ball. His eyes were wide, veins popping in his neck. He was the best fast bowler in the world, and he intended to prove it.
Over 1: Steyn steamed in. 145 kmph. Outswing. Sehwag left it alone. The crowd booed, wanting blood.
Over 1.4: Steyn pitched it slightly full. Sehwag didn't move his feet. He just threw his hands. The ball flew over point for four. The first blow was struck.
What followed was carnage. Sehwag decided that the "best bowling attack in the world" was a myth. He treated Steyn and Morkel with supreme disrespect. In the 4th over, he slashed Morkel for a six over third man—a shot that was half-deliberate, half-reaction, and wholly Sehwag.
At the other end, Sachin Tendulkar was painting a masterpiece. He drove Kallis straight down the ground—a shot so pure it belonged in a textbook. He flicked Tsotsobe through mid-wicket with wrists of steel.
50 runs came up in 5.3 overs.
100 runs came up in 14.2 overs.
South Africa looked shell-shocked. Graeme Smith was moving fielders frantically, but the gaps seemed to find the ball. Sehwag raced to his half-century off just 40 balls.
"This is a massacre!" Ravi Shastri bellowed. "Nagpur is witnessing a demolition job! Sehwag is dismantling the Proteas piece by piece!"
But all good things come to an end. In the 18th over, Faf du Plessis, the leg-spinner, was brought on. Sehwag, eyeing the short boundary, tried to cut a ball that was too close to his body. The inside edge rattled the stumps.
Wicket: V Sehwag b du Plessis 73 (66b)
Score: India 142/1
The crowd stood up to applaud. 142 runs on the board. The platform was not just set; it was reinforced with concrete.
---
NEXT BATSMAN: SIDDANTH DEVA
A ripple of excitement went through the stands. Deva walked to the crease. He looked small amidst the vastness of the ground, but his stride was confident.
He marked his guard. At the other end, Sachin walked down to have a chat.
"Watch the spinners," the Master said, tapping the pitch. "It's gripping a little. Don't play cross-batted shots early on."
Deva nodded. "Yes, paa-ji."
He turned to face Johan Botha. The field was set: slip, catching cover, deep square leg.
---
Deva's first few balls were cautious. He respected the line, playing with a straight bat. He was off the mark with a gentle push to long-on.
But then, Dale Steyn returned.
Steyn, angry after the Sehwag assault, ran in hard. He banged one short, directed at Deva's head.
In the blink of an eye, Deva swiveled. He didn't hook blindly. He rolled his wrists, controlling the pull shot, keeping it along the ground to deep square leg for four.
In the commentary box, Ian Chappell sat up. "That is technically perfect. Most youngsters would top-edge that against Steyn. He rolled his wrists over the ball. That's class."
Deva settled into a rhythm. He wasn't trying to out-hit Sachin; he was complementing him. They ran hard—ones turned into twos, twos into threes. The South African fielders, including the electric AB de Villiers at cover, were kept on their toes.
Over 28: Deva faced Kallis. A length ball outside off. Deva stepped out, converted it into a half-volley, and lofted it inside-out over extra cover.
It was the shot of the tournament.
---
While Deva dazzled with youth, Sachin was marching toward destiny. He moved into the 90s with a sweep off Peterson. The crowd held its collective breath. Every dot ball was agony; every single was a relief.
Over 36.4: Sachin tucked Morkel off his hips for a single.
HUNDRED FOR TENDULKAR!
The helmet came off. The arms went up. The stadium erupted into a frenzy that shook the foundations of Nagpur. It was his 99th international century. The God had delivered again.
Deva walked up and hugged him—a tight, emotional embrace. The apprentice congratulating the master.
"Incredible," Shastri said, his voice trembling slightly. "Just listen to this noise! He is the heartbeat of this nation. And look at Deva, stepping back to let the Master soak it in."
---
With the century done, the shackles were off.
Deva reached his own milestone shortly after—50 off 39 balls. A rapid, fluent knock that had gone almost unnoticed in the shadow of Sachin's ton.
Now, they unleashed hell.
Score: 249/1 in 39 overs. A total of 350+ looked inevitable.
Over 39.4: Morkel, bowling around the wicket, got one to bounce steeply. Sachin tried to guide it to third man but sliced it. The ball flew to point, where JP Duminy took a sharp catch.
Wicket: S Tendulkar c Duminy b Morkel 111 (101b)
Score: India 251/2
The crowd sighed, but then cheered. They had seen the century. They were happy.
"Great knock," Vikram Deva said from the stands. "Now Siddanth must take responsibility. He is the set batsman."
---
Yusuf Pathan walked in at number 4. The strategy was clear: hit out.
But the pitch was slowing down. Steyn was reversing the ball.
Over 40.2: Steyn bowled a searing yorker. Yusuf tried to dig it out, but he was late. The ball crashed into his toe. Plumb LBW.
Wicket: Y Pathan lbw b Steyn 0 (2b)
Score: India 251/3
"Two quick wickets," Michael Holding noted. "South Africa are clawing back. Deva is the key now."
Yuvraj Singh walked in.
Deva, sensing the shift in momentum, decided to take charge. He was on 70. He needed to be the engine.
Over 41: Deva faced Peterson. He danced down the track, meeting the ball on the pitch, and launched it straight over the bowler's head. Six!
Next ball: A reverse sweep. Against a left-arm spinner. It was audacious. It flew past short third man for four.
Deva moved into the 90s. He was batting on a different plane. 85... 89... 93.
Over 42.2: Johan Botha came back. He tossed one up, wide of off stump.
Deva saw the boundary. He went for the inside-out drive over cover—his favorite shot.
But he didn't account for the dip. The ball dropped a fraction shorter than he judged. He reached for it. The bat turned in his hand.
The ball sliced high into the air towards deep extra cover.
Faf du Plessis ran in, settled under it, and held on.
Wicket: S Deva c du Plessis b Botha 93 (75b)
Score: India 279/4
Deva froze for a second. He looked at the patch of grass where he had played the shot, disappointment etched on his face. He dragged himself off the field, bat tucked under his arm.
"Oh, what a tragedy!" Harsha Bhogle cried out. "He deserved a hundred! An innings of pure class ends on 93. But look at the crowd—they are standing for him. A magnificent knock from the youngster."
---
Score: 279/4. Overs: 42.2.
India should have coasted to 350. Even 360 was on the cards.
But with Deva and Sachin gone, the panic set in.
MS Dhoni walked in. He looked calm, but the South Africans smelled blood. Dale Steyn was brought back for the death. And this was Angry Steyn.
Over 44: Yuvraj Singh tried to pull a short ball from Steyn. Mistimed. Caught at mid-on.
Over 45: Virat Kohli (batting down the order today) came and went, run out by a brilliant piece of fielding from AB de Villiers. A direct hit from cover.
India 315/6.
Over 46: Harbhajan Singh swung wildly at Morkel. Bowled.
India 318/7.
Dhoni was running out of partners. He tried to farm the strike, but the tail was exposed.
Zaheer Khan edged Steyn to the keeper.
India 322/8.
The crowd, which had been in party mode an hour ago, was now silent, stunned by the sheer speed of the implosion.
"This is unbelievable," Nasser Hussain said, shaking his head. "From 251 for 1, they are struggling to bat out the overs! It's the old Indian disease—a collapse when on top."
Dhoni hit a boundary to take the score to 327, but he too perished, caught on the boundary trying to clear long-off against Tsotsobe.
India 327/9.
Finally, in the 49th over (48.4), Munaf Patel was trapped LBW by Steyn.
All Out: India 329 (48.4 overs)
---
The scoreboard told a strange story. 329 was a massive score. In any other era, it was a winning score. But the way the innings ended left a sour taste. India had lost their last 9 wickets for just 62 runs.
Dale Steyn finished with 5/50—a masterclass of reverse swing bowling in the death overs.
Commentary Wrap-Up
"Well," Ravi Shastri sighed. "It's a tale of two halves. The first 40 overs were India's dominance—Sachin's masterclass, Sehwag's blitz, and Deva's brilliance. But the last 8 overs belonged to Dale Steyn. India has 329. It's a huge total, but the momentum is with South Africa walking off the field. Can the Proteas chase this down? Join us in 40 minutes for the chase."
---
The Nagpur night was electric. The floodlights beamed down like inquisitive eyes on the verdant turf, illuminating the battlefield for the second act. A target of 330 was immense—a statistical anomaly in World Cup chases. But this was South Africa. This was a batting lineup that didn't just chase totals; they hunted them.
Graeme Smith and Hashim Amla walked out to the middle. Smith, the burly captain with a jaw of granite; Amla, the wristy genius with a beard that flowed like his cover drives.
In the Indian huddle, MS Dhoni's voice was calm amidst the chaos. "329 is a lot. But the ball will come on nicely under lights. We need early wickets. Don't give them width. Make them hit the big pockets of the ground."
Sidanth Deva stood at mid-off, rolling his shoulders.
---
Zaheer Khan started the proceedings. The first ball was a harmless outswinger. Smith let it go.
But the third ball was short and wide. Smith threw his hands at it.
CRACK.
The ball rocketed through point for four.
"That's the statement!" Tony Greig exclaimed on air, his voice rising with the ball. "Graeme Smith says, 'We are not intimidated!' A thunderous cut shot to start the chase."
Hashim Amla, at the other end, was poetry in motion. When Munaf Patel drifted onto his pads in the 4th over, Amla flicked his wrists—a movement as subtle as a whisper—and the ball raced to the square leg boundary.
South Africa: 35/0 in 5 overs.
The crowd grew anxious. The openers were scoring at 7 an run without taking risks. The "regular intervals" plan wasn't working yet.
---
Dhoni turned to Harbhajan Singh early. The Turbanator.
In the 9th over, Smith tried to sweep a delivery that wasn't quite full enough. The ball kissed the glove and lobbed to short fine leg, where Zaheer Khan took a simple catch.
Wicket: G Smith c Zaheer b Harbhajan 16 (21b)
Score: South Africa 41/1
The stadium erupted. The first breach in the fortress.
---
Enter Jacques Kallis. The titan. The man who could bat for two days without sweating.
He and Amla set about repairing the damage. They didn't panic. They rotated the strike, piercing gaps with surgical precision. Amla reached his 50 with a glorious cover drive off Yusuf Pathan.
By the 20th over, South Africa was 110/1. They were cruising. The required run rate was manageable. The Indian shoulders began to droop slightly.
---
Dhoni tossed the ball to Sidanth Deva in the 22nd over.
"We need a wicket, Sid," Dhoni said, adjusting the field. "Amla is set. He is the anchor. If he stays till the 40th over, we lose."
Deva marked his run-up. He looked at Amla. The South African opener was in a trance-like state, seeing the ball like a football.
Deva's first over went for 6 runs.
His second over went for 4.
Amla was respecting him, but he wasn't troubled.
In the 26th over, Deva decided to change the angle. He switched to around the wicket. He wanted to cramp Amla for room, targeting the ribcage.
Ball 3: A sharp bouncer. Amla ducked effortlessly.
Ball 4: Good length, angling in. Amla defended.
Ball 5: Deva sensed Amla was waiting for the angle in to work it to the leg side.
Deva ran in hard. He loaded up and delivered a wobble-seam delivery just outside off stump. It held its line instead of coming in.
Amla, anticipating the angle, closed the face of the bat early, trying to flick it to mid-wicket.
The ball kissed the leading edge.
It floated—agonizingly slowly—towards cover-point.
Virat Kohli, electric as ever, dived forward and scooped it up inches from the grass.
Wicket: H Amla c Kohli b Deva 61 (72b)
Score: South Africa 145/2
"HE'S GOT HIM!" Ravi Shastri roared. "The golden arm strikes again! Sidanth Deva breaks the stand! Hashim Amla, the rock, has to go. Deva tricked him with the line! That is a massive, massive moment in this game!"
Deva pumped his fist, screaming "YES!" The crowd found its voice again. The anchor was gone.
---
With Amla gone, the door was ajar. India shoved it open.
AB de Villiers walked out. The Original.
AB looked dangerous immediately. He reverse-swept Harbhajan for four. He pulled Munaf for six.
But wickets kept falling at the other end.
Jacques Kallis (38) was run out in the 32nd over—a brilliant piece of work by Yuvraj Singh, who hit the stumps directly from backward point.
South Africa 178/3.
JP Duminy came in, hit two boundaries, and then dragged a Harbhajan doosra onto his stumps.
South Africa 205/4.
"Regular intervals," Sunil Gavaskar noted. "South Africa gets a partnership going, they reach 40-50 runs, and then bang—India strikes. They aren't letting the momentum build."
---
AB de Villiers was fighting a lone battle. He reached his 50 off just 38 balls. He was threatening to steal the game single-handedly.
The score reached 250. 80 needed off 60 balls. Doable with AB at the crease.
But in the 42nd over, disaster struck for the Proteas. Faf du Plessis called for a risky second run. AB hesitated. By the time he took off, it was too late. Dhoni whipped the bails off.
Wicket: AB de Villiers run out (Dhoni) 69 (55b)
Score: South Africa 258/5
The silence in the South African dugout was deafening. Their Superman was gone.
---
But South Africa wasn't done. The lower order—Faf du Plessis and Johan Botha—started swinging.
Over 44: Faf smashed Zaheer for four through covers.
Over 45: Botha lofted Harbhajan over long-on for six.
The equation narrowed. 45 runs needed off 30 balls.
35 runs off 24 balls.
The crowd was chewing their fingernails. It was getting too close.
Munaf Patel removed Faf du Plessis (caught in the deep) in the 47th over.
South Africa 298/6.
Robin Peterson came in and smashed his first ball for four.
Score: 302/6.
28 runs needed off 18 balls.
---
Zaheer Khan bowled the 48th over. He was a wizard with the old ball.
Ball 1: Yorker. Dot.
Ball 2: Slower ball. Peterson swung early. Bowled.
Wicket: R Peterson b Zaheer 6
South Africa 303/7.
Ball 4: Dale Steyn walked in. Zaheer trapped him LBW with a reverse-swinging yorker.
Wicket: D Steyn lbw b Zaheer 1
South Africa 305/8.
---
Dhoni threw the ball to Sidanth Deva for the final over.
Equation: 20 runs needed off 6 balls. 2 wickets in hand.
Morne Morkel was on strike. Imran Tahir at the non-striker's end.
Deva took a deep breath. He wiped his hands on his trousers.
"Just straight, Sid," Dhoni yelled. "Aim for the toes." (in Hindi)
Ball 1: Deva ran in. Full and straight. Morkel drove it to long-on. Refused the single. He wanted the strike.
Dot ball.
Ball 2: Deva went short. Morkel swung blindly. Missed.
Dot ball.
Ball 3: Morkel connected. A massive heave over cow corner. SIX.
The crowd went quiet for a second.
14 needed off 3 balls.
Ball 4: Deva went back to the yorker. Morkel tried to dig it out. He got an inside edge. The ball trickled to fine leg. They ran two.
12 needed off 2 balls.
South Africa needed two sixes.
Ball 5: Deva decided to end it. He delivered a searing yorker at the base of the off-stump.
Morkel backed away to create room, trying to slice it over point.
He missed.
The ball smashed into the base of the off-stump. The bails flew.
Wicket: M Morkel b Deva 18
Score: South Africa 317/9
"HE CLEAN BOWLS HIM!" Harsha Bhogle screamed, his voice cracking. "Sidanth Deva seals the deal! The timber is disturbed! One wicket left, but the game is in the bag!"
South Africa 317 All Out.
"CAUGHT! TENDULKAR TAKES IT!" Shastri signed off. " India win by 11 runs! Nagpur goes wild! A total over 600 runs scored in the day, but India holds their nerve!"
The Indian team swarmed Deva. Yuvraj ruffled his hair; Raina jumped on his back.
South Africa looked devastated. They had played their part in an epic, but they had fallen short.
---
Vikram Deva slumped into his chair, exhausted. He felt like he had bowled 50 overs himself.
"He did it," he whispered. "He actually did it."
Sesikala was weeping openly, hugging Arjun.
"He beat South Africa," Arjun grinned, tears in his own eyes. "He beat Steyn. He beat AB. He is the real deal, uncle. He is the real deal."
As the team took a victory lap, Sidanth Deva walked slightly behind the seniors. He looked up at the Nagpur sky.
Five matches. Five wins.
The road to Mumbai and the final had just become a little clearer.
Final Scorecard:
India: 329 All Out (48.4 overs)
S Tendulkar 111, S Deva 93, V Sehwag 73
D Steyn 5/50
South Africa: 317 All Out (50 overs)
AB de Villiers 69, H Amla 61, J Kallis 38
S Deva 2/45, Z Khan 2/40, Munaf Patel 2/50, Harbajan Singh 2/53
Result: India won by 11 runs.
---
Date: March 13, 2011 (Sunday)
The sun rose over the Indian subcontinent on Sunday morning, but for a billion people, it felt less like a new day and more like the glorious, extended hangover of the night before. The air in the cities—from the smoggy boulevards of Delhi to the humid promenades of Mumbai and the waking streets of Chennai—crackled with a specific frequency of electric joy.
It was the morning after the "Nagpur Heist." The morning after India 329, South Africa 317.
In the pre-smartphone era of 2011, the morning ritual was tactile. It was the thump of the rolled-up newspaper hitting the doorstep. And today, those newspapers were collector's items.
The Headlines:
The Times of India: "GOD REIGNS, DEVIL DESTROYS: India Tames the Proteas."
Hindustan Times: "SACHIN'S 99th & DEVA'S 93 POWER INDIA TO GLORY."
The Hindu: "A Tale of Two Titans: Experience and Youth Seal Nagpur Thriller."
Dainik Jagran (Hindi): "Bhagwan aur Shaitan ne racha itihas!" (God and Devil create history!)
The narrative had shifted overnight. Sachin Tendulkar was, as always, the celestial being—the "God of Cricket." If Sachin was the light that guided India, Deva was the fire that burned the opposition. He was a nightmare for bowlers, a punisher of errors, the necessary chaos to Sachin's divine order.
---
Location: Lodhi Gardens, New Delhi. 6:30 AM.
The mist was still clinging to the ancient tombs as the "Morning Walkers Club"—a loose association of retired bureaucrats, uncles in white sneakers, and government officers—gathered for their post-walk chai. usually, the conversation revolved around politics or inflation. Today, there was only one topic.
"Did you see the reverse swing?" Mr. Malhotra asked, panting slightly as he stretched his hamstrings. "I haven't seen an Indian pacer bowl a yorker like that since... well, maybe never. Even Zak's yorkers are more skill. Deva's are pure hostility."
"And the batting, Malhotra ji! The batting!" interrupted Mr. Gupta, waving his walking stick for emphasis. "Sachin was classic, yes. But that shot Deva played off Steyn? The pull shot? That was disrespectful! You don't pull Dale Steyn when he is angry. This boy has no fear."
"They are calling him Devil for a reason," Mr. Singh chimed in, pouring steaming tea from a flask into paper cups. "I said it on the news. 'God and Devil.' One builds the temple, the other guards the gate with a spear."
"He reminds me of Kapil," Malhotra mused, sipping the tea. "The raw energy. But with the technique of a modern batsman. If he stays fit... arre, forget the next World Cup. We are set for the next twenty years."
"Twenty years?" Gupta laughed. "Let him win this one first. But yes... He is eating the tournament alive."
---
Location: Saravana Bhavan, Mylapore, Chennai. 8:00 AM.
The clatter of steel spoons against plates was the soundtrack of the morning. The smell of ghee roast dosa and filter coffee filled the air. But unlike usual Sundays where patrons read the paper in silence, today the restaurant was a cacophony of analysis.
The TV mounted in the corner was replaying the highlights. As Sachin's century moment played, the entire restaurant paused. Spoons stopped midway to mouths. A collective sigh of reverence swept through the room.
"Perivaar," (The Elder/Great One) an old man in a veshti whispered, touching his chest.
Then, the highlight cut to Deva's dismissal of Hashim Amla. The wobble-seam delivery, the edge, the catch.
"This boy, Deva," a young IT professional said to his father across the table. "He is the one, Appa. Look at the seam position. He is not just throwing the ball; he is thinking."
"He is arrogant," the father grumbled, though his eyes twinkled with pride. "Did you see him roar after the wicket? Too much aggression."
"Aggression is needed, Appa!" the son argued, dipping his idli in sambar. "We have been 'nice boys' for too long. Ganguly started it, but Deva and Kohli are finishing it. They call him the Devil because he gives the opposition hell. I like it. We need a Devil to win the World Cup."
On the TV screen, the news anchor's voice boomed: "Is Siddanth Deva the greatest all-rounder India has produced since Kapil Dev? The stats say yes. But the impact says something even louder."
---
Location: St. Xavier's Hostel Canteen, Mumbai. 10:30 AM.
The mood in the canteen was raucous. Classes were not there as today is Sunday. But the real lecture was happening around the large wooden tables where students were dissecting the match with the precision of brain surgeons.
"Dude, did you see his strike rate?" Rohan, wearing a fake Team India jersey, slammed his fist on the table. "93 off 75 balls against Steyn and Morkel! That's video game stuff."
"He missed the century, though," Priya pointed out, "Everyone is tweeting about it. #DevaTheDevil is trending worldwide. Even international cricketers are tweeting. Look, Kevin Pietersen tweeted: 'This kid Deva is scary. Different gravy.'"
"Who cares about the century?" Rohan scoffed. "He won the match. That last over? Morkel looked terrified. Deva was literally smiling before bowling the yorker. That's why he's the Devil. He enjoys the pressure."
"He turns 20 in three months," another student, a stats geek named Amit, interjected, adjusting his glasses. "Do you realise what that means? He's younger than us. We are sitting here eating vada pav, and he is destroying South Africa."
A moment of silence followed this realisation. Then, laughter.
"Well," Rohan grinned. "At least he's our 20-year-old. India finally has a finisher who can bowl 145+ clicks. Do you know how many years we prayed for this?"
---
Location: Star Sports Studio, Mumbai. 11:00 AM.
The red "ON AIR" light flickered to life. The sleek studio, bathed in blue light, featured a rotating graphic of the World Cup trophy.
"Welcome back to 'World Cup Central'," the anchor, a polished man with a baritone voice, said to the camera. "If you are just joining us, you are waking up to a new reality in Indian cricket. The Gods have smiled on Nagpur, but it was the Devil who sealed the deal."
He turned to the panel of experts—former cricketers with greying hair and sharp suits.
"Let's talk numbers," the anchor said, pointing to the large digital screen behind him. A graphic flashed up: MAN OF THE TOURNAMENT RACE.
The list was staggering.
Shahid Afridi (Pak): 14 Wickets | 85 Runs
Zaheer Khan (Ind): 13 Wickets | 18 Runs
Siddanth Deva (Ind): 12 Wickets | 372 Runs
Virender Sehwag (Ind): 320 Runs | 2 Wickets
"Look at those numbers," the expert, a former Indian opening batsman, said, shaking his head. "372 runs. He is the highest run-scorer in the tournament so far. He has two centuries. And he has 12 wickets, sitting just behind Afridi and Zaheer. He is dominating both lists."
"It's unprecedented," the second expert, a former fast bowler, added. "Usually, an all-rounder is a bits-and-pieces player. A bit of batting, a bit of bowling. Deva is batting like a pure number four and bowling like a frontline strike bowler."
"Let's look at this graphic," the anchor said, swiping the screen. THE NEXT DECADE.
"He is 19 years and 9 months old," the anchor emphasized. "If he stays injury-free, we are looking at the backbone of Indian cricket until 2030. Imagine him at his peak in 2015 or 2019. It's a frightening thought for the rest of the world."
"For the first time," the bowler noted, "I feel relaxed about the future. After Sachin, Dravid, and Laxman go, we worried there would be a void. But with Kohli and Deva? The void is filled. The torch hasn't just been passed; it's been ignited into a flamethrower."
---
Location: Internet Forums / International Media.
It wasn't just India. The cricket world was buzzing.
On Australian cricket forums, threads titled "How do we stop Deva?" were popping up.
User AussieFan99: "This bloke is a cheat code. He bowls 145+ and bats like Ponting. It's not fair."
User ProteaFire: "He single-handedly dismantled us. Steyn bowled a peach to get him, but the damage was done. We need to figure him out before the knockouts."
In England, The Guardian ran a piece: "The Indian Summer Has a New Sun."
Excerpt: "While the world watched Tendulkar, a usurper has arrived. Siddanth Deva plays with the swagger of youth and the skill of a veteran. He is the modern cricketer prototype—athletic, aggressive, and utterly unburdened by the history of Indian cricket's past failures."
---
Location: Mumbai.
By 2:00 PM, the city had slowed down for the Sunday siesta. But the dreams were vivid.
In millions of minds, the image was clear.
Wankhede Stadium. April 2nd. The Final.
Sachin Tendulkar lifting the trophy.
And beside him, the "Devil," smiling, his job done.
The nation wasn't just hoping anymore. After the Nagpur Heist, after seeing Deva stare down Steyn and win, they believed.
For 28 years, Indian cricket had prayed for a miracle. Now, they realised, they didn't need a miracle. They had a God. And now, they had a Devil.